How to independently and safely tame a pet rat

Getting a new pet, especially if it's your first pet rat, is one of the most exciting experiences in your life. You'll want to hold your pet from day one, but it's important to follow the process to ensure your pet becomes your best friend in the future. It is important to gain the trust of your new pet rat and this will require a lot of patience.

How long will it take to tame

When you first bring a rat home, don't try to start the taming process right away. Moving from a pet store or breeder to your home will make your new friend nervous. Give the animal enough time to get used to its new place of residence. Give your pet 1-2 days to adjust to its new home.

It's best to simply place the rat in a new home (whether a cage or aquarium) and let it settle in. Make sure your rat has a full bottle of water, some food, and some chew toys to relieve stress. Shelters are also necessary, whether it be a store-bought rat house or a simple box full of soft bedding or material. Don't force your new friend out of the cage - be patient and understanding.

The time it takes for a rat to be tamed to a human depends on several factors:

• Age of the rodent. Baby rats are much easier to tame than adult rats. The younger the animal, the faster it gets used to being handled.
• Place where the animal was purchased. If you purchased a rat from a pet store, it may be half wild. Responsible breeders, on the contrary, communicate with rodents every day and slowly tame them. Such a rat can get used to you within a few days after purchase.
• Rat temperament. It is important to remember that all rats have different personalities. Depending on the personal qualities of the animal, the taming process can take from 2-3 days to 2 months. You need to pick up the rodent more often or carry it in your pocket so that the rat gets used to you. Even if at first the rat expresses dissatisfaction, then it will get used to it and become tame.

Basic rules for taming

Wild rats, unlike their decorative counterparts, lead a nocturnal or twilight lifestyle. Domestic rodents do not have the skills to survive in nature, and their biological activity is almost completely adapted to the human daily routine.

Domesticated rats are completely devoid of neophobia - the constant alertness that helps them survive in the wild.

However, tamed rats retained some qualities:

• high level of intelligence;
• sensitive hearing;
• highly developed sense of smell;
• dexterity;
• communication skills;
• predisposition to training.

Interesting! Many decorative rats have poor eyesight. They see a person as a moving blur. The main reference point for them is smell. This individual “marker” helps them feel the presence of a person even in a half-asleep state.

Most rats know how to be affectionate and attentive, love to play, and become attached to their owners. But to strengthen the bond between pet and human, the rat needs to be tamed.

Important! Experienced breeders recommend not to delay introducing the rodent to the owner’s scent. The sooner he learns what the owner smells like, the sooner you can teach him not to be afraid of people and to take food from hands.

A rat should be tamed gradually and the following rules should be followed:

1. When playing through the cage bars, you need to gradually increase the contact time. You shouldn’t touch the rodent right away; it’s important to give it the opportunity to get used to the owner’s appearance, voice, and smell.
2. Offer your pet treats in the form of pieces of vegetables and fruits every day. First, the “goodies” are placed on the floor of the cage. And when the rat gets used to it, you can try giving it a treat from the palm of your hand.
3. To tame a rat to your hands, you need to give it the opportunity to regularly sniff the owner's fingers. This is the most important stage - the animal will never bite a hand that smells of its favorite treats.
4. The first touches should be short. At first, the rat may be afraid or even hide. You should not rush, you need to give her time to calm down, and then try to touch her with your palm again. The conversation should end with a treat. At first the pet may resist, this is considered normal. But if the rat is very afraid and screams, it is better to reduce the time of stroking or temporarily refuse tactile contacts. You can take a break for 1–2 days.
5. You should not physically punish a rat during the taming process, even if it behaves badly. It is enough to express displeasure in your voice so that the animal understands what is possible and what is not. His behavior will soon change, because he also strives to “establish communication.”
6. You can only touch an animal that is awake. It is better to accustom a rat to handling during the day. After sniffing the person's hand, the animal is stroked on the head - taku. The sequence of actions needs to be fixed.
7. Use devices that help evoke positive emotions in your pet. Such devices (clickers) are bought in pet stores. They make a soft click when the pet performs the correct actions. This way the rat gets accustomed to a combination of positive emotions and good behavior, and it develops a conditioned reflex.

Important! Experienced breeders advise that after training your pet to take food from your hand, from time to time let him sniff your hand without giving him a treat. This will help the animal establish the distinction between the concepts of “food” and “hand”.

How to tame a rat

When you first get new rats, it will take some time before they trust you and want to get close to you. The main thing is to take your time and follow the following process:

1. For the first few days, allow the rats to settle into their new home without the added stress of being at the hands of a stranger.
2. After a few days, when the rats have become somewhat accustomed to their new home, you can begin to interact with them. But you shouldn't just grab them. After all, they still don’t know you and are afraid. They will need time to relax and understand that you are not a threat. You can use treats to lure them out of their cage. Eating treats from your hand will be a positive experience for them, which will be the first step towards them trusting you and starting to bond with you.
3. Now that your rats are comfortable enough to eat from your hand, you can try petting them. Let them smell your hand. Approach slowly and keep your hand steady so that sudden movements do not scare them away. Rats use their teeth to explore objects, which is why your rat may bite you. You can show the animal that this should not be done by making an “eep” sound. This is how rats usually tell each other that they don't like something.
4. When rats are no longer afraid of your hands, you can gently stroke them on the head, behind the ears, or from the neck to the back, but avoid the area around the tail, as they are very sensitive.

Is it possible to tame and make friends with a rat?

It is quite possible to tame a rat and make friends with it, both decorative and wild. The latter, of course, will take more time than the home one. But be patient and you will succeed. If you bought a decorative rat from a pet store or from a breeder, then most likely you won’t have to tame it for a very long time. There is a high probability that the animal is already tame and will just need to get used to its new owner.

Did you know? The number of rats on average is twice the population of the Earth; they are believed to have appeared some 48 million years earlier than humans.

But when it comes to taming a wild animal (gray rat), especially one more than eighteen days old, difficulties may arise. Unlike their domestic relatives, wild rodents have a different character. Shy, cautious, withdrawn and unsociable - these animals try to stay away from human eyes. Therefore, in order to tame such a “comrade” you will have to work hard.

But, if your pet, even a domestic one, receives little attention, it can become wild, let alone its wild relative. Therefore, when getting a pet, decide in advance whether you can devote enough time and attention to it. Don't be in too much of a hurry to raise a wild animal. Under strong psychological pressure, the baby rat experiences enormous stress. This can lead to the development of many diseases, and sometimes to his death.

Important! If your pet roams freely around the house, there is a danger of accidentally stepping on it. To prevent this from happening, you need to shuffle indoors and barefoot.

The habituation of a wild animal occurs gradually. Sometimes it takes up to three months to tame an animal. But don’t despair, this period only seems long; once you achieve the result, you will get a more affectionate and devoted friend than domestic varieties.

But even if you brought home a tame animal, do not expect it to immediately begin to play with you and climb on your hands. Any animal needs time to get used to new conditions, different smells, and a home. The normal reaction will be that he will break free from his hands, take refuge in the house, and even the smell of delicious food will not lure him out of there.

Try to make sure that the animal's cage has some kind of shelter where it can hide. Do not force the animal out of him; he may become even more afraid, or even bite. At first, try to avoid loud noises and very bright lighting, which can frighten the baby.

How to tame a rat

At first, the rat does not like being picked up by its owner. Imagine being lifted into the air by a creature several times your size and holding you several meters above the ground! To tame a rodent, you must follow certain rules. Follow the tips below to make the process easy and painless.

1. Be slow and gentle with your rat. Sudden movements will frighten your pet rat and cause it to avoid you for a while. Once your rat is comfortable with you and your hands, you can slowly pick him up. Try touching your rat's belly with your fingers as you pet it. These rodents don't always like to have their belly touched, but the best way to pick up a rat is to grab it by the belly.
2. Place one hand under the rat's belly. Lifting the rat from this central point will help maintain balance and give you a better grip on the rat. Since your pet rat will most likely squirm, do not let it jump out of your hand and fall to the floor. When you lift the rat by its belly, try to have it rest its tail on your hand or on your palms. Your rat's long tail helps maintain balance and will swing in the air.
3. Lift the rat with both hands. Once you have your hand around the rat's stomach, use your other hand to hold it down for added security. After all, an animal can jump out of an open palm and possibly get hurt. Two hands will also help your furry friend feel more secure in your palms. The more you handle rats this way, the more comfortable they will become with you.
4. Walk around the house with the rat. So, your rat finally allows you to pick him up without any problems. To improve your relationship, let her crawl up your arms and sit on your shoulders. Pet rats love to travel around their owners, and your shoulders are the perfect place for them to perch while you walk or relax. If you're wearing a hoodie, try placing a rat in the hood. There they will feel safe and have enough space to relax. Who knows, your furry friend might even fall asleep on you.

Bitten by a domestic rat until it bleeds: what to do

This is a fairly common problem that can arise if an unknowing person gets into the cage of a wild rat in the first days after keeping it as a pet.

First, you need to avoid any contact with the animal to avoid injury to your hands. The animal must get used to its owner. How to train a rodent was discussed above.

What to do if you are bitten by a domestic rat until it bleeds? First of all, you need to rinse the wound under warm water and then consult a doctor. If bitten by a wild rat, there is a risk of contracting dangerous diseases. If we are talking about a pet one (bought at a pet store), the chances of catching a terrible disease are less, but they still exist.

Pet rodent bite

Why does a pet rat bite?

Such actions are caused by the rat pup’s aggression and its fear of humans. Bite is a protective reaction of a rodent that helps it survive in the wild.

There are several reasons why pet rats can bite their owner:

• lack of training. An unprepared pet who sees a person in front of him for the first time will bite him one hundred percent if he tries to touch him. Therefore, experienced specialists, in order to avoid such problems, recommend at first contacting the rat only with thick gloves;
• poor living conditions. If a person neglects a rat pup, then he will never get used to it and will constantly bite.

Is a pet rat bite dangerous?

You should consult a doctor after being bitten by a domestic rodent only if the pet is not vaccinated. In other situations there is nothing to worry about.

Note! If some time after the bite a person begins to feel unwell or has a fever, then you should immediately seek help from a doctor. Perhaps the pet is a carrier of infectious diseases that will negatively affect human health.

Therefore, it is important to train your pet rat from an early age. With the right approach, the rodent will quickly get used to human hands. The information presented in this article will help you understand how to find an approach to your newly adopted pet.

Taming a little rat

After a couple of days of rest and relaxation in their new home, you can begin to bond with your little rat. Let your new friend come to you on his own. It is very important not to force the baby rat out of the cage, otherwise you will lose his trust. When you try to call your pet, he will be very careful. This behavior is normal for them, so be patient. You should introduce yourself to your baby slowly, step by step. The best way to do this is to lure or call the baby rat to the cage door and to your hand.

Treats will help lure your little rat out of the house. Snackable treats are the best way to gain your little rat's trust. As time passes and with all the treats you give your pet, your little rat will begin to trust you and will try to leave the cage on its own in your presence. You should give your rats store-bought treats, such as dried fruits and nuts, or rat-safe homemade treats.

In general, taming a baby rat will take much less time than gaining the trust of an adult rat. The main thing is to be careful and have patience.

Why are some rats difficult to tame?

You can easily and quickly tame only a rat that lived with people, and not in a pet store. If they not only took care of her, but also paid real attention to her, then she is already accustomed to the smell of human hands and constant contact with people. Such rats easily tolerate a change of owner, provided that they are treated kindly.

A rat that lived in a cage with its relatives, but had little contact with people, will at first experience severe stress from a change in lifestyle, especially if it has to live alone in the cage. You need to treat this with understanding and not impose your friendship on her, but let her get used to it.

Can you tame a wild rat?

There are suggestions that wild rats can be tamed. But the process of gaining trust itself will require much more time, patience and effort. Especially if the pasyuk is already an adult.

By nature, wild rats are cautious, timid and reserved. They are wary of people, constantly hiding and running away from danger. Therefore, it will be very difficult to establish contact with them.

The main thing is not to touch them initially, much less try to lift them. Animals will perceive such actions as aggression, start screaming loudly and try to run away. You should not touch the rat during 2-3 weeks of living in a new home.

There are times when rats refuse a treat offered by hand. Then you can skip one feeding session so that the animal feels hungry. However, under no circumstances should you starve a wild rat for too long, as this will make it aggressive.

A wild rat cannot be tamed for several months. However, with patience, kindness and regularity, a positive result will be achieved.

What is a decorative rat?

From a scientific point of view, the decorative rat, which has become a fairly popular and widespread pet, is an ordinary gray rat, also called a pasyuk, only of a domesticated type.

Pasyuki underwent domestication, or, more simply, domestication, for a long time. People selected and tamed them, kept and bred them in artificially created conditions. This is how a wild rat was turned into a decorative one.

The result of the domestication of pasyuks was changes that determined not only the comfortable existence of the animal next to humans, but also the impossibility of its survival in the natural environment. The animals have changed in appearance and have lost the instincts necessary to survive in the wild. A decorative rat is a pet that will die outside the home environment.