i have a problem with rats!?

Question

my pet rat is from petsmart and i have had her for about 2 weeks
she doesent come to me and i can pet her but she hates being picked up she squeeks scratces and trys to get away i have bought some treats but i cant get her to come to me help and also does petsmart really play with the rats every day and give them checkups??

Answer 1

Your first mistake was you bought a female,,,female rats are weird,,I have had pet rats all my life and most of them was males..how big is it,,if it has giving birth already then i would take it back and trade her in for a male...female rats are very mean after giving birth...My pet rat of 4 years just died on Easter this year...you need to spend as much time as possible with them, they can be trained just like you train a dog..give it a easy name for it to come to...at first when you feed them only feed them when you are holding them this lets them know that you mean no harm to them and they will come to expect a treat every time you pick them up...but what every you do never ever put a female and a male together unless you want a terrible female with 30 babies running around and all the training you did went out the window...rats love cat and dog food they will do almost anything for it,,,just don't give them nothing that they can hid that will spoil remember they didn't get the name pack rat for nothing...i have years of experience with rats so if you need help just email me good luck..oh yeah rats teeth grow very quickly and you need to give them stuff to chew on to trim their teeth ,,,milk bones stuff that you give your dog works great and wont harm them,,if you dont do this their teeth will get so big they can eat...

Answer 2

She isn't used to you yet. As to whether the pet store really plays with them every day... I'm sure that varies from store to store. It sounds like this little girl either hadn't been at the store long or hadn't been socialized while there. You will also want to consider getting her a cagemate since rats are very social animals and it is best for them to live in pairs. The main thing will be to introduce her to you slowly and be patient.

Answer 3

Pet Smart probably do pick up the rats but not to socialize them with humans, just to put them in another container while cleaning their cages. Give your rat some time, this is a new environment that she needs to adjust. Just keep giving her normal food and healthy treats. Maybe even put in a toy, they like bird rope toys. When you pick her up, do it slowly, maybe have a treat in your hand (piece of apple), let her sniff it and just open your palm but dont pick her up right away, she needs to build trust with you. Once that she goes in your hands and stay there to eat her treat, then pick her up but just for a few minutes. then do it again the next day but for like 10 minutes, add minutes every day.

Answer 4

Hmmmm...one poster says that females that have given birth are mean afterwards? I had this with two of my rats and one it didn't happen. I had one who was a rescue and he was afraid like yours. He was nippy but I gave him alot of love and over time I was able to hold him. He squeaked something awful like yours does. He even smelled bad...fear has a smell I suppose b/c he sure did even after I bathed him. Anyways, I don't know about petsmart socializing her but she is certainly worth the effort it will take to get her used to you. I know that mine was worth all the effort.
Be persistent and get her out even though she acts as though she doesn't want you to do that. I have been successful most of the time by doing this. Get her out often and hold her ..it is worth a nip or two! Good luck!

Answer 5

i have a friend who owns a lot of rats, so she knows a lot about them. When ever she has bought rats from pet stores, including Petsmart, they seem like they weren't always handled. But im not sure if they were or not. Im sure she could give you very helpful advice, her email is [e-mail] try emailing her your question, im sure she can help.

Answer 6

I have pet rats too. First of all if she is a baby she has to get used to you.
Don't wear any perfume, have the room quiet when you are trying to hold her, no loud music or t.v.
One of my rats always comes to me & one is stubborn & doesn't but he's still a sweety.
Please be patient with her, it might take more than 2 weeks.

Answer 7

I had a rat that came to his name, did tricks, and could get out of his cage and would get in bad with me. He just was easy to teach. I did get him from Petsmart

Answer 8

Maybe she is afraid. You may still be a stranger to her or she may not like being picked up. It takes time. Place the treats near you and let her come and the more she does this the comfortable she gets. Eventually she may let you hold her.

Answer 9

I cant imagine having a pet rat, a bunny maybe but not a rat. Wish I could help.

Answer 10

Try using a heavy mesh glove, and hold her everyday.. use the glove so you don't get bite. all rats rodents are this way. they have to get used to you picking them up..