What are things I can do to make her happy & grow attached to me?
2006-11-01 15:46:22 · 14 answers · asked by jkuraah 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
you want to make sure there are toys that are fun for rats, such as chew toys and bells. To get her to be attached to you, handle her everyday and always be gentle and she will love you
2006-11-01 18:19:47 · answer #1 · answered by mr floppy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Spend a lot of time with her. Let her sit on your shoulder (but monitor her, for her safety). Rub her ears and back of neck... she will thank you by grinding her teeth with contentment.
Give her treats like banana chips, bird biscuits (those biscuits made for birds), maybe sprinkle a little fish food on top of her rat pellets now and then.
Oh! And keep her cage clean! Give her lots of things to chew, as her incisors are always growing and need to be kept trimmed by natural chewing. Put empty oatmeal boxes and other type items in her cage, so that she can explore or sleep in them.
They like oatmeal, too. But NOT the instant kind.
Keep her safe from predatory housepets (cats, dogs); If you can find a good vet who specializes in exotics, see about having your rat spayed. Rats already do not live more than a couple of years... spaying will lengthen her life. And may cut down on the growth of tumors. Two of my sweet rats died because of invasive tumors. I found out later that I could have prevented the tumors by spaying the ratties.
Good luck to you and your sweet ratty!
2006-11-01 23:54:33 · answer #2 · answered by scruffycat 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I want to respond to the comment about getting females spayed. Yes it will stop mammary tumours, but there are so many other cancers they can get, its not worth the risk. Because of their size there is an 80+% chance that they wont survive surgery. Rats are also prone to breathing problems and are more likely to die from that than they are cancer.
I would suggest getting her a friend, rats bond better when there is another one, they learn from each other and copy each other, they dont want to miss out on anything. They are very social and we cant be with them 24/7 or do things that another rat does.
I have developed a method to tame rats that always works and they bond better than any other method. Its best to start as soon as possible after getting them home. I find that if you leave them for a day so like guides recommend, it takes longer to tame them and they dont bond as well. Baby food is excellent for taming rats. Because its on a spoon they cant take it and run away. I've yet to come across a rat that cant resist baby food.
I get some baby food(and a spoon!), tissues, baby wipes and water bottle and put them close at hand. I then put on my tshirt with a pouch sewn on, an overshirt and a pouch hanging by a string. I then go and get the rats and sit down with them. To start with the rats will stay either under my shirt or in on of the pouches. Depending on the rats personality, they will come out and explore at different times. Every so often I offer them food or water. This helps them to get used to being fed outside of the cage(handy for when they need meds or ill and need extra food). The tissues and baby wipes are to clean up any messes. I stroke them and hold my hand over them(lightly touching their backs) and under them and eventually slowly pick them up. I keep them out for about 30 minutes to an hour and repeat this every couple of hours for the first couple of days(apart from when I'm asleep!). My rats quickly learn that I am a safe place and are eager to come out and climb all over me.
2006-11-02 04:04:56 · answer #3 · answered by kiffie 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They like making nests so give her lots of nesting materials such as papertowel and the nesting material they sell in the the pet store. Also hold her alot and let her ride on your shoulder while you walk around your house. Give her treats occasionally while she's with you to reinforce good feelings with being around you. Say her name when you give her a treat and when you get her out of her cage... she will realize that this is what she should respond to. Rats are fairly easy to train like this because they are smarter than you might think. Soon your ratty will have warm feelings for you and the rest is up to you!
2006-11-04 16:20:18 · answer #4 · answered by elodie_uncensored 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1. Socialize with it. Let it get used to you, carry it in a shirt pocket for example. Learn to 'scritch' it- massage/scratch it. Be careful to not invade its space to get it, though. It should feel it has a safe haven when it needs to withdraw.
2. Get it a cagemate. While some disagree, most people feel that rats with cagemates are more social with their humans than loners are. I've seen it go both ways, but tend to agree that a cagemate is a good idea (assuming a big enough cage!)
3. Feed it well.
4. Teach it basic simple tricks with rewards.
2006-11-02 00:10:03 · answer #5 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Play with her. Get her out several times a day and handle her a lot. They soon realize that you are their friend that way. Obviously get her a really nice size cage perhaps with things to climb on.
If you keep a rat by themselves, they will become more attached to you than if you get them another rat.
Have fun!
2006-11-01 23:57:43 · answer #6 · answered by ZCT 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i have two rats, treat them like dogs, seriously, they are different then other rodents, they are very affectionate and grow attached to you, hold it everyday, i take mine out and put her on my shoulder. she will stay there. i take her camping and even on errands, she loves the truck. they get lonely alone. feed it different types of people food, like yogurt, cereal, dog food. veg tables, meat. also the rat food. put things she can chew on, there teeth continue to grow, i have one that every two months i have her teeth ground down, because she wont chew. stay away from seeds and dried corn. they cause tumors.
2006-11-02 00:54:24 · answer #7 · answered by iMaTwin 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My first pet was a rat. It really depends on thier tempermant. Just play with her and spend a lot of time with her. YOu have to tame her and get her to enjoy people.
I used to hang out with mine all the time and socialize him. Eventually it got to the point where he wouldn't run away if he got out of his cage. He would hang out onthe couch, hiding behind a pillow. I had a little harnst and i would take him ouside.
Socialization is the best bet.
2006-11-01 23:49:37 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
i have 6 rats and you just have to handle them a lit get them some toys they love tunnels but no balls that will get them dizzy
2006-11-02 00:38:00 · answer #9 · answered by breanna t 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
play with her, feed her well, keep her area clean, draft free and out of direct sunlight, feed her good things, no junk, sure they love junk but it will hasten the end of her life.
2006-11-01 23:51:55 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋