how long should it take for my rats to get used to me?

Question

i just got them an hour ago and theyve been sniffing around and looking at their cage and when i tried to pick one of them up it started squeaking and ran away. :(

Answer 1

omg haha that sux but i dunno maybe wait a day or two and they will get used to thier new surroundings

Answer 2

what i did was try to just put your hand in the cage. DONT TRY TO GRAB THEM RIGHT AWAY IT WILL FREAK THEM OUT. just sit your hand in the cage and let them sniff you out. theyll get used to you. be patient. once they seem comfortable with your hand there (after they sniff you out. this might take longer than 5 min. the longer time, the better) move your and around the cage, not trying to chase them, but slowly. once they see how your doing, they should calm down a bit. after a while put your hand close to them so they can see your not trying to hurt them and start to pet them VERY GENTLY. repeat this whole process for about 2 days on and off. they will get used to you. then after about a week or maybe even 3 days, you can try to pick it up. i think that the longer you wait to pick it up, the better. let it know your not trying to do any harm. i had six rats. theyre alot of fun when they are trained to be held. good luck and i hope this works for you!

Answer 3

This depends on the personalities of your rats (they're individuals like anyone else) & how well they've been socialized before you got them. We've had rats who were friendly with us from the 1st day we brought them home & on the other end of the spectrum we've had a female who lived to be nearly 3 yrs & she *never* became friendly with ppl-- she was a rare exception & nearly all rats will warm up to you sooner or later.
Since you've *just* got your little guys, they're understandably nervous. Talk to them, give them tempting food & just kind of hang out in their area so they can get accustomed to you. Rats are smart & social, they'll be your shoulder-riding buds before too long.

Answer 4

When introducing an animal to new sorroundings for the first time, you should always leave it alone for a few days to let it get accustomed to its new home. Don't play with it or bother it too much for a few days or else he will be bottled up with stress and could cause serious health problems for them in the future.

You need to be patient and understand that they are very frightened right now and need time to adjust. After 2 or 3 days then slowly start to talk to them and put your hands in their cage, offering food. They will eventually climb right into your arms and love you unconditionally. It takes time, effort, and patience.

Good luck & take good care of your new pets.

Answer 5

awwww i love rats :)
let them get used to you. and let them see as much of you as possible. try putting your hand in the cage with some food. give them treats. try handling them alot. they'll get used to it. talk to them. don't whisper and don't yell. that could bother them. talk to them as if theyre your best friend =] also, when youre not in the room with them play music or keep the tv on so they dont get skiddish or anything like that when you speak to them. its good that you got more than one. cause if you had just one he'd be really scared and it's a little harder to tame them when theyre really scared. good luck <3

Answer 6

If they're anything like my rats it'll take months and months to get used to you.

Although some will take weeks... If you're lucky

Answer 7

It really depends how much you hold them. I have mice but they aren't that different and after I held them for a while they got much more used to being held and much more enjoyable to hold. So just hold them more and more often and they will get used to it. (Hope this helps!!)