rat questions

Question
Hi there!
I have 2 questions about the same rat.  First and most concerning is that she has developed what appears to be a muscle spasm in her right hind paw--she looks temporarily uncomfortable and stretches her leg out and twists it--nothing 'feels' wrong with it per se and it does seem to go away and she looks and acts like her normal self after half an hour or so.  any idea what this could be?

second she 'nibbles' (and has made me bleed several times) on peoples' feet.  never saw this behavior in another rat--any idea why she might do this and if there is a way of fixing it?
Thanks!

Answer
Hi Brent


How old is your rat, for starters.  Does she sometimes sleep in odd positions?

As for the nibbling on feet...does it happen when your wearing socks or without socks?  Sometimes rats LOVE to bite toes, esp when they are under socks.  As for fixing it...probably not.  She has some fixation with feet that makes her want to nibble. Just dont give her the chance to do it.  Rats dont really understand the word NO to much. However, they do associate something with being something they are scared of, so if she doesnt like loud noises like most rats dont, next time she goes to nibble your toes, make a loud noise to scare her. SHe may start to associate the nibbling of your feet with the loud noise and stop....or maybe not. :)