socialization

Question
I have a white, male, intact rat. He is about 1 1/2 years old. When I first got him He bit my finger a few times when I put my hand in his cage.  Because of that I never tried to pick him up.  When I clean his cage I take it in the bathroom and open the cage door.  Most times he does not come out and I just clean around him. I feel terrible because I have not been a very good rat Mom and I am now wondering what I can do to get him socialized and is it too late? I am really afraid of getting bit because he bit so hard when he bit so that is why I never tried anymore.  But now I am afraid if he gets sick it will be impossible to medicate him or take him to the vet.

Answer
 Unfortunately if a rat is not properly socialized from a young age it can be difficult to tame them down so they will enjoy being handled.  It's not impossible, however, and it's never too late.  What you will have to do is not be afraid to pick him up, and handle him daily until he is used to it.  The best way to start handling him would be to let him crawl out of the cage on his own.  Some rats are cage-aggressive and though they may act mean in their cage they will be perfectly fine once they are out of it and this may be the case here.  Once he gets out of the cage you can let him crawl around on top of it or put the cage on a table or countertop that has been rat-proofed and let him walk around there.  Start by just petting him, keeping an eye on his body language to see if he is tolerating it.  Offer him treats and start to earn his trust.  Do this at least once per day until he is comfortable with being petted and being out of his cage, and at that point you can try to pick him up.  You may want to let him crawl on you first if you are worried he will bite you, or pick him up by the base of his tail very carefully and place him on you.  Sit down on a couch or chair and just let him crawl all over you, getting used to being handled and petted.  You can also take him out in the front pocket of a hooded sweatshirt, which is a place he can feel safe but still be near you and get used to you.  The process may take a while, but it should help him become more tame and perhaps even enjoy being handled.  I hope things get better for you and your rat, good luck!