Question
Wanda and Simba
Hi, I have a 10 month old male rat called Simba. He was a rescue rat (had 2 homes before me) when I got him age 5 months. He lives in a large cage with cage mate Wanda (doe, 16 months, also a rescue at 9 months) and they get on great. He's castrated by the way!
They both come out for an hour a day and are handling a lot. Wanda had never been handled when I got her but after 2 days was tame and is very affectionate and loving. However, Simba is still very nervous even 5 months later. He doesn't like being picked up for longer than about a minute. When he's on the bed he just hides in a corner and rarely runs about.
I'm trying very hard with him but he's so scared of everything. Maybe he was treated badly before I got him. I love him to bits of course but just wondered if you have any advice to help his nerves? Or maybe he'll always be like that.
I thought he would get better with time as Wanda was even worse when I got her but is great now! Simba seems like he'll never be that kind of rat. I'd love him to be more calm and less scared. For his sake I mean not mine.
Any ideas on how to help? He does come out now to get food from my hands and doesn't bite anymore :)
Thanks,
Amanda.
PS-Not sure if you remember by the photo, but Simba was very ill when I got him 5 months ago and my vet had said he was more or less going to die. After me insisting on treatment of Zithromax and Baytril...Simba has been fine for the last 5 months so had at least doubled his life!
AnswerHi Amanda
The name rings a bell and I hear alot of stories that vets say rats are going to die mainly because they are clueless on how to treat them or know the proper meds to use for certain ailments. I am glad Simba pulled through and the vet was wrong. He looks great to me! They are both cute! I love black rats and black hooded rats. I have two pure black rats now, I get confused myself on the fancy names, I believe when they have white bellies they are called berkshire and if they are solid colors they are called "selfs"?? LOL Well anyhow, I guess I have one black berk with dumbo ears who is 3.5 years old and grumpy as hell, and the other one is my one eyed wonder boy, he has just one eye losing the other to infection and he is black with standard set ears. He is 2 as of October. I have a Siamese rat too, who is also 2, dumbo ears and he is neutered like Simba is.
As for Simba, I think he will outgrow it yet, or at least ease up some. My 3 year old grumpy boy hates being held too. He will sit on my knee for all of ten seconds and thats it but Santana knows the command "Up" and "come" and when I say UP he stands on his hind legs and raises his forelimbs up as if he is wanting me to pick him up, which I do.
Neutering him probably helped with the biting but it wont really make them any more trusting, just less aggressive which is good of course, nobody likes to be bitten by a rat or any pet for that matter.
Do you reach in and pick him up? If so, this is the first thing you need to stop doing. Dont pick him up. I would create a play area just for the rats if you dont have one like this already. It should have tall cardboard walls where they are literally enclosed in a cardboard pen. There are instructions on my website on how to create it. Add a few toys, cardboard boxes with doors and windows cut out of it, and let him come out of his cage on his own and see his new play area. He will feel more secure with it since it has tall walls that he cant see out of and get spooked by things he sees.
http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/gettingstarted.htm
Let him decide if he wants to come out and join Wanda and trust me, he will sooner or later. Sit in there with them during their time out and this way you will bond better with him because he will be more secure with pen like this rather than all open for him to explore own his own.
hope this helps!
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