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Baby Dumbo Rat Acting Strange

21 17:45:30

Question
I bought a one month old female baby dumbo rat aka HB. She is the cutest thing and gets along great with my other six rats, which are all female.

My problem is that HB's personalty changed. She used to "clean" my hand and run back and fourth on me while i was watching tv. She was and still is very playful except when it comes to playing with me. When I take her out of the cage she shakes and shivers and I think she is scared of me. I don't know if it was something I did, but my other rats still like to play with me, but all she wants to do is shiver and shake while trying to hide in my shirt. What should I do?

Answer
 It does seem a bit strange that she used to be tame and is now scared.  Did something happen that may be traumatized her?  My only suggestion would be to keep trying to play with her and get her socialized, usually the more they are handled the tamer they will get.  It may take a while and she may never be quite as tame as your other rats, it may just be her personality to be shier.

 If she is timid with handling, you may want to let her hide in a hoodie pocket or a carrying bag where she can feel safe and hidden but still be near you and you can reach in and pet her periodically and offer her treats.  If you keep working with her she should eventually get better, just go slow, be gentle, and don't expect it to happen overnight.

 The shaking is a bit weird, usually tame rats don't really shiver or shake, they just jump when there are loud noises or sudden movements.  If you are concerned you may want to take her to the vet for an exam.  Sometimes rats can develop neurological problems that can cause shaking, and something like that would definitely affect her personality.

 Well I hope she improves for you, good luck with all your ratties!