New Pets

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I've just bought two rat pups. I've been told that i need to spend as much as possible with them but they sleep during the day? i'm very worried they are''nt going to know me! should i wake them up?

ANSWER:
Hi Tara,

In regards to your question:  You asked if the baby rats should be allowed to sleep or if you should wake them to play with them ,etc...
         The answer is no mainly because they need their sleep, but when they are awake, be sure to set aside plenty of play time in a secure and rat safe play area.  

You can get ideas on my site on how to set up a play are for rats, from constructing an easy to do and inexpensive to make play pen area is a great way to let your rats out to play and you can also be there to supervise and actually get on the floor and play too!!

Here it the link to my site. I have made this page for rat owners that want to learn the best way to get new young rats used to being with their owners. Keep in mind that all rats start out scared of humans.
A baby rat is supposed to be held and touched from birth on up and in fact waiting till they are a few weeks old is too late and the rat  will be very skittish.

Are the new rats you have shy? How old are they and where did you get them from? Are they male or female?
Please let me know these few things!  Thanks!

Sandy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: They are both females. One is extremely shy but the other seems to have gotten used to me already. I'm not sure how old the are but they are still quite small. I got them fomr a pet shop, they were in a a huge rat pit with many more of all ages. Everyone has made so many statements about how sensitive this little ones are that i'm scared i'm goign to do something wrong.

Answer
Hi again


First of all DUH ME for not putting the URL to my site up. Hopefully you found it on my profile already but if not, here it is again.

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/gettingstarted.htm

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/trainingshyorbitingrats.htm

What you need to do is let the shy one learn to trust you which will be easy since she is not a rat that will lash out and bite you. Rats do not trust humans by nature, which of course you cant blame them....humans either kill them or torture them in labs so why should we expect them to trust us?
Seems like the rats you bought were feeder rats. Petstores that sell pet rats usually keep the sexes and ages divided up unless it doesnt matter since they are being sold for a snakes lunch.  If they were NOT being sold as feeders it was pretty irresponsible of them to keep the rats in a huge pit with many other rats of all ages...but that still leads me to believe they are feeders.

So is that bad? Yes...and no. The worse problem you will have with feeders are personality problems in which you can get with a petstore rat that comes from a breeder mill anyhow, so thats not really a shocker but also poor health. Feeder rats and breeder mills have no reason to keep records of the rats that they have bred since they are not going to be kept alive long anyhow.  However, as long as you are up to par on what to look for with rat illnesses and also should educate yourself too about proper treatment for ailments etc..
Also the best bet for a healthy life for a rat  starts in the home. The rat cage is ground zero. Keeping it clean, using proper litter, and of course never over crowding the cage is important and proper diet is also KEY to good health.  You can find all of that on my rat site too.  

Anyhow, you will need to give the rat some time to adjust to her surroundings and learn that your a friend and not someone that wants to hurt her. A soft voice and slow movements are the best way to start. I would not listen to other people that scare you about how sensitive the rats are. They are going to be senstive to you and to their surroundings. If they pick up on negative energy they respond to it but if your positive they will also be positive.

Anyhow, check out my advice on my website...the entire site has been written with the new rat owner and also the veteran rat owner in mind.

Most of all, love your new rats and enjoy them. You can do them wrong by loving them!