Training baby rats

Question
Hi, I just got 2 baby female rats. They are apparently 4-6 weeks old. One was born with no eyes but a personality to make up for it. She seems quite happy and gets around her cage with ease. They are both quite fidgety when I get them out (almost jumping out of my hands), and I was just wondering how long it will take for them to settle down a bit. What would you suggest the best way to train them would be? I would eventually like to be able to get them out and let them roam around the room without fear that they will not come back to me.

thanks!

Answer
Hi Nia

That is so sweet you took in the rat with no eyes. Rats, fortunately, do not rely on their vision to get around since normally they have about 20/400 vision and worse, which in human terms, they are legally blind if they were to exist in our world.  In some cases, even corrective lenses would not help certain rats to see any better, so rats depend on other things to get them around, such as their whiskers.

Now, about the fact they are a bit skittish and super energetic. This is normal with rats, both male and female, at this age especially. They are just new to the world and have alot to see and do. Their entire awake time is about playing and chasing and wrestling and tasting and eating and chewing and gnawing!
However, the most important thing they need to do first before you and the rats can get along in harmony is establish trust with you.
They are fidgety and slippery and fast and you can drop one or both and they will take off and hide, for hours, in fact, if they don't trust you or feel comfortable in their surroundings. The worst part is, if there is a hole in the wall or crack under the door, they can slip in there and get lost in the walls.   I once lost a rat that was spooked out of my hands and we tore the room apart (it was in my sons messy bedroom) we could not find him for anything, and finally, tucked away inside an old empty nintendo game box, terrified.  That was years ago and since that time I have studied with exotic specialist about rat behavior and have found where I went wrong. Now, this is just part of what I do, and that is to help people help their new baby rats to make that transition from partially wild animal to calm trusting little pet.

So how do you do this when they are so....high strung and super energetic?  You let them get it out of their system for starters.
You need a SAFE area for them to play in that they cannot escape or get hurt. I used to suggest a bathroom after it was "rat proofed" which means to inspect that area for holes, especially under cabinets and behind toilets, and to pick up anything they can chew on, etc.. or even an empty spare bedroom (not everyone is that lucky though to have a spare room to dedicate to rats! I just now finally got my own so called "pet room" when my oldest moved out last summer.
You can also spare a huge walk in type closet, that is also an option.
However, I found an easier way from dapperrat.com and that is to construct a "wall" from cardboard. What to do is get cardboard boxes and flatten them. Be sure they are at least 3 feet high. Tape them together or make notches so they can fit together, whatever works for you, and make a huge circle, from an 8 inch in diameter circle and bigger, depending on how much room you can spare. Once its up, put the cage in the cardboard play area, and of course, yourself too, and treats. You MUST have treats. Cheerios are a hit with any rat, so you can grab a cup full of cheerios. Resign to the fact whatever treat you chose, they will be used for rewards and cannot be used only for the reward until their trust training is over.
Next, toys...things to stimulate the rat. Anything they can crawl in and explore will be a hit.  A box full of old socks, cardboard boxes stacked to make a maze with windows and doors cut out...plastic balls like pink pong balls...even old stuffed animals but keep in eye on them cause they will destroy it fast.  Cardboard paper towel or toilet paper rolls for small rats is also a favorite.
Once your all set up, let them know they can come out of the cage. Open the cage door to the lowest level of their cage and if its up high, put a box there for them to use for a way out and in the cage as needed.
DO NOT PICK THEM UP if they don't like being held, but you can coax them out with a treat, giving it to them when they come out. They may take the treat and run back in again or they may be bold and take it and come out anyhow. If they do run back in, thats ok. This may take time for them to become brave enough to make that next step, which is to leave their safety zone, which is their cage.  The blind baby may need extra time and even help to find her way around.
Let them do what they want as far as exploring their new play area. they need to get their energy out more than anything.  Eventually they will start to come over to you and climb on your lap. Reward them.
If they run in the cage and come back out again, reward them again.
Also,its important to call them by name all the time, snap your fingers when calling or make sounds, such as a kissing sound, which gets their attention too. Call them by name too. When they start to respond, reward them. I don't expect this for another few weeks though but you never know. Rats are smart and fast learners.

Eventually they will come to realize your there to be their protector and will start to come to you when something scares them.
I do not suggest free roam of the house or even in the room without someone there because no matter how hard we try to rat proof, something goes wrong.  A good friend of mine who is a great rat keeper  is going through this now. His rat has always had free range of the room and they thought they had it all rat proofed, but he forget one lamp cord. Rats are attracted to live current and this rat bit in the power cord and was electrocuted.  She lived, but she is in serious but stable condition recovering at home from serious burns on the mouth and tongue. You just cant be to sure.
A nice secure roomy cage is safest and playtime SUPERVISED within a safe play area is the best way to go. Others may disagree but I have seen alot, from tails shut in doors to rats stepped on or worse...the owner loses their footing and has fallen or sat on the rat and no, the rat did not survive.

Anyhow, I hope this helps..if I missed anything please let me know!



FOLLOW UP


I totally forgot to tell you that the blind baby will never know what she is missing since she wasnt born with sight.

I have a 15 month old male that lost sight in both eyes about 7 weeks ago due to reasons unknown (we think maybe a stroke) and he is doing great adjusting, but we didnt expect anything different.

thanks for the nice things you said!!