babies and biting

Question
QUESTION: Sandra,
I became the proud mama of two 4 week old agouti/ hood mixes yesterday. I was so worried about them all day that I just held them. They ate just fine and are drinking out of a water bottle successfully, however yesterday was their first day in life to not be able to nurse.
So they are what I can only call "test-biting" me every time I reach in to touch them. It absolutely does not hurt because they are so, so small. I do very gently tell them, "no bite" but I cannot decide if they just think they are going to get some milk out of my hands or if they will grow out of this.
I cannot have biters.
do you have some advice for me?

ANSWER: Hi Megan

You have to consider the fact they just came to you yesterday and do not know what is going on in their lives. They dont trust you, they were just weaned and they need to learn about their new surroundings.
Dont try to handle them, just lay your freshly washed hands in the cage and let them sniff your hands and fingers. They will try to nibble you to see what your all about and trust me, they can hurt you if they wanted. Their teeth are pretty sharp even at this age. I see you have been holding them which is great.  How do they act when you pick them up?  At their age they are full of energy and need to run it off in a safe area as well, which you probably already know this.
I can pretty much assure you if they are properly socialized and you continue to give them attention, at this young age, they will be sweet natured rats. Most rats are unless hormone set in when they are older (usually applies to males) or if they are not socialized properly. I rescued a baby wild rat and let me tell you, we nicknamed her JAWS at just 10 weeks old. I trust trained her and she was my best friend till she died in July at nearly 4 years old.

Patience...they are new and they are unsure and need your patience and love to guide them to what you expect from them. THey are taste  testing you.  LOL!

Hope this helps!

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

QUESTION: They act wonderfully when I pick them up, they let me hold them, and play with them. I open the cage door and they climb out onto my hand and sometimes up my sleeves or onto my shoulder. They are in a huge cage and they are running, climbing, and hopping around like crazy.
They came from a mother that bites, so I want to make sure that I am socializing them appropriately.
They play very hard with one another, and sometimes whoever is being beaten will squeak very loudly. How do I know the difference between simple play and aggression?

Answer
Hi Meagan

Babies play hard, sometimes very hard, and the more vocal rat will let you and anyone else in the room know just how hard it can get.

True aggression doesnt show in rats (especially males) until the testosterone levels start to get higher which is usually between 6 and 8 months old so you have no worries there.  Your pups are just being normal hyper popcorning boys and you know what they say: boys will be boys! LOL

Now, you may even notice a few little bite marks or bloody scabs on the pups which may make you nervous, but again, this would be simply part of the rough housing and not aggression...not at this young age.

As for the mother rat...if she was aggressive she should not have been bred at all unless this was accidental.

Did you get them from a breeder?

Has she always been a biter or did she just get that way during pregnancy or after the babies were born? If so, thats pretty normal for a female to become crabby and protective of herself and her babies. This aggression is related to the surging hormones in the pregnant and lactating doe and often subside when the pups open their eyes.  I had a female that was so sweet and once her babies were born, she caught me off guard and jumped at my face, grabbed onto my bottom lip and HUNG THERE, blood dripping and me, not knowing how to get her off without pulling my lip off still clenched between her teeth!
My feelings were not hurt...it was stupid of me to forget all I had learned about rats so I forgave her for it right away. :)

Most rats are biters when its non hormonal issues, that is, when they are not socialized properly.  Seems that your doing a great job with the pups and they dont sound skittish in the least.

I miss having babies around but get to see plenty at the clinic. They are fast and slippery little buggers thats for sure. I always end up with one in my bra...LOL!

Hope this helps!

Sandra