My ratties dont seem interested in me

Question
Hi there :) i bought a pair of bucks - melvyn and rodney! - around 4 weeks ago now and although i handle them each day they still seem very reluctant to being handled by me. they have a large cage with many different toys such as hammocks, furry tubes, snuggle bags etc. to keep them occupied for the time i can't be with them (any other good toy ideas would be much appreciated!) and i obviously always ensure they have a good supply of food and water available for them. i get them out of their cage every night and sometimes in the morning if they're awake and i sit on either the sofa in the lounge or my bed with them and make sure that we wont get disturbed by anyone so we can bond more. i feed them treats such as cheerios and let them lick baby food, yoghurt etc. off my fingers (so cute when they do that! hehe) but as soon as they've had their treat they run off to the other side of the sofa/bed and when i go to pet them or try to handle them they squirm and try to get away from me again. i put them on my shoulders and they will sometimes stay there for about half a minute before running down my arm and trotting off again lol. i have tried getting them out separately and on a few occasions melvyn has sat still inside my hoodie and has fallen asleep with me stroking him but rodney won't let me hold him and i want to handle them regularly so they become more familiar with me but its hard when they wont let you hold them!! :( sorry this is a big essay i just dont really know how to make my rats more interested in spending time with me because as soon as i open the cage door they climb out and run around on the top of the cage and try to jump down on to the carpet. i dont know if theres any games or activities i can do with them to keep them more occupied and to get them more used to me?? any advise would be much appreciated!! many thanks, Hannah xx

Answer
http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm

The link I provided above is JUST what your rats need!! There is a really neat wall you can construct out of cardboard boxes. This wall will prevent your rats from getting out and make the perfect setting for a playground for your rats and YOU!!  Your rats are young no doubt and they are very very curious and nosey. They want to explore and play. They are not yet ready to settle down and cuddle with their keeper when they have so much more to do when they are out of the cage. They love you from a distance at this age. Trust me they like you, they are just baby rats that need time to explore and enrich their lives with toys and other things to stimulate their intelligence. There is plenty of intelligence too trust me. Rats are so smart it scares me sometimes!  LOL!

Anyhow, make the cardboard wall, surround it around the cage so they can come in and out of the cage during play time, add some toys that they don't usually have in their cage such as homemade toys (you can get ideas from the link above as well) Make sure you sit within the wall with them. They will eventually climb all over you like you are part of a play thing as well. My rats are over a year old. When they were babies, they would be out in their playpen and they would not care if I was around at first but as they got older, soon as I sat down, all six of them would run over to me and climb all over me. It takes time and patience...but again, they are curious at this age and the lax attitude of an adult male rat doesn't come until they are older. Once they hit puberty around 6 to 8 months old, they slow down alot and after they are over 1 years old, that is when you end up with lazy rats, coming out, doing their "thing" and finding YOU to climb up on and snooze. I have had to pry many lazy rats off my chest after they had been sleeping while we lay and watch television together and boy do they hate being disturbed when they get older and lazy. If looks could kill...LOL!!   
Anyhow, accept the fact they are babies and just like a human baby would rather play with new toys and explore new things than hang on his mama, the same goes for rats. They are just so smart they need to explore and quench their thirst for exploring and discovering things in their new surroundings.

Hope this helps!

Sandra Todd