Both girls run away

Question
I recently bought two girl pet rats (hairless) from my local petland discount store. Yes i know it is better to buy from a breeder but there are hardly any in NYC because most Newyorkers especially im from the city hate rats. Well I try to play with each one at night. I let one out and let it explore my bed. When I want to pick her up she runs away and pushes so i can put her back down. Why is this happening? How can i train them? And if you know of any breeders close to the Queens, N.Y. area let me know because i rather drive them have them shipped because it is too much money.

Answer
Hello Cindy! There are so many reasons why your girls would be doing this. First, if they came from a pet shop, the likelihood that they were well socialized with people at a young age is low. Most pet shops do not handle their rats well (by the way, NEVER pick a rat up by the tail, it's very painful for them and could result in injury). So any experiences that they might have with people are probably not positive ones. So if they are doing this out of fear or anxiety it is probably followed by what I call "fear poop and pee", which just means that during the times they are acting this way they produce and excessive amount of urine and feces.

If that is not the case, it could also be that they are still adjusting to a new environment and the ability to be out of their cage for once. They want to explore and play and look around, not cuddle. If they are young rats, this is extremely typical! :p They can be hyper little things that are very curious.

What I recommend you do is spend lots of time while they are still in the cage, and while they are out, feeding them yummy (but still nutritious) foods that they really love (yogurt, deli meat, yogies, baby food ect..) This way they will associate you with the distribution of yummy treats and they will love you for it. Now, I am not saying to turn them in to little heffers by over feeding them, I am just suggesting that if you are going to give treats, make it a personal bonding experience. Always talk softly around them and keep calm and use slow movements when you are with them. Don't force them to sit in your lap or cuddle while they are out for playtime. Just be the keeper of the treats and let them come to you. Give them a taste and pet them a bit and let them go on their merry way. At first they might not even eat outside of the cage but eventually they will get the idea if you are persistent.

Now, I do know of 2 breeders in Middletown New York (I used to live in Pine Bush). The drive from NYC is about an hour i believe but these are the only breeders I know of in that particular area. The first one is Galant Rattery and here is her email:  nkgalant@warwick.net
Next is Great Pets Rattery and here is her email: sheree@citlink.net

If you have ANY other questions or concerns about your rats behavior, don't hesitate to ask. If you have more details to the situation that would help me out more that would be great to (age, diet, bedding they are on, cage size ect..) Because those factors could also tie in to their behavior. Thanks for the question and please don't forget to rate the answer when you are through! :)

PS..
I just went ahead and searched for NY rat breeders and here is a website chock full of them :) http://www.altpet.net/rodents/NY.shtml