[aurevoira]

Now that I've gotten Rufus to run out of his cage willingly, I want to be able to put him down for playtime. However, every time I set him down he gets terrified and runs up my pant leg. I can't start free-ranging him like this when he won't even attempt! Any suggestions on how you got your rat(s) to be comfortable with it?

 

[lost_whisper]

Mostly time. Also lonely rats do tend to be more shy and don't explore as much as a rat with a rat companion, this happened with my girl Sake until I got her friends.
When I first got her she wouldn't leave my shoulder when out of the cage(which was most of the day) but as the days went on she started getting more comfortable with exploring. First only surfaces like my bed or a table. Only when I got her friends she started acting more active and exploring the floor and around.