[PotHeadSteve]

My rat Harry has been biting the crap outta me. The last month i have been taking him out he has bitten me atleast once. I was just making sushi dinner and my hands reeked of salmon and he bit me so badly i was bleeding everywhere. I had to get it bandaged. Then even after my hand was clean he still bit me afterwards when he was out playing with his brother. IDK what i did i just laid my hand flat so he can smell it and my hands were very clean cuz he bit me. I can see him biting me because my hands smell like fish. But like when he bit me afterwards he was like holding me even after i screamed out in pain, then he like tried to force my hand down and i i noticed that he does that to his brother. He has lost a lot of hair and i think he might be losing it because his brother is defending himself. Because the parts he is losing fur are the same parts Pilgore's claws are scratching when he jumps on top of him when Harry flips Pilgore over to fight. Is this a hormonal thing, cuz they are both about a year old and this had gotten worse as Harry has gotten older? Is this anything i should be concerned about or just normal ratty behaviour. Because i am always careful around Harry like i always am just like "Be nice!" because he is a little biter.

 

[SonicRat]

Ouch,Steve ,I know how sore rat bites can be and the blood🤕From what you say,it is not a new behaviour,correct? rats can get aggressive it they are ill or in pain.Is everthing else normal?Have they been neutured,as it would be made worse by hormones.Finally,though rare,some rats can be born biters,they cant seem to help,themselves.I have had a few like that over the years and the only thing I could do was to avoid them .I made sure I didnt put myself in a position where they could get to me.I let them out for freerange and they went back home to roost on their own as soon as their dinner was served.

 

[PotHeadSteve]

Ouch,Steve ,I know how sore rat bites can be and the blood🤕From what you say,it is not a new behaviour,correct? rats can get aggressive it they are ill or in pain.Is everthing else normal?Have they been neutured,as it would be made worse by hormones.Finally,though rare,some rats can be born biters,they cant seem to help,themselves.I have had a few like that over the years and the only thing I could do was to avoid them .I made sure I didnt put myself in a position where they could get to me.I let them out for freerange and they went back home to roost on their own as soon as their dinner was served.

Its actually kinda new behavior that has been getting worse as he has gotten older. When he was little he wouldn't bite this way, like he would nip a little but never draw blood. No both of them are not fixed. I don't want to put them through surgery unless there is nothing else i can do because being nuetered is really hard on the rat. This is only something Harry does though, Pilgore is really nice and he has never bitten me ever. I will try to be careful with him and make sure my hands are super clean before i handle him at all.

 

[RatPappy]

Steve, Harry is definitely a handful. For what it's worth I think if you can hang on a few months he may mellow considerably. Kudos to you for avoiding the knife. It must be a serious drag to be bitten while caring for your Rats. Pilgore will be a positive influence on him. Give Harry a chance, Brah.

 

[PotHeadSteve]

Steve, Harry is definitely a handful. For what it's worth I think if you can hang on a few months he may mellow considerably. Kudos to you for avoiding the knife. It must be a serious drag to be bitten while caring for your Rats. Pilgore will be a positive influence on him. Give Harry a chance, Brah.

Well he was good last night and he didn't bite me last night. I am also going to try buying a bunch of toys for them. Hopefully if they have lots of toys in there, then maybe Harry will stop biting. I really don't plan on doing that unless the vet recommends it. He had a scab on some of the patches missing and its now disappeared so that is good. He could have just been healing and that is why he's been more bitey.

 

[RatPappy]

Yep

 

[PotHeadSteve]

So just as an update i got a new toy for them and i will give them more attention on the weekends when i am not working. I think the reason why Harry was being bitey is because the both of them needed more attention and were bored. Plus my hands smelled too much like food and they get fed when they are outside playing. So just play with them more when they are outside and do not feed them too much outside without washing your hands. Cuz Harry has only bitten me once and i think it was just because he was trying to get to the food in my hands. They are really smart so they just get so into certain habits of mine.

 

[SonicRat]

Its amazing how adaptable and smart rats are,they respond so quickly to any changes they make.Good Boy Harry,dont bite Steve he is a good hyooman!

 

[rukia1988]

What about offering him something yummy on a spoon while you have him out? Worked with my biter.....although she's still biting in the cage but once she's out she's a sweetheart. Haha I love your response "be nice harry" haha I always say that to dottie. I also say ok I'm taking you out now so don't bite me ok? She gets super angry when I'm wiping her cage down!

 

[PotHeadSteve]

What about offering him something yummy on a spoon while you have him out? Worked with my biter.....although she's still biting in the cage but once she's out she's a sweetheart. Haha I love your response "be nice harry" haha I always say that to dottie. I also say ok I'm taking you out now so don't bite me ok? She gets super angry when I'm wiping her cage down!

I used to do that a lot when he was a baby with like low fat and sugar yogurt. I haven't done it in a awhile. I like to give them chicken bones and nuts as treats now cuz they are hard and wear down their teeth. Sometimes they like to chew up my desk so i give them a nut instead.