[xkatex]

So I just got my two ratties yesterday (YIPPEE!!) and so far they are pretty good. They checked out their cage and every nook and crany they could. They are eating fine and they slept through out the whole night with out a peep (until about 5ish when im pretty sure one was getting a drink fromt he bottle) They are brothers and are quite close. I woke up to them sleeping with eachother all cuddled up and i made sure to keep the bright light off just to make sure I didnt kill their eyes lol.

But what I would like to know is what can I do to make them bond with me. Ive been told to read to them to get them use to my voice. But ive also stuck my hand in the cage and let them sniff at it and once their comfortable with they I try to pet them...then they freeze stiff and watch as if im going to eat them!.

I know its early on and they are probably still sketchy about all the new things, but what can I do and what steps can I take to make them more comfortable with me and such. If you can give me a day by day step instructions Ill heart you guys forever!! I just dont wanna traumatize my little babies lol.

 

[Phobie]

Take it easy on them, they're still getting used to their new life

Basically talk to them a lot, I always just chatted away to Edgar when I first got him as he was VEEERY shy.

Coax them to you with food, little bits of nice food, get them to come up to your hands etc, then they'll slowly get used to you. Don't feed them through the bars as they will learn to think that every time you stick your fingers in, there is food, then they'll bite! So put your hand in the cage and give them food, tickle them if you can.

Then once they let you pick them up, try and hold them for 20 minutes a day, let them run around on you, put them on your shoulder and walk around with them there when they're comfortable with it.

 

[xkatex]

Thanks, Ya i already talk to them ALOT...mother thinks im going nuts! Ha i read them a book last night and they actually seemed to be listening! Today I gave them a little treat (the ones a pig so its more challenging then expected lol) and they dont seem as timid any more!

But i will definately take your advice and give it a try!
-Thanx!

 

[crapola]

tell the mother she used to read to you (assuming she did, lol), and you are just reading to your kids...
we mothers are a strange bunch, lol!!

 

[Slink]

If they're not biters, I bet they would LOVE you if you put chocolate spread on your fingers. I think teh most effective way to win them over is to be the bringer of yummy things, they'llsoon notice you take care of them and then they'll want to snuggle on you and do cute things in hope that you give them yum treats.

Blueberries are great, my Hazzy absolutly cant get enough of them at the moment.

 

[xkatex]

So I stuck my hand in the cage (after washing it to make sure it didnt smell etible) and Dego bit me. It was like a slow motion bite and didnt hurt just kinda caught me off guard. They both do that. They will sniff a million miles a minute then bite and thats all they do. If I go to just touch one they usual back away and start to sniff again. Dego is a bit braver then Kinq. He goes right up to sniff but hes the one that backs away the most. Kinq on the other hand sniffs a bit and I can manage to "touch" the top of his head or a little bit of his back.

I dont feed them with my fingers just so they dont get the idea that fingers mean food. I have a little holder I put the food into and its working great (they are both pigs and basically trample eachother to get the food lol)
So what can I do to avoid the biting. The last time I was bit kinda hurt a bit no broken skin or anything but I would prefer to avoid being bitten again if you know what I mean.

Should I just leave my hand in the cage and let them do as they please? Dego will bite if he thinks at any point in time you have food with you. Kinq stays in his little house until he feels like playing or something new is going on in my room. So any idea on how to avoid the bite? Or make them calm enough that I can atleast pet them?

 

[CaptainFlow]

Try "eep"ing really loudly in a high pitched voice whenever one of them tries to nibble on you. That means "no, stop!" in Rattese, and might do the trick.

As to hand feeding, I feed my girls only by hand. Unless they get a little too overenthusiastic competing with each other for cramming the most in their mouths, they know what's food and what's not. And they know that Mommy is not pleased when they make that mistake. So as soon as you got the biting calmed down a little, you could probably feed by hand without too many problems.