I have always had a soft place in my heart for females for this reason. They're just so happy to be alive!
Something that helps to wear them out is providing different things they can do for stimulation when you aren't there. For example:
- Get a shallow, wide dish (paint roller), fill it with water, ice cubes, and frozen veggies. My girls will get in it, swim around, bathe, eat, sit all the way down with only their heads sticking out when it's hot, etc. Mine have constant access to it (which not everyone's set-ups allow) and I change the water before I leave for work.
- Make a digging box (10gal tanks work well) and fill it half way with chemical free potting soil. You can even grow things in it, just make sure it is rat safe. My digging box has a lid fitted with a corrugated plumbing tube that they use to climb in and out with.
- Make toys that hide food. Foraging and working for their food is natural for them.
Make every moment interesting for them, whether you're there or not. They're so smart that they have to be constantly stimulated.
Sorry this was so long.