[YellowSpork]

Sooo currently I am going through the immersion process with my new rat, Socrates. When we first started he was very aggressive with the gloves and would attack them if I touched him too much, but now he is fine with the gloves and has not bitten them for about an hour and a half. However, when I took the gloves OFF when he was rolled over letting me scratch his belly, when I stopped after about ten minutes of him laying there, he lunged at my finger and chomped down and held on. -_- So of course I had to pick him up and scratch his belly and bop his nose and tell him we don't bite fingers. XD I am assuming a) my new rat understands the concept of gloves or b) the gloves did not smell enough like me.

I'd love to avoid bleeding everywhere out of a million holes in my hands if at all possible and he's already four down, so any advice on how to get him to not bite them? He doesn't seem particularly AFRAID at this point, mostly just wants to do his own thing but he will come sniff me and climb over me. Which makes me happy I wore thick clothes since he seems to have an affinity for flesh. ;D

 

[YellowSpork]

He does have pink eyes, also, but it was a lot more than a test nibble! lol

 

[Rat Daddy]

Some folks have reported that gloves do slow down the process, some rats learn not to bite gloves but fingers are still in play...

Don't rush extreme immersion, take your time and test your new reality as it evolves... try and predict when your rat will strike by watching his movements and especially his eyes carefully, most rats have a tell.

I know you want to get the armor off as fast as possible and get on to the fun and loving part of immersion, but keep in mind your rat didn't get screwed up over night and may have been screwed up for a while... Extreme immersion really does work fast, and it sounds like you are already seeing improvement, but getting bitten hurts so always protect yourself through the process.


Again it sounds like you are doing well, but just try and be as careful as possible.

 

[YellowSpork]

I have been picking him up with the gloved hand a lot and then scratching his belly or head with an ungloved one so he can get used to both; and I won't put him down unless he is calm, and that seems to be helping a little... but I'm still not confident enough to offer up a chunk of my hand for a test sniff in case I can't get away fast enough I honestly don't mind getting bit at the time, but I had a bite get infected really badly one time and it hurt really badly, so that's mostly what I'm trying to avoid... lol.


He's been messed up for a long while, I'd assume. He's domestic bred but lived in the back room of a pet store for a little under a year foraging on his own, so he's got pretty much literally no experience with humans and is used to being solo. My boyfriend thinks I'm insane for bringing him home and trying to turn him into a loving new addition to the family. xD But he seems very smart, and is very inquisitive, so I think once we get past the biting he will be wonderful

 

[YellowSpork]

Here he is zonked out in the corner; he's very tired now lol.

 

[kksrats]

I'm about to have to start this type of immersion with Pip, so it's nice seeing someone else's experience with it. I've never had to wear gloves with a rat, so I'm a bit worried that they might just spark a new fear (I stopped wearing latex gloves to clean because the girls would nip at them lol). I don't have any worn in gloves and would like for them to at least smell a bit like me before starting. Maybe if I wash them (if leather can be washed) with a bit of my body wash and throw them in with a pile of worn clothes perhaps they'll pick up a bit of my scent.

 

[Rat Daddy]

Actually some of the folks that underwent the extreme immersion process swear that their formerly screwed up rats became some of their best friends. A few even became heart rats. Strangely biting rats and extreme immersions seem to come in cycles... for a while I don't see any and then suddenly lots of folks seem to wind up with biting rats at the same time. It really is nice to share with someone else going through the process at the same time you are. This isn't emotionally easy.

And yes, I love the photo. It looks like Socrates is taking a well deserved rest.

 

[Mojojuju]

Oh, he's such a cutie pie! I hope this works out for you.