RatPalace.com - Pet Rat Care and Discussion

Sat Feb 11, 2006 6:32 am

I'm not sure if any of you remember me (I haven't posted in probably a year or more) but hugs to those of you that do, and hello to all of you who I haven't met yet!

I wanted to write and introduce the newest member of my clan, who is, as of yet, nameless. She is also the spawn of satan. Evil or Very Mad

Yes, that's right, she's a biter. in the past two days she's bit me perhaps ten to fifteen times with nearly all of them breaking the skin and causing me to bleed profusely. It hurts to type. She's not exactly your typical biter though. she doesn't just bite when the dreaded Hands of Doom come near her. Quite a few times while sitting on my lap she will wander over to my completely non-moving, non-threatening hands and CHOMP. Also she doesn't shiver or fear-pee/poop on me. She even consented to snack on a piece of cereal while seated on my shoulder. So this isn't, (or at least not completely) a panic driven thing. However, these are not just experimental nibbles either. They are hard bites that are designed to do damage.

So...I'm a little confused as to what is motivating her quest for my blood. The few things that I know about her, vis a vi the petshop person who gave her to me, are this:
A) she is young, i.e. less than 6 months old

B) she was previously owned by a family with small children and was returned to the store for having bitten the child.

C) she was, presumably anyway, fine before she was sold the first time.

So...I'm suspecting that the child handled her roughly and she bit out of fear. Then, having had the one bad experience with The Hands of Doom, she associates all hands with torture. She was not, from what I gathered, handled before she arrived at the petstore. I've read the articles and a lot of the threads on biters and am prepared to do a lot of trust training and forced socialization before she gets better but I would appriciate anyone's stories of biters-gone-good to give me hope, as well as tips that anyone might have. I really am a bit perplexed by the lack of shivering and fear pooing, as well as by the completely random hand attacks so anyone's hypothoses on that front would be welcome as well.
Now, without further ado,a picture of the little hellspawn:

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~Sara and the ratties: Remi, Sulin, Chiad, Kaya, Min and Stitch~

Sat Feb 11, 2006 7:39 am

sorry.. I would love to help, but I had the same, but right from the start.. mine (and the rest of their litter) just seem to be hall spawn.. BUT.. all I would say, is that IF i had had the experience then that I do now, they would probably be nibblers, rather than biters/ carnivores.. so with all the best luck i can throw at you.. if you're not too scared.. try and try and try.. don't give her too much hiding space, and let her get to know you.. taht's all i can say. i hope it goes well.. cos if it doesn;t it's no fun for owner or rat.. Sad

|b

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~Bee~
Scamps
Warrior
Hero
Maggie n Flo
The Bunch of Tiny Pinkies

RIP Poncho.. The best second hand rat there ever was Mr. Green

Sat Feb 11, 2006 7:42 am

PS Keep your hands clenched. they do less damage that way.. also, as time goes on, the bites don't hurt as much wink

Maggie n Flo also have teeth designed for tearing meat to the bone. they know perfectly well that my hands are, well, they're my hands.. I don't think they grasp the concept of "don't bite the hand that feeds you". but there we are.. that's satan spawn for you...

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~Bee~
Scamps
Warrior
Hero
Maggie n Flo
The Bunch of Tiny Pinkies

RIP Poncho.. The best second hand rat there ever was Mr. Green

Sat Feb 11, 2006 8:44 am

*sighs* so then yours still bite, even though they are "tamed" and accustomed to you? This is such a depressing thing for me because, though I have owned rats for years, this girl is the only one who has EVER bit (and some of mine have come from pretty screwed up backgrounds). Well, here's crossing my very painful, bleeding fingers that things improve.

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~Sara and the ratties: Remi, Sulin, Chiad, Kaya, Min and Stitch~

Sat Feb 11, 2006 3:33 pm

No.. they're nit even tame.. they're accustomed to me, and I can give them food.. but if I actually wriggle my fingers in the cage or makea noise on their bedding.. they'd pounce. Like I said tho, a lot of that is down to the fact I had no experience when I got them.. The people who have seen them have said that they are just nasty rats.. so.. any way fingers crosse that yours is just going through a phase.. Crossed Fingers

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~Bee~
Scamps
Warrior
Hero
Maggie n Flo
The Bunch of Tiny Pinkies

RIP Poncho.. The best second hand rat there ever was Mr. Green

Sun Feb 12, 2006 2:47 am

Well, I'm starting to think that she just has had a bad experience and will start improving. This morning when I came into the rat room she came out of her igloo and watched me the whole time I was there, rather than just running and hiding. She even took a yogie from me, which I take to be a big sign of improvement. Here's hoping!

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~Sara and the ratties: Remi, Sulin, Chiad, Kaya, Min and Stitch~

Sun Feb 12, 2006 2:52 am

indeed.. more than mine do already!! good luck

_________________
~Bee~
Scamps
Warrior
Hero
Maggie n Flo
The Bunch of Tiny Pinkies

RIP Poncho.. The best second hand rat there ever was Mr. Green

Sun Feb 12, 2006 7:42 am

My boy did the exact same thing that you've mentioned. He'd be completely sweet, grooming, eating on my lap and running to the cage door. But completely randomly, he'd walk up to my hand, bite down and thrash his head. I have a nasty scar on my hand, and it happened countless times. I began to totally isolate my hand from him, only picking him up when i had some cloth over my hand. Did this for months, until gradually I just totally forgot about his biting habits and found myself picking him up as normal.

He's completely stopped now, needless to say. He's the sweetest boy and tolerates me squishing him.

I think this might be another one of those things that may gradually get better in time as she begins to trust you.

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Marisa
Monopoly, Cobbles, Milford, Snubs, Naf, Mr. Schneebly and Insu

Sun Feb 12, 2006 8:27 am

Thank you so much Marisa! I really needed some reasurrance- especially after the night of a countless bites. Now, I really think she's going to be all right. She's sitting in my lap right now and (this being the second of her socialization sessions today), has not bit me yet! I am breathing such a sigh of relief. Now the dear little thing just needs a name...

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~Sara and the ratties: Remi, Sulin, Chiad, Kaya, Min and Stitch~

Thu Feb 16, 2006 11:16 pm

Hows your girl doing now?? ITs been a few days sine you have posted about her.

My daughter, 3yo, has done wonders with the 2 little girls that I have. No, neither of them have ever bitten, but she has them comming to the cage door and begging to come out. I have 2 others that as they get older they have been biting more and more. The one has never really felt well, and then theres Katy whos just always ben a .. you know what!

I hope things are going well for you.

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Sun Feb 19, 2006 5:14 am

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but at least I have good news to report now! hyper

The Biter, a horrid little !@#$%^& who would bite at the least provocation, has transformed into Akemi, a sweet tempered girl who, though she is still a bit excitable, actually enjoys being held and petted and DOES NOT BITE!!!
How she changed from one into the other in the space of 12 days is beyond me, but she really has made a complete metamorphosis.
I have seen quite a few occasions over the last few days when she has gotten startled and was visibly thinking about taking a piece of my flesh but decided not to. She will still, every once in a while, lay her teeth on my fingertip, but she doesn't press down anymore, and I can see we're going to have a bright future together.
It makes me doubly happy because I know that if I hadn't adopted her she would have ended up in a horrible way. I have the sinking feeling that no one else would have taken the time for her. I very nearly didn't after the first couple of bites. And so, even though the petstore I got her at is the best in town, they still probably would have sent her off to become snake food. Thanks so much for asking after her, and I hope that all is well with you also!

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~Sara and the ratties: Remi, Sulin, Chiad, Kaya, Min and Stitch~