Interacting And Bonding With Your Rats

When to start and various bonding methods

It is always exciting to bring home a new pet. In most cases, it is common for people to immediately interact and engage with your new pet. However, this can be more damaging than good when it comes to pet rats. This article will explain why and share proper ways to bond with your pet.

When bringing home your new pet, it is important to understand that their whole life had just been uprooted. It is stressful to go from living with your siblings and/or mom, a comfortable environment that you knew all of your life, and new smells and sounds. Rats need time to get used to their new surroundings. Minimal interactions are recommended for the first 24hrs to allow them to settle in, get more comfortable and used to their new place, and just be able to relax. Their guard is up while they determine whether or not they are safe. Move slow, try not to make loud sounds, and be patient! Let them come to you. If you are struggling to get them interested in you, you can offer treats to gain their attention.

After 24hrs, you can start to interact with them more by petting, talking to them, giving treats, and playing with them. The rate of how quickly rats settle in varies from each one, so it is important to recognize body language. You can view rat behaviors here to learn what to look for.

There are various methods to try to bond with your rats, and to bond rats to other rats. The best way to bond with your rat is to use a bonding pouch. This allows rats to get used to your touch, smell, voice, and motions while doing basic tasks. This may need to be repeated multiple times throughout the day, but some rats will show improvement with just one use. I recommend having them in the pouch for at least 10min at a time.

To bond rats to other rats, the travel carrier is the method I prefer and have seen the best results from. You want a closed off area that isn’t too large that they feel out in the open and on “high alert”, but you also don’t want too small of an area where they feel they can’t escape in the event they are in danger. Provide a small hide to make them feel safe and that there is an escape if they feel the need to do so. Rats with good temperaments should always eventually get along with other rats with good temperaments. It is normal for rats to squabble and pin each other when introducing. This is how rats determine who is in charge in the “alpha, beta, and omega” status that rats uphold. This shouldn’t last more than an hour or whenever you see they are cuddling or grooming each other. In the event they are not getting along after an hour, it is time to give them a break to relax and try again later. If any blood, deep cuts, or extreme squealing is heard or seen then it is time to remove the injured rat from the travel cage. In the event this occurs, the aggressor should not be reintroduced and be kept separate from any new rats. Sometimes rats will get along with only their current cage mate and nobody else. In an ideal world, all rats should be able to get along with everyone else, but this is not always the case and it is vital to monitor them during introduction.