Hiya, well to keep it relatively short . . . I volunteer at a pet store in my free periods and yesterday I went in and they had been brought a rat over the holidays that the owner asked them to tame up because it bit and was very vicious, the pet store owners wear gloves when they handle her and stuff and I wore one glove. She didnt bite me once. Today she nipped me twice and taste-tested my fingers but other then that nothing. They said I was very brave as I decided against wearing gloves and after she made me bleed nipping me, I didnt even remove my hand from the cage. That incredibly vicious rat is now curled up in a ball under a pillow on my couch and she spent the day sleeping on my lap and even licked the blood off my fingers. What a bloody joke. Vicious? shes lovely but highly unsocialized in a tiny starter pack cage on her own. Yep. Alone. The owners wont take her back until shes tame. SHE IS TAME!!!!!! apparently they never took her out of the cage once because they were afraid of her and piled clean bedding on top of the old. Nice. My mum hasnt been 'attacked' either by her. She was just so frustrated in that bloody cage after being never let out, shes not that young either and the best handling shes ever got is the one I gave yesterday and she accepted stroking from anyone one wanted to. We dont even have a date for when she goes home and they are not sure she will. My mum has said if she has no home anymore I can take her in, as I seem to be one of the only people she can trust. Its unfair to put this on the pet store- they are running a business and should not have to tame other peoples pets. If the owners turn up again, how can I get them to let the rat trust them properly and pursuade them to let her out everyday and buy her a companion and a bigger cage? *sigh* so ticked off by the irresponsibleness of it all.
*edit* forgot to add, my rats are all lively and everything but all this rat wants to do is sleep, she had a little run but has spent all her time sleeping, be it on me or under the pillow where she is now. Is this normal behavior for a solitary rat?
*edit* forgot to add, my rats are all lively and everything but all this rat wants to do is sleep, she had a little run but has spent all her time sleeping, be it on me or under the pillow where she is now. Is this normal behavior for a solitary rat?