4 Tips to Keep Your Pet Rat From Biting!
Article by Tom Parker
Rats are very good pets for children and grown-ups alike as they are very smart, friendly, and lovable.
Unfortunately, many people until now still have a preconceived notion of them as disgusting, selfish, and vile creatures. This is a tendency that seems to be caused by their failure to disassociate pet rats from wild rats. Many people still fear rats in general, whether they are domesticated or wild, because of the bad press they have had since way back the past. During the Middle Ages, rats were blamed for causing the Bubonic Plague in Europe, tarnishing their name for hundreds of years hence. Before understanding why a lot of people nowadays keep rats as pets, here are two truths about pet rats:
They are not dirty
As a matter of fact, they clean themselves more often than other animals, and even go on to clean their fellow rats in the cage!
They are not hostile
As a matter of fact, they are quite shy. They do not bite unless provoked or hurt, and may actually be frightened of those who scream and think of rats as frightening. Once they are comfortable with a human, they show great loyalty, which makes them wonderful pets for children.
As earlier stated, pet rats do not bite without provocation.
In order to avoid getting bitten by your pet rat, here are some tips to consider:
Motherly instinct
Be careful placing your hand inside a cage with a mother and her young inside. Any external influence introduced to the scene with a mother rat and her young will immediately cause aggression in the mother as a natural instinct to protect her young.
Proper feeding method
Do not feed your pet rats through the wire cage from the outside. They will eventually think anything that passes through the wire walls is food, and the next time you might want to touch it through the gaps with your finger, your pet rat just might make a tasty treat of it.
Rid yourself of smells or smears of food
This is quite self-explanatory. The more you smell of / taste of food, the more likely you will get bitten. Wash your hands before handling your pet rat. Absolutely avoid sticking your hand in his cage or handling him after having eaten something with your bare hands.
By following these simple tips, you’ll be able to reduce the number of little nibbles your pet rat takes…on your fingers!
About the Author
Tom Parker has been caring for dumbo rats for over 25 years. His newest book, “Dumbo Rat Care Secrets,” is filled with useful, up-to-date dumbo rat information!
