Biter? Rat with Problems?

I adopted a rat that just seems so vicious. I can barely open the cage to clean or even feed or I will get chased and bitten. Even when I change the water bottle, she goes between the bars to bite. I got two new babies to keep her company and she will barely allow me to interact with them. I am so upset.
I am not new to taming rats, I've tamed a few ferals before but no one has deliberately come up to me to bite me for something as mundane as opening the cage door. Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to punish this rat at all but this is intensely frustrating.

I'm not personally experienced rats like this, but I've heard of it. From what I've heard its nigh on impossible to tame them and most who've dealt with rats like that have pretty much let them be and avoided handling them as much as possible or euthanized them.

I've only had one like this and he ended up being rather ill as I found him dead in his cage a few weeks later (he was just a teenager!). What happens if you use thick gloves, like for gardening? Does she only attack through the bars or will she go after you when when being held? My thinking is she just needs some intense handling time, like hanging out in a hoodie that you're wearing. But that's if this is a cage/bar thing. I have had a few biters that were simply over eager to get at what they thought was food coming through the bars. If my hand was in the cage they wouldn't ever nip.

I've had some that nipped through bars...but this doesn't sound like that situation....she said it attacks when she tries to open the cage to feed and clean. A lot of times rats like this are either sick or raised badly. If you compare to other species, dogs that are like this usually can't be rehabilitated and end up having to be euthanized. With rats its obviously not as dangerous to people.......but its likely the animal is highly stressed by human interaction...and attempts to tame it will likely just be even more stressful to it...I would probably euthanize if it were me.

No, it's not the food thing...it's anytime I get in there or near to do anything, really. When I wear glove and get her out, she's happy as a clam to sit in my lap...no major biting. It may be a territory thing or she could be blind. I don't really think I will put her down if she just wants to hang out that's fine with me. I have the sweet babies and they are starting to come to me, so she shouldn't be gettin in the way too much more. It's extremely annoying but I fear that she was a feeder with too much free-breeding to really control temperment. It's a shame!!!

Wow..... so sorry.

I had a Rat named Charlie. He came to the petstore where I worked in Colorado with a bad leg injury. We paid to get his leg amputated but he was ultimately destined to return to the feeder bin. I could not see that, especially after paying for his surgery and recovery meds, ect. I adopted him. The second day home he became extreamly aggressive. He would lunge, bite, and hold on. He was not happy unless he drew blood. Even as I passed his cage he would grab at me. I couldn't feed him without getting injured. I used heavy towels to pin him while feeding him and heavy gloves to go anywhere near him. He soon learned how to get around the towel and draw blood. I actually was going to have himj euthanized but my friend wanted him instead. She was also a vet tech so I knew he was going to a good home. I have no clue what became of Charlie. He is long and dead by now, but I do hope he learned to love and trust again.

No, it's not the food thing...it's anytime I get in there or near to do anything, really. When I wear glove and get her out, she's happy as a clam to sit in my lap...no major biting.

Interesting...sounds like she's overly territorial. At least she is happy once you've got her out

That sucks Emma. No advice to give really. I'm afraid I probably wouldn't keep a rat who wanted to bite me often. Really is a shame.

If it's territorial, would hand feeding her help? Make it so that the only time she eats is out of your hand. Get her used to the idea that you are the giver of food- you aren't taking anything from her, only giving.

Well, this rat is still with me, but I am wondering for how long. She is increasingly starting to attack the babies for being on the floor of the new, giant cage. The babies are small and skinny, and I suspect she is attacking them for trying to eat. They squeak and shriek often as she pins them.

I don't know what to do. I am not one to euthanize a healthy animal, but the little babies don't deserve this at all.

IMHO, an aggressive animal is not a healthy/happy animal. I would euthanize.

I'm with doganddisc: an aggressive animal, particularly a normally social animal being aggressive with others of its kind, is not a happy/healthy animal.

It may also be a manifistation of pain. I would put it down asap. At the very least seperate it from the young ones.

I got her out with gloves and she's still acting fine and sweet outside the cage. I think she is hyper-territorial. I won't put her down ASAP, this is just frustrating. I've worked with troubled rats before, this is just such a challenge.

If anything, make her a solo rat. The babies deserve a calm environment, and maybe she's just an oddball that wants to be alone?

Tinyhart, I'm sorry to hear about this. What a frustrating situation! How are things going now that a week has passed since you posted this?

Is it possible to eventually put her in with another older (tame!) rat as a companion, one she couldn't as easily bully as the little ones? Or do you not have that many rats on hand right now?

I've got just the three females right now, I may get another eventually. She is still fine out of cage...

Does she interact fine with the youngins outside the cage? If it is a case where you can just open the cage and let her out, then you could let her free roam when you need to clean/feed/water.

One of my rats, Ben, became rather aggressive starting with an incident where he launched himself the full length of a couch and gave my boyfriend a VERY nasty bite. And bit another male friend who was babysitting him for me (though I don't know the situation). It made me scared of him which which I'm pretty sure he could sense, and so I gave him to a friend who'd gotten along great with him in the past. Within 24 hrs he'd drawn blood three times, and that was the end of that rat.

Of Ben's brothers, Dr. Z nipped a different friend who hadn't washed his hands very well after eating, the friend thought it would be a great idea to pick up the ruffled rat, and then he REALLY got bit. Snatch bit me for a similar food hands offense, but the spray bottle was near me, so there hasn't been a repeat. Snatch also bit my female friends foot, but I'm pretty sure it's because it was stinky and he confused it for tastyness. He's a very food motivated rat.

Yikes. I agree that she probably needs to be a solo rat. It likely won't help YOU when trying to clean her cage but if she's fine and sweet outside the cage I'd have a really hard time euthanizing her. I guess another option is housing her with a neutered male who could stand up for himself but some rats, I believe, are just happier alone.