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Hollly 17 years, 1 month ago.
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I posted a few months back about an aggresive rat I had, and for advice. I took him to the vet to ask him about the aggression, and he wanted to charge me a $200 to get the rat neutered. I left, needless to say, and I’m taking him somewhere else for a second opinion soon. My problem is that he again very viciously attacked my hand, and if I hadn’t been wearing the leather gloves I had on (I learned from the first encounter, the scar still causes me great pain), I would be in the ER right now getting stitches. He really got extremely vicious with me, and I’m tired of it. Every time I try to change their litter or their food, he literally dashes up the cage to wherever my hand is and tries to attack me. He’s not playing either, he’s trying to hurt me. What should I do?
If he’s still aggressive, then he obviously has genetic issues(mental)…put him down, is all I can say. A mentally healthy rat will not be aggressive after they’ve gotten used to your scent, and actually learn to like humans. If it were me, I would put him down, as he does not sound mentally there, and find a more suitable rat—–just my opinion.
I would put him down too….that much agression is going to get you hurt really bad and also could cause you to get an infection from the bites….I’m so sorry things aren’t working out for you with him.
No– be grateful you have a pet that most people would write off, for you must be the one to provide him the loving home he might not otherwise find. Love him for who he is. Wear gloves. It would be a crime to have him killed.
Shade, what am I supposed to do if he gets loose and attacks my other animals, or his brother? He is extremely aggressive, and I am starting to suspect it’s a mental issue with him…
Shade,
There is a time to consider euthanasia and this is one of them, when aggression is so bad that its dangerous to have around not only to the owner but other animals or other humans….just what if the rat bit a child or adult and got infected, the child or adult dies from it…would it still be right to keep the rat?…you got to look outside the box sometimes….I don’t like euthanasia either it all depends on the circumstances.I don’t like it either, and it’s a very emotional decision I need to make… He’s healthy, but at the same time he isn’t. This isn’t the animal I purchased last year, and now he is very dangerous. I offered him a strawberry yogurt treat with morning with my glove on, open-handed in the middle of my palm. He loves these treats. He pulled the treat from the hand, dropped it to the floor of the cage, and turned to attack me. I thought he was getting better. I bought him and his brother a HUGE four level ferret cage hoping the extra space would calm them down, what with having more excersize and territory, but it seems to be getting worse every day… I am torn. I know what I need to do, but I don’t want to do it.
Well, good luck with whatever you decide. I know a love for a pet can get in the way of what’s right. But, you have to think about, is he enjoying his life? Is he happy? And if you were to try and put him in another home, with a temper like that, he is bound to end up in the belly of a snake eventually…or worse, injure another person or child, causing them to fear rats. They already have a bad rap.
Exactly. I can’t rehome him precisely for those reasons. I’m not so close-minded as to think all rats are this way, but I will NEVER buy a fancy rat from a pet store EVER again. The strange thing is, his brother from the same litter isn’t aggressive at all, he’s just a little skittish.
Well they aren’t identical to eachother, so it doesn’t sound abnormal. My brother is the exact oposite of me…sometimes I wonder if we really are related!:)
He may need special accommodations to make certain he does not escape. I had a black-and-white hamster, Roxana, who bit me all her life. I had her and her littermates from birth, back in the 1990s. She was the only one who ever bit me. She would watch me every time I approached her cage, waiting to bite me. I loved her with all my heart. She was the one who later in life developed a tumor in her cheek pouch and I spent around $180 for surgery for her to save her life. She went on to continue to lead a normal life and lived a normal lifespan. And never stopped biting. I loved her unconditionally. I am deeply grateful that I was the one blessed to provide a home for her. There are some rats, hamsters, rabbits, etc. that are just biters and that is who they are. I would myself take your rat as a pet for the rest of his life if I had any way of transporting him (I don’t have a car.) There must be someone out there who lives near to you who would gladly give him a permanent home?
Shade, if I wasn’t working a full time job I would sooner drive down to your house and give him to you than put him down. I detest air mail for live animals because I imagine it’s rather terrifying. There was a rat rescue by my house, but it seems they went out of business due to lack of funds.
I live in Maryland (I lived in Virginia when I joined this site; that’s why my location shows as Virginia) so please keep me in mind if you cannot find a suitable home for him in Pennsylvania. I do not have a car and neither Amtrak nor Greyhound allows pets on their vehicles unless they are service animals.
There are services that will ship animals overnight or the same day if it’s close, which you are. I’m in southeast PA… I will look further into it.
Shade..having a problem pet isnt a chance for you to ‘bring him into the light’ and prove yourself a saint. There is a very real chance this rat could do some real damage to someone.
Whereas every animal has the right to life, if he gets rehomed and bites someone, you cant tell what they will do with him! There are people that may see him as a challenge, but it seems to me he has crossed the line and I doubt his bad habits can be changed! Hope you find a solution.
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