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Ouch! Your first bite.

© Jane Adamo

Look, I'm not saying it's going to happen. Remember, in general, rats LIKE us. And those of us who have kept wild rats will tell you that even wild rats like us! We have a lot in common (social structure, many behaviors and physiology, love of chocolate and Judge Judy) and that similar style makes us pretty sympatico. Audubon reported that when he captured and caged an adult wild North American Bushy Tailed Wood Rat in order to sketch him, that the rat became so tame, he let it out of the cage and allowed it to live loose, running around in the studio.

Let's take it from the top:

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CHOOSING RATS IF YOU BUY FROM A GOOD BREEDER, you are probably always going to have rats who have been socialized from birth and will love you from the minute they get home and see what a good cook you are. When you buy from a breeder, you can choose on almost any parameter: nice color, cute tail, reminds me of my prom date.

IF YOU BUY FROM A PET STORE, you can't purchase on looks, you MUST purchase on temperament as far as you can tell. So don't just point a rat out to the pet store guy and say, "Him!". Bring a pair of gardening gloves. Let your bare hand dangle in the tank and see who comes over and seems unafraid and friendly. Then put your gloves on and try petting, holding and lifting that rat. Remember, give the rat a little leeway: just because he struggles or acts a little scared doesn't mean he won't make a great rat. Now, when you get the rat home and he relaxes for a few days, it's possible he may then show a less than perfect personality. BUT, to be honest, there just aren't that many BAD rats. In general, rats like us and your pet store rat will probably be just fine. And if he isn't, a few Socialization Sessions will make you fast friends in fast time.

IF YOU TAKE IN RESCUES, as I do, you run the most risk of getting bit. Of course, by the time you get into doing this work, you get really relaxed and fairly blase about getting bit anyhow. Honest, in most cases, it's nothing.

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WHEN IS THE RISK OF BITING GREATEST:

If you keep in mind when you MIGHT get bit and take precautions, it's possible you may never get bit. So let's look at when a rat is more likely than usual to bite:

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