Roof Rat Bonding, Taming & Play

How can I get my Roof Rat to bond with me?

Roof rats are prey animals.^[1]  In the wild, almost everything else bigger than them wants to eat them.  For a Roof Rat, the world is a dangerous place.

That means that they are instinctually wary of new people and situations.  In the wild, this defensive behaviour helps keep them safe.  But, as a new pet, that is something you will need to overcome to get them to trust you, bond with you and love you.  A cozy, enclosed snuggle hammock helps a lot here, because it lets your rats feel safe while you socialize and bond with them.

Rats have another powerful instinct: they love to eat!  And you control the food.  Feeding them helps them to realize that you mean them no harm; in fact, you are the source of their happiness.

Before we were sure that our rats were genetically tame, we socialized our baby Roof Rats when they were just starting to eat solid food, but still eager to drink milk and willing to be hand fed by us.  We were effectively mothering them, so they bonded with us very easily.

Now our roof rats are genetically tame, so we no longer need to hand feed them.  Which is great, because that was really a lot of work!

When you get yours home, you should also use food to bond with them.  Get a safe favorite treat ready: blueberries, green peas, or pumpkin seeds are all good choices (please do not use almonds, see the almond warning on this page).  Then, once or twice a day, offer each rat a treat and let them take it from you.  Every so often, try coaxing them out of the cage with the nut.  At some point, hopefully they will start to accept the nut from you while they are on your arm or shoulder.  Once they trust you enough to eat while sitting on your shoulder, then you know that this rat is your buddy!

If you don’t have any nuts, don’t worry: rats will eat almost anything tasty!

How long does it take to tame a roof rat?

It depends on the individual, some are more curious and lower-stress than others, just like people. Our bred-for-tameness babies start out friendly; a truly wild adult may never fully tame.

What is the best way to pick up a rat?

The best way to pick up a rat is to scoop it up from underneath.  You can put one hand or arm next to or in front of the rat, then use the other hand or arm to gently guide or nudge the rat in that direction.  If you do it right, the rat will hop onto you, and run up your arm!

You should avoid grabbing a rat from behind because they don’t like that: it reminds them that they are prey animals, and could be  captured and eaten. They will often squeak and try to escape or defend themselves.

Do rats bite?

Norway (Dumbo) rats rarely bite, and our Roof Rats never bite (even nursing females.)  If biting is a concern for you, we recommend Roof rats over Norway rats.  The differences between Norway rats (rattus norvegicus) and Roof rats (Rattus rattus.)

If a female rat is nursing young, and you try to disturb them, even the tamest new mommy might become aggressive and snap at you.  I breed rats, so I certainly have been bitten by some moms with babies.  Sometimes it took some gentle prying to get the rat to release it’s grip.

But you cannot fault them for just trying their best to be good momies.  It’s touching, really. to see how hard rat moms work to feed and care for their young, bless their little hearts!

Aside from that, I’ve never been intentionally bitten by one of my rats.  I’ve met some rats owned by others that I wouldn’t trust with my fingertips, but they were abused and neglected.  And even abused and neglected rats can be surprisingly friendly, because most rats crave friendship and companionship.

Rats have teeth, and any animal with teeth is capable of biting.  But most rats would prefer to make friends than enemies.  So, unless you go out of your way to torment and abuse your pet, and corner them so they cannot escape or avoid you, you will most likely not be intentionally bitten.

Why does my male roof rat nibble or play-bite me?

A lot of males do this, it’s “grooming” and play-fighting, and it’s mostly affectionate. It’s natural behavior, not something you taught him.

What can I do if my rat bites me too hard while playing?

Rats don’t intentionally bite hard enough to hurt you while playing with you.  But, sometimes, they get too excited and they don’t realize their own strength (and how sharp their little teeth are!)

When that happens, you should immediately stop playing, pull your finger away (assuming that’s what your rat was biting), and say “Ouch” and/or Squeak loudly like a rat would.  The rat will (usually) realize it has hurt you, and be more careful in the future.  Some rats might take several attempts before they remember this lesson, but they all seem to get it, eventually!

My rescued rats are nervous, what helps them settle?

They often calm down as they mature. A play tent or an enclosed safe space makes it easier to interact with skittish rats while they gain confidence.

Related: Care & Husbandry Guide · What It Takes.

Thinking about keeping or breeding roof rats yourself? See Successor Breeders Wanted and What It Takes, or get in touch.

What do you do with rats that don’t turn out tame?

They can’t go into the breeding program, but they’re not as bad as they look, shy, not aggressive. With patience they get used to people, and since we don’t get many, we simply keep them as pets.

What is a good way to play with my rat?

Rats like it when you pretend to be another rat, and pretend to groom or play fight with them!

Do roof rats “popcorn” and do zoomies?

They do, happy, playful roof rats popcorn and zoom around. It’s a great sign of a content rat.

Can rats learn to do tricks?

Absolutely!  Rats are super smart, social animals.  Especially Roof Rats, which will learn to do tricks almost without any effort.

This family adopted a baby Roof Rat from us, and within days had taught it to do a trick.  Watch what happens when the rat hears the command word: isn’t that just adorable?

Can rats learn their names? Can I teach a rat to come when called?

Yes, you can easily teach a rat it’s name and to come when you call it.  You just need to call it’s name whenever you offer it a treat.  Rats are very intelligent, and they will quickly learn to associate the sound of their name with getting a reward, and will come running whenever they hear it!

Do rats like to be stroked or petted? Can I pet my rat?

Yes!  Rats are very social animals, and show friendship and love by reciprocal grooming and cuddling together for companionship.

So, your pet rats will definitely welcome and enjoy anything that feels like grooming if they are calm enough to hold still receive it.  This is a great way to bond with your pet rat.  Don’t be surprised if your rat tries to groom you, too!

Most rats enjoy face rubs.  This guy loves it so much, he makes a cute “licky face!”

Here’s more examples of rat face and belly rubbing:

And here we demonstrate how to stroke the top of the head, back and ears, just like you would a puppy:

And, finally, here are some examples of rats socially grooming me!  A rat grooming my face and hair:

Some baby rats grooming the hairs off my arm and hand (pretty pushy little rascals!)

And, last but not least, this little fellow decided to poke his head in my mouth and groom my teeth!

Are rats soft?

Yes, rats have soft bodies, and warm, soft, smooth fur.  If they enjoy your company, they can be cuddly pets.

Are rats ticklish? How can I tickle my pet rat?

Yes, rats are ticklish!  Just like people, a rat’s belly is very sensitive and tickly.

In this video, we demonstrate how to tickle a dumbo rat.  She’s clearly enjoying it, yet the sensation is a bit overwhelming and unexpected for at the same time.

Can rats laugh? What does rat laughter sound like?

We breed two kinds of Rats: Roof Rats and Norway Rats.  Roof Rats are highly vocal and make sounds to express emotions like fear, anger, contentment and joy or amusement.  When they are contented, curious or mentally engaged, they make a chittering noise.  They mostly seem to do it around people, not other rats. Roof rats make various chirping noises at other rats for social, ratty reasons.  Sometimes, if two Roof rats are annoyed with each other, they will tell each other off with an “eee eee eee” noise.  If one is really fearful or angry, it will hiss like an angry cat to warn the other to “back off.”

And, yes, when Roof Rats are especially happy and playful, they make a kind of giggling noise that I am certain is their equivalent of laughter!  While recording my partner playing with Kitty, I just happened to catch him clearing doing it at 5:08 in the video.  I’ve linked directly to the spot below: turn your sound up so you can hear it better!

I know what you are thinking: “But what about Dumbo Rats?  Do they laugh, too?”  Yes, they can.  Researchers found that Norway rats also laugh, but it’s unfortunately at a higher frequency than most people can hear.^[2][3]  Here’s a video where they’ve recorded Norway rat laughter in ultrasonic frequencies:

How do I catch an escaped rat?

If the rat trusts you, often the rat will let you pick it up when you calmly and gently hold out your hand to it.  The rat in the video is a Roof Rat, but this will also work for Norway rats.

Rats can be quick and hard to hold onto if they don’t want you to.  So, your first goal should be to get your new rat to trust you.  That way, it is less likely that it will jump down and, if it does, it will allow you to pick it up again.

If your rat doesn’t trust you yet, it may evade your attempts at picking it up, and possibly hide someplace.  As you can imagine, rats are very good at hiding, and the more places where it can hide, the harder it will be to recapture.  So, word to the wise, while your rat is first getting to know you, try to play with it someplace with limited places to hide.  For example, we made a simple play area for socializing out baby rats from leftover cardboard boxes.  Again, the rats in the video are Roof Rats, but the same principle applies for Norway rats.

If the rat has already escaped someplace in your house, you will want to quickly try to narrow down where the rat is to the best of your ability.  Then, close doors and block as many escape routes as possible to keep the rat confined to the smallest possible area.

Next, give the rat a chance to calm down and it might either let you pick it up or return to it’s cage on its own.  You’d be surprised how often this works if you are patient and friendly to the rat.

However, if the rat is too frightened or traumatized, that might not be an option, so in the meantime go order a no kill trap from Amazon or pick one up from Lowes or Home Depot.  If your rat is a baby, you need a mouse sized one.

You will need a bigger one for adult rats

You just need to bait the trap with something tasty (cooked rice seems to work), put it where you think the rat probably is and leave it be overnight.  If you have a camera that can see in the dark (like a Nest), you can watch the area around the trap to see if the rat is coming out, and if it gets trapped.

Now, you will need to carefully socialize it and gain its trust so this doesn’t happen again.  Until it finally trusts you, your little Houdini will be a flight risk, so handle him/her accordingly!

Is there information about pet Roof Rats on Reddit?

Yes, here is the Pet Roof Rat Subreddit.

Do roof rats make noise at night?

Yes. Roof rats are much more vocal than Norway rats, and they really do make noise all night long, rattling things and arguing with each other. If you are easily disturbed, keep their cage away from your bedroom or the room where you watch TV.