Spoon Feeding / Rat Bonding
I get questions occasionally from adopters and general rat owners regarding how to bond more with their rat or possibly bond with an aggressive rat. This is an important question, especially when it is in regards to people aggressive behaviors, because it could mean a matter of life or death for the rat itself. Not all rat owners are willing or able to put in the time and energy that it takes to work with a rat that has aggression or biting issues. The degree of issue can vary widely from rat to rat, as can causal factors. Helping rat owners isn't a "one trick works for all" situation, you have to really work each situation uniquely for the one rat that is having a hard time.
In my experience, most rat aggression is generally based on fear in the rat. If there is also fear in the human, then the problem is compounded. Very few rats are mean out of spite, but some can have more feelings of being unsafe or unsure about the world around them. If you have a rat that has already had more than one home since it was born, or came from a stressful birth home, then the likelihood of behavior issues is increased greatly. Just like people, some rats adapt to stress or new situations better than others. Compassion for your rat and seeing them as being scared and in need of a friend and maybe an emotional support human can sometimes shift your paradigm just enough to be willing to give them the time and energy they need to train them into a better quality of life. No one wants to live their life scared all the time, after all.
The information provided in the steps listed out below will be for taking a rat at the most extreme spectrum, being aggressive and attacking their human caregiver, and working with them slowly, over time to the point of normal rat/human interactions. If your rat is not at the extreme end, all you need to do is read through the steps until you find which one accurately describes where you are in your relationship with your rat now as its "Best Result," and continue to the step immediately following it. From there, you can continue on to the end of all the steps in order.
I hope this information can help some of you to not lose hope in your rat. It may not work for everyone and all rats, but I'm hoping that it works for many!
As always, if you have questions, please feel free to ask. I am always happy to help!
In my experience, most rat aggression is generally based on fear in the rat. If there is also fear in the human, then the problem is compounded. Very few rats are mean out of spite, but some can have more feelings of being unsafe or unsure about the world around them. If you have a rat that has already had more than one home since it was born, or came from a stressful birth home, then the likelihood of behavior issues is increased greatly. Just like people, some rats adapt to stress or new situations better than others. Compassion for your rat and seeing them as being scared and in need of a friend and maybe an emotional support human can sometimes shift your paradigm just enough to be willing to give them the time and energy they need to train them into a better quality of life. No one wants to live their life scared all the time, after all.
The information provided in the steps listed out below will be for taking a rat at the most extreme spectrum, being aggressive and attacking their human caregiver, and working with them slowly, over time to the point of normal rat/human interactions. If your rat is not at the extreme end, all you need to do is read through the steps until you find which one accurately describes where you are in your relationship with your rat now as its "Best Result," and continue to the step immediately following it. From there, you can continue on to the end of all the steps in order.
I hope this information can help some of you to not lose hope in your rat. It may not work for everyone and all rats, but I'm hoping that it works for many!
As always, if you have questions, please feel free to ask. I am always happy to help!
Step 1:
You will need to avoid feeding him for 2 hours prior to the spoon feeding. I recommend that you put just enough food in the cage for all rats to last them for 4 hours, or feed a small portion, wait for it to be completely gone, and then another 2 hours more before attempting the spoon feeding. Water should be available at all times, but actual food should not. The time given will not hurt the rats because you are going to feed them, but you want them a little hungry when you do so they are more receptive to trying out something new. Their instinct to not like new things is going to come into play, and we want to be positive in reinforcing that this spoon is a good spoon and it brings us yummy things. The spoon will always be loaded with pureed foods. Baby food, applesauce, you can even make your own purees from fruits and veggies that are seasonal and save money. Pureed is key, though, because a secondary benefit of this training is that you are also training them to eagerly eat medications if they should ever become necessary. That is usually best done in a pureed food, too.
Step 2:
At the appointed training time, place a small amount of puree on the spoon. The size of a pea is good. You don't want to fully load it, because we want as many repetitions as possible each time. So you will put a small dab on, slowly extend the spoon into the cage close, but not too close to the rat. Allow him to smell the food and give him a chance to come to the food.
If he does come to the food, yay! That is the best outcome. When he finishes, slowly remove the spoon, refill, and do it again. You can even try to put the spoon closer to the door where you are to see if he will trust and approach closer to you. Do not try to touch him and do not bring him all the way to the door if he is known to leap out at you. I'm not sure the extent of his aggression. You want him safe and you safe.
If he does NOT come to the spoon, then you will need to move it closer to him by inches until it is right in front of his nose. If he is really scared and still won't take it despite being somewhat hungry, wait 30 minutes more and try again. You can repeat this step until the rat has been a total of 4 hours without food safely. If he is very stubborn and refuses to budge at all on the matter, then go to the next step.
If he does come to the food, yay! That is the best outcome. When he finishes, slowly remove the spoon, refill, and do it again. You can even try to put the spoon closer to the door where you are to see if he will trust and approach closer to you. Do not try to touch him and do not bring him all the way to the door if he is known to leap out at you. I'm not sure the extent of his aggression. You want him safe and you safe.
If he does NOT come to the spoon, then you will need to move it closer to him by inches until it is right in front of his nose. If he is really scared and still won't take it despite being somewhat hungry, wait 30 minutes more and try again. You can repeat this step until the rat has been a total of 4 hours without food safely. If he is very stubborn and refuses to budge at all on the matter, then go to the next step.
Step 3:
Once you have made your spoon feeding attempt, fill the bowl with a small amount of food to last until just before the next spoon feeding as indicated in Step 1. If you cannot do more than once a day, that is okay. The more times you can do this in a day, the faster you will see results. Skipping days will work against you because consistency is key in building a new idea with rats. You are training him, the more often you train, the faster he'll learn.
Steps 1-3 should continue as directed until you have success with getting your rat to come all the way to the door seeking out the food every single time. An even better result is if he sees the spoon coming without you even opening the door and begins to wait for you at the door expecting it! Then you can begin to move on to Step 4 and beyond, which involve bonding with a rat that now has a small measure of trust and eagerness to be with you.
Steps 1-3 should continue as directed until you have success with getting your rat to come all the way to the door seeking out the food every single time. An even better result is if he sees the spoon coming without you even opening the door and begins to wait for you at the door expecting it! Then you can begin to move on to Step 4 and beyond, which involve bonding with a rat that now has a small measure of trust and eagerness to be with you.
Step 4:
The next part of spoon feeding is you trusting your rat. He has learned some trust for you, but you have been bitten and are now pretty shy, I'm sure! To help you with this step you will want to get a very thick pair of work gloves. Leather is best as it is thickest and will protect your hands best from the teeth. Do steps 1-3 above for a few days as normal with the gloves on (or you can prep for this step by using them from day one of your training. It does make things awkward, but then this step is easier.)
Once you know the rat is coming to the door and not afraid of the new item, the gloves, you should take the spoon off the dowel and hold it in a gloved hand and offer it to the rat directly. Ensure you have as much protective covering on wrist, arm, etc as needed for you to feel safe in doing this with your rat.
Best Result: The rat will approach and eat as normal with the shorter spoon. That means you can keep moving on to step 5 after you have a week of consistency with this step!
Poor Result: If your rat is aggressive in any way from the gloves or the shorter spoon, you will have to back up this step and try replacing your 24" dowel with a 12" dowel instead. If you get the Best Result with this, follow that info. If you still get a Poor Result, perhaps use a 18" dowel or only cut off 1" of dowel each week for a very slow transition to the spoon alone. Every time you take off a piece, though, you will have to make sure he is consistent for one full week before shortening again.
When to Move On: When you are getting consistent results with only the spoon and he will eat from it with you geared up and only the spoon, no extender, you are ready for step 5.
Once you know the rat is coming to the door and not afraid of the new item, the gloves, you should take the spoon off the dowel and hold it in a gloved hand and offer it to the rat directly. Ensure you have as much protective covering on wrist, arm, etc as needed for you to feel safe in doing this with your rat.
Best Result: The rat will approach and eat as normal with the shorter spoon. That means you can keep moving on to step 5 after you have a week of consistency with this step!
Poor Result: If your rat is aggressive in any way from the gloves or the shorter spoon, you will have to back up this step and try replacing your 24" dowel with a 12" dowel instead. If you get the Best Result with this, follow that info. If you still get a Poor Result, perhaps use a 18" dowel or only cut off 1" of dowel each week for a very slow transition to the spoon alone. Every time you take off a piece, though, you will have to make sure he is consistent for one full week before shortening again.
When to Move On: When you are getting consistent results with only the spoon and he will eat from it with you geared up and only the spoon, no extender, you are ready for step 5.
Step 5:
Okay, time to step up your own trust game! The gloves are coming off! You really have to trust the rat now and you can't be hesitant at this step. Jerking hesitant movements made in fear by you can be interpreted by the rat as threatening. It imitates a snake strike in my mind and I think the rats can smell and feel your fear coming off you and they, too, become afraid. The combo can lead to mistaken bites. The rat was fine, but you made it scared and it defends itself against and unknown danger. I've seen rats that get along perfectly bite a friend because they smelled a family dog, but the rat friend was the one who suddenly touched them from behind. The intensity of their interest on the danger blinds them to what is actually around them, they react on instinct, not malicious intent. I hope that all makes sense. So, you being calm and trusting is needed - take as much time as you need. You can also continue with the gloves if you don't feel ready - I completely understand! But if you do, they may become a permanent necessity.
This step is offering the spoon without gloves. Nothing else changes.
Best Result: The rat will approach and eat as normal without the gloves there. That means you can keep moving on to step 6 after you have a week of consistency with this step!
Poor Result: If your rat is aggressive in any way with the lack of gloves, or even seems hesitant about approaching, you will have to back up this step and keep the gloves a little longer. If consistently Poor Results keep happening, you might have to move on without getting rid of the gloves and try this step again later in the process. Again, safety is first.
When to Move On: When you are getting consistent Best Results for one week minimum, you can move on to Step 6.
This step is offering the spoon without gloves. Nothing else changes.
Best Result: The rat will approach and eat as normal without the gloves there. That means you can keep moving on to step 6 after you have a week of consistency with this step!
Poor Result: If your rat is aggressive in any way with the lack of gloves, or even seems hesitant about approaching, you will have to back up this step and keep the gloves a little longer. If consistently Poor Results keep happening, you might have to move on without getting rid of the gloves and try this step again later in the process. Again, safety is first.
When to Move On: When you are getting consistent Best Results for one week minimum, you can move on to Step 6.
Step 6:
At this point you and the rat are likely feeling pretty good about each other. He trusts you enough to accept food from a short distance without feeling the need to lash out or run away. You feel safe enough to trust him to be near your hand without taking it off. The next step is when bonding with the rat begins. You may want to put on the glove for this one on at least the non-feeding hand. It is up to you how safe you feel with his training thus far.
For this step you will feed with just the spoon and your bare hand (if you opted for that), but you will be adding a small pet as the rat is enjoying the food. You can start to fill the spoon with a large half teaspoon size of food to keep the rat there longer than usual. The goal of this step is for the rat to allow you to pet him while he eats without acting out against you.
Best Result: The rat accepts the petting with little to no fear reaction or startling. Curiosity in you with no aggression is also very good. If you can consistently pet with a glove on for a week, move to Step 7.
Medium Result: If he runs away, that is okay. See if he comes back to the spoon when your petting hand is removed. If he does, good. If not, give him a few more days without petting at all before trying this step again.
Poor Result: any aggressive behaviors to the petting or feeding hand. Back up to the last step for a while longer. In some cases, petting may never happen for the life of the rat. He may just want his space and you have to respect that. "No touchy me!" I think we all know someone who hates hugs. I do always encourage this step to be retried at intervals, though. Sometimes age comes into play with accepting the petting and his preference could change over time.
When to Move On: When you are getting consistent Best Results for one week minimum, you can move on to Step 7.
For this step you will feed with just the spoon and your bare hand (if you opted for that), but you will be adding a small pet as the rat is enjoying the food. You can start to fill the spoon with a large half teaspoon size of food to keep the rat there longer than usual. The goal of this step is for the rat to allow you to pet him while he eats without acting out against you.
Best Result: The rat accepts the petting with little to no fear reaction or startling. Curiosity in you with no aggression is also very good. If you can consistently pet with a glove on for a week, move to Step 7.
Medium Result: If he runs away, that is okay. See if he comes back to the spoon when your petting hand is removed. If he does, good. If not, give him a few more days without petting at all before trying this step again.
Poor Result: any aggressive behaviors to the petting or feeding hand. Back up to the last step for a while longer. In some cases, petting may never happen for the life of the rat. He may just want his space and you have to respect that. "No touchy me!" I think we all know someone who hates hugs. I do always encourage this step to be retried at intervals, though. Sometimes age comes into play with accepting the petting and his preference could change over time.
When to Move On: When you are getting consistent Best Results for one week minimum, you can move on to Step 7.
Step 7:
You probably already guessed, gloves are coming off again. Now that he is accepting touch while eating without seeming started or afraid of that interaction, it is time to pet without the glove. Again, your feelings on this come into play as well, not just the rat. You are bonding and learning to trust each other. Whether you trust him is just as important as whether he trusts you.
Do everything as in Step 6, but without any gloves at all. Now it is just you, the rat, and the spoon. Full trust and a normal type interaction that most rats have easily. The goal is for all to go well and for him to have no different reaction than before without the gloves than with.
Best Result: He approaches, eats, and accepts the affection without incident. Ready for Step 8 after consistency for a week.
Medium Result: If he runs away, that is okay. See if he comes back to the spoon when your petting hand is removed. If he does, good. If not, give him a few more days without petting at all before trying this step again.
Poor Result: Same as with Step 6. Back up to that step again and keep on trying until you can achieve a Best Result.
When to Move On: When you are getting consistent Best Results for one week minimum, you can move on to Step 8.
Do everything as in Step 6, but without any gloves at all. Now it is just you, the rat, and the spoon. Full trust and a normal type interaction that most rats have easily. The goal is for all to go well and for him to have no different reaction than before without the gloves than with.
Best Result: He approaches, eats, and accepts the affection without incident. Ready for Step 8 after consistency for a week.
Medium Result: If he runs away, that is okay. See if he comes back to the spoon when your petting hand is removed. If he does, good. If not, give him a few more days without petting at all before trying this step again.
Poor Result: Same as with Step 6. Back up to that step again and keep on trying until you can achieve a Best Result.
When to Move On: When you are getting consistent Best Results for one week minimum, you can move on to Step 8.
Step 8:
The moment of truth! You can now start doing normal interactions with your rat without the spoon feeding at all and at any time of day. The timed feeding schedule can be completely discontinued for any feeding method you usually have. Your goal for this step is to slow the spoon feeding to only occasional treats and begin to treat the rat as every other rat you own and have him interact well with you as he has been doing with the spoon feeding.
Where you go with this step is up to you. You can begin training him to walk out onto your hand, be picked up or allow holding in your arms, or to come out of the cage on a ramp (safest first step). It is up to you what you do with him. The biting should be in the past and your relationship can now grow. Just remember to only add one new type of interaction at a time until consistency for a week or more is reached.
Best Results: Interactions of all kinds go well and the rat does not regress in any way to skittish, fearful, or aggressive behavior. If this step is successful, you should have a happy, healthy, well-adjusted rat that loves to spend all sorts of time with you (or is learning one activity to love at a time.)
Medium Result: If your rat struggles with anything you try to do as far as additional bonding or interaction, gauge how important that really is to you. If they don't like being picked up directly, is it really a necessity to love and care for them? Pick your battles, think outside the box, and try different types of interactions to find the ones he feels safest trying. You can always come back to the rejected ones later when more good interactions have been established.
Poor Result: Any regression to past poor behaviors or responses. If any interactions make the rat start feeling unsafe or defensive again, abandon them and back up to the safe interactions instead. Try something else after you have given him a break from all new types of interaction first. Too much "new" all at once can be hard on some rats, so you should pay attention and be considerate of his feelings. You can always try again later.
And that is it!
Have questions? Feel free to ask. I'm always happy to help!
Where you go with this step is up to you. You can begin training him to walk out onto your hand, be picked up or allow holding in your arms, or to come out of the cage on a ramp (safest first step). It is up to you what you do with him. The biting should be in the past and your relationship can now grow. Just remember to only add one new type of interaction at a time until consistency for a week or more is reached.
Best Results: Interactions of all kinds go well and the rat does not regress in any way to skittish, fearful, or aggressive behavior. If this step is successful, you should have a happy, healthy, well-adjusted rat that loves to spend all sorts of time with you (or is learning one activity to love at a time.)
Medium Result: If your rat struggles with anything you try to do as far as additional bonding or interaction, gauge how important that really is to you. If they don't like being picked up directly, is it really a necessity to love and care for them? Pick your battles, think outside the box, and try different types of interactions to find the ones he feels safest trying. You can always come back to the rejected ones later when more good interactions have been established.
Poor Result: Any regression to past poor behaviors or responses. If any interactions make the rat start feeling unsafe or defensive again, abandon them and back up to the safe interactions instead. Try something else after you have given him a break from all new types of interaction first. Too much "new" all at once can be hard on some rats, so you should pay attention and be considerate of his feelings. You can always try again later.
And that is it!
Have questions? Feel free to ask. I'm always happy to help!
Last Updated: 4/24/2021 (c) 2021 Squeakin' Pups All rights reserved. Do not copy, share, or distribute without written permission.