Perseus

Perseus came to us from Best Friend Rodent Rescue in Kenmore, Wa. as a biter

He's let me give his back scratches in the cage and out. He is still nervous about being held, but is fine either on the bed or back in his cage. Anything else you can think of. Tonight he met Polly who attempted to climb his cage. He had a tantrum. He darted at her from inside his cage. He huffed and he puffed as if he was trying to blow the bars between them down. He stomped and huffed some more. She had jumped down and wandered back to me slowly as if saying Perseus was too childish for her. Haha

This was from BFRR about Perseus' history on 08/09/2012 - "Ok, I was told from the lab students that rounded them up and brought them to us, that they were born at the end of December 2011, so that puts him at 7 & 1/2 months. They said these rats were bred not to bite! LOL, yeah okay, first that's not possible, second it appears the opposite is true! He did seem more outgoing until he was neutered. For example, the person who adopted him and chose to have him neutered because he was climbing out of the cage and running around, and it really seemed they had bonded when she met him the first time. She brought him home before his neuter to her 2 approximately 7 month old (now) girls that are spayed and she also adopted one of the old neutered Hoarder guys. Well Perseus was having nothing to do with the introductions, he hurt the older guy pretty bad, but was okay with the girls, that's when we decided we should have him neutered. So we did, then the owner got him back and she went out of town, leaving her boyfriend to care for him and the others and after about 3 days of him being in his own cage, the boyfriend went to take him out and was going to try introductions on a neutral ground, that's when the first bite happened. Then of course the boyfriend was afraid of him. When the owner got home she was trying to pet him while he was in the hut and that's when he bit her bad! I advised her that the neuter could take up to 4 weeks to kick in. Well at 3 weeks she asked if I could please take him for a bit to see if there was anything I could do. So I did and I thought oh, he just didn't like it there, because he's totally fine. I believe it was the 3rd day, I went to reach in to his hut to take him out and wham, he bit me good. I then introduced him to Karl, Ry Ry and their were a couple little scuffles, but I didn't think anyone had gotten hurt, until I noticed Perseus favoring his back leg. That healed up in about 3 days and soon they were all buddies. Then Surgey came back with Patrick and Bob and I put Surgey back in with Karl & Ry Ry. Remember Karl and Ry Ry had been adopted then returned. They all got along fine. In the meantime, Perseus had started to rush me in the cage, unless I was petting someone else. At those times I was able to pet and scritch his head along with the other rats. After much loss of blood, I decided he'd be better off with you. You have much more patience than I do!

09/08/2012 - Perseus is a biter. I have to say that because I still cannot reach in his cage to get him out. But he is getting better. I can from time to time pet him in his cage, but I have to be careful and see what his attitude is. But that is becoming more often which is encouraging. When he is out and playing I can pet him and hold him all I want. He loves to have the back of his neck scratched. He bruxes when he is happy. He hasn't boggled yet. While he was out today I cleaned his cage. I put back his stash in the same place he had it. Upon his return to his clean cage he, as usual, threw a tantrum. He flung himself against the cage bars huffing and then rolling all over the new clean stuff. He did this everywhere as if a strange rat had walked all through his territory. He is neutered and has been for quite some time now. Does anyone else have a rattie that does this? He is so sweet and this is such funny behavior. I talk to him through it trying to calm him down. Finally he ends up facing me at the cage door all tuckered out. I wonder what is going through his mind?

On 08/22/2012 - Persius is so funny. In order to pick him up in his cage I have to wait until he turns his back to me. It's almost like he turns and waits for me to pick him up. If I don't he turns to me as if to say, "well, what are you waiting for." and then he turns back around with his back to me. And when I change the towels in his cage - he likes a lot of loose ones - he pulls each one (I have to give them to him one at a time or he gets flustered) into what was supposed to be his litter box. And when I give him treats he takes them and tucks them behind the towels he has so carefully and laboriously arranged in the litter box. He doesn't seem to be missing anyone. I took out his tube cuz he wasn't using it and tried a hammock. I hung it lower so he could get the idea on how to get in it. But when he walked under it his back would touch it. He hated that and threw a fit. I asked him what was wrong and he went under it and head butted it up as if to tell me it was in his way. So I raised it and now he is ok with it. He's been in and out of it since. But man, can he throw a tantrum. I am most certainly going to have to get it on video.

Next 4 Images were taken on 09/08/2012 -