How to Tame a 3-Week-Old Rat

Building trust with rats can be difficult because rats are naturally shy and skittish. They're also highly intelligent and social, which means they can bond with their owners. Rats are most likely to adapt to people if they're handled frequently from a young age, so taming a rat at three weeks old is much less challenging than taming an older one.

Things You'll Need

  • Rat treats
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Instructions

    • 1

      Leave your rat alone when you first bring it home. Rats are sensitive to environmental changes, and being in a new home is especially frightening. Give it a chance to adjust to its new environment in a quiet area of your home.

    • 2

      Approach your rat's cage calmly and quietly; then give your rat a treat. When you give your rat food, the rat learns to associate you with something pleasurable. Give your rat a treat through its cage bars several times each day in the days after you first bring it home. This allows your rat to gradually adjust to you from the safety of its cage.

    • 3

      Open your rat's cage door and allow your rat to explore. Make sure to do this in an area that's safe and free of dogs and cats. If your rat approaches you, give it a treat. This will strengthen your rat's associating people with food, which will help it become less fearful around people. Continue to let your rat out of its cage without picking it up several times a day for a week or two.

    • 4

      Pick your rat up and give it a treat. Then put your rat down on the floor outside of its cage to explore, continuing to reward it with a treat every time it approaches. Do this several times each day until your rat has grown comfortable with being handled.