The Bandit Project

So my baby Bandit (ok, she's not a baby, but it's still fun to say)
was in dire need of some socialization. She didn't bite or scream
when I picked her up (if I could catch her!), but she was so
frightened of me that every time I made a movement while merely
LOOKING at the cage, she'd run in her nest box or hammock or tube and
hide. So I decided to try out the 20 minute sessions with her, and I
thought I'd post a daily log of how it went.

Day 1!

Bandit's comments: omg omg put me down omg let me go omg omg omg
whyyyyyyy!! *poop*

After several minutes of trying to catch little Bandit, I sat down
with her on the bed and held her in my lap for the 20 minute period.
Immediately after 20 minutes she crawled in my shirt and stayed in
there when usually she crawls in and right back out to hide
elsewhere. This was a sure sign that she was relaxing with me. Like
I said, usually she runs in the shirt, out of the shirt, and tries to
find a proper place on the bed to jump back to her cage from! This
was the first time I'd ever seen/heard my little Bandit brux while
she was out with me!

Day 2!

Bandit's comments: not again! leave me alone! no! put me down!!
omg!!! *poop*

Ok, so day 2 was much the same as day 1. I had to try for several
minutes again to get her out of the cage and onto the bed. I didn't
want to remove the hammocks and things, because I felt it wouldn't be
fair to the other ratties trying to nap in them. She was just as
frightened as she was on day 1, but again after the mark was up, she
calmed down and instead of running and hiding when I let her loose,
she ran around the bed AND me! She even came up and gave me a little
kiss on the thumb :) She was more interested in finding a way to hop
back to the cage again, but she would let me pick her up (when
usually she runs and squirms away)!

After a while of playing I stuck her back into the cage and placed a
treat in the palm of my hand... and instead of her running away and
me having to track her down to give her the treat, she came right up,
stepped up onto my palm, and took her treat (slowly!!!) and walked
off and ate it! However, a few minutes later, she decided running
and hiding was more fun than coming out and seeing me in the doorway
with the other rats.

Day 3!

Bandit's comments: ohhh play time? But I don't wanna play with the
other ratties! I'm gonna stay in my tube! What? WAIT! Not fair!!
*poop*

Directly from my email to Jane A.: I'm so proud of little Bandit!! I
got her out today during play time since she refused to come out of
her tube and come out on her own. As soon as I sat down with her to
begin her 20 minute session, I could already tell a difference in
her! Instead of squirming and trying to run away and hide, she
plopped down onto my lap and looked around!! She wanted to explore
rather than hide! Regardless, I held her in my hands and lap for the
20 minutes. The fact that she would stay in my lap by herself with
just me petting her truly amazes me! After the 20 minutes was up, I
let her loose to run around with the other ratties on the bed. She
walked all over me... explored... explored... explored... came and
took a break in my shirt... and was overall CALM! I can't believe
it :D She didn't want to stay in the cage when I put them all back
in, either! This is a first!

Day 4!

Bandit's comments: treats? do I get treats? Ohhh I get to come
out? Waitasec this is a trick! *poop*

Bandit has started greeting me at the cage doors with the other
rats!! She doesn't run off and hide when I come toward the cage (for
the most part), and even lets me reach in and give her pets! She was
easy to grab and bring out for this session, and was VERY well
behaved the entire 20 minutes. She sat in my lap almost the entire
time by herself with me just petting her and not holding on to her.
This, to me, is a sure sign she has finally gotten it in her head
that I'm not going to feed her to mom's cats :)

Day 5!

Bandit's comments: Ohhh but I don't wanna come out today. I wanna
groom Peanut! Leave me alone so I can groom Peanut! She's stinky! Ohh
fine!

This was tonight. I brought little Bandit out and sat down on the
bed with her. She crawled in my shirt and refused to come back out!
She was very happy to just stay in and wiggle around while I was
trying to concentrate on finding a comfortable way to pet her. She
ended up in my shirt for nearly an hour! When I could trick her out,
she would walk around the bed... walk around me.. and trick me into
letting her back in my shirt! She got lots of treats for being cute
tonight :)

Conclusion!

I am VERY impressed by this method that Jane A. has posted on the web
for all of us to try! Before, my little Bandit was so scared of me
that she wouldn't even poke her head out of her hiding places to see
me. Now, she's all about getting pets and kisses! Tonight's session
I didn't feel like I had to hold her in my lap, hince the running in
the shirt. Tonight was more of a cuddle session, I suppose.
Bandit's behavior yesterday was exactly what I was hoping for when I
started doing the forced socialization.

Anyway, I wanted to post this very long message to give some owners
of squirmy scaredy-rats hope that soem day they'll be friendly rats!

Thanks again, Jane, for all the help through posting the method, and
responding to my emails about Bandit's progress! I owe you one!!

-jd