pet rat...?

take your oldes dirties smelliest dirty sock athat reaks of your smell and leave in his house. This way he smells you every time he goes to bed and he will associate your smell with being comfortable and warm. this and coaxing him out with yogrut always work for me and my rats.

Also rats are very social creatures, You may want to think about gettign two next time so when things like this happen they don't feel as neglected. and don't worry two rats isn't much more trouble than one and they will stay happier if you have to work long houres or have a family emergancy.

Rats are social creatures, if they can't bond with their people then they really need to have another rat to keep them company. Males rats do sometimes get aggressive around 5 months old..not all but some. There is a solution to this..get him nuetered. Just like dogs it decreases the level of testosterone. Yes rats can be nuetered and it is safer then spaying..deppending on where you live the cost could be as high as $250...otherwise if he is that aggressive and you do not feel comfortable handeling him, think about giving him to a rescue that deals in aggressive rats

I would look into nuetering and some of the other tricks first before surrendering him though. I am giving you a list of vets, and some more web forum resources on behavior. Shaz

I don't know to much about rat's but I will find out some information for you.

The more attention you give your new rats when you first get them home, the sooner they will get used to your voice and your smell and begin to make friends with you. Handle your rats as much as possible, whether they seem to like it or not at first -- they will soon learn to enjoy your company. Unless a rat is very nervous or unwell, you cannot give it too much attention or handling. One good way of getting your rats used to you is to let them ride around the house on your shoulder or inside your sweater.

Biting, out of fear or aggression, is unusual in pet rats. It is not something that you should have to put up with. Here are some of the situations where it may occur, and some possible solutions

Male rats occasionally become aggressive towards humans and/or other rats at some point between 3-12 months of age, although if this happens it is most common at 4-5 months. The rat becomes 'super macho' if his levels of male hormones are too high. He will puff up his fur, hiss and huff at other rats and people, and may attack or bite cage-mates or his owners. He may also scratch at the floor, rub his sides against hard objects (to leave his scent), and leave trails of scent-marking pee wherever he walks. Normal, happy bucks may also scent-mark like this, but problem rats take it to extremes. If a male rat starts to squeak when you pick him up, or threatens to bite you when he is playing outside the cage, then we recommend that you take action quickly and do not leave it until you get bitten. This condition can usually be cured by having the rat castrated, and his hormonal levels and behaviour will return to normal after a few weeks. Castration also stops excessive scent-marking. A rat whose hormones are driving him to obsessive levels of aggression and sexual frustration is not a happy animal, and we do not think that it is fair to leave him in such a state. If you must have a buck neutered, make sure that you use a vet who has done this operation on rats before: rats have an internal muscular structure unlike that of dogs and cats, and a slightly different procedure must be used (the base of the inguinal canals must be stitched closed). Neutering can cost between £35-75 (prices last checked and updated 01/2007). The National Fancy Rat Society has a list of vets that have experience in dealing with rats.

I don't wanna post to much on here but I found a Website for you.

http://www.quite.co.uk/rats/

He felt neglected. Poor little guy. You are going to need to give him ALOT of attention. He may object at first, but keep holding him and petting him and hopefully he will come around.

get some good gardening gloves and pick him up with them until he gets used to being handled again. next time something happens try and find someone to keep him company and play with him.

yogurt treats......they love them give him snacks and attention and talk to him, its sounds crazy but it helps. he needs time to get used to u after u left him remeber he doesnt understand what happend..he thinks u abandoned him.