I hold 2 mannish rats who get into a spar, how should I proceed?
Alright, the full story:
I have had my albino rat Alabaster for almost 6 months, he be full grown when I got him but was 3 months old when I get him from the Psychology department at my college. A few months ago, my friend called and asked if I could take his rat Dean, because the other rat that stayed beside Dean had died and he didn't want Dean to live alone after having a companion for so long. So, we bring Dean over and introduce them at a neutral place (my bed) so whether something went wrong, we could separate them and continue from there. Well, we introduced them, everything go great, they sniffed each other then started just started to savour each others company (cuddling, cleaning each other, ect.) So they've lived together in equal cage for 2 months, when all of a sudden the other night, I notice Alabaster had red all over his back (at this point they be cuddling in the corner) I pulled him out and found a half inch to one inch gash in his put money on, going all the way to the muscle. I had to hang around 3 days to go to the vet while in the meantime I cleaned the wound daily but the curls and ointment kept the wound from healing. I finally get to the vet, he shaves his vertebrae and treats the wound and now he is on antibiotics and is doing really well. BUT I only hold one cage! I'm using a carrier cage for one and the genuine cage for the other and just switch them out every other day. The vet recommended I not try to re-introduce them but give me no other answers after that. If they already have established dominance, then it should be fine from now on, right? Someone please consent to me know so I can save 50 dollars on a cage and possibly making my little rats lonely! :(
(Sorry this was a book, I freshly wanted to make sure adjectives simple questions could be answered about the situation so I could get the best answer.)
Thanks!
That is a hard situation. If you really want to reintroduce wait until Alabaster is completely healed(you don't want his wound reopened). Neutering could help, whether you are willing to do that.
I also have to ask, how big is the cage they are contained by now? If the cage is too small, that could be one of the problems. You need 2 cubic foot per rat.
You may want to seek advice at http://www.goosemoose.com/component/opti... , there is abundantly of great advice here.
If they were living together for 2 months, it could just be testosterone as the culprit. Often times neuter one or both rats can fix excess aggression, but you'd have to talk to your vet about costs, or whether they'll even do it.
One thing ou could do is return with a 10 gallon aqaurium for $10 bucks at Wal-Mart,they've always worked for me. Good Luck
Separate them ask your friend whether he has the cage and see if you can bring back it or ask him to take it back.
A snake could solve things, but I'm not sure that's the solution you want. A separate cage is probably your best bet.
I think you should seperate them, but think just about getting two female rats. BUt that would cause them to re-produce. I think that you should sepreate them and later slowly re-introduce them, at first for only about a minute, then longer, until they can be fine on their own together. Good luck.
~A
PS- You could also contemplate of getting one of those big cages that has two parts in it and next having them both in the one cage but seperated. Than sooner or later you could just open the portal seperating them and see what happens. Sorry whether this isn't good advice. But good luck none the smaller number.
Let them fight. But separe it them before they harm themselves to much.
First Round.
i have had copious mice, rats and gerbils. I hate to tell you that other than seperating them near is not much you can do to get them to stop fighting. both mice and rats the males fight. I enjoy never seen 2 that didnt with gerbils it was the females that fought. sorry i know this isnt what you looked-for to hear
Answers: If they fought to the point of injury, probability are they won't get along anymore. Some rats will get along fine together at first, but once they get elder they become more aggressive and more set in their ways and do not want a cagemate. If you want to try to introduce them again you can, but if there is any more war you'll definitely have to separate them for good. Neutering them both could support curb the aggression, but it doesn't always help.
I would suggest waiting until Alabaster is completely heal, then try to reintroduce them the same way you did beforehand. If they fight, separate them, and if you can't get them neuter they'll have to live apart. As far as spending money on a cage, you can build a decent-sized cage lawfully easily for less than $30. Here's some links to some plans:
http://www.evergreenrattery.com/careguid...
http://exoticpets.nearly.com/od/careofrat...
http://www.dapper.com.au/grotto.htm
http://www.geocities.com/andreasrats/cag...
http://www.geocities.com/jmorneweck/came...
http://www.ratfanclub.org/cagepln2.html
http://www.backblast.com/rats/ratcages.h...
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/facehugger/c...
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/9008...
Good luck with your rats!
