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Help is appreciated, situation is getting worse

847 views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  janevskij 
#1 ·
advice needed

Hey, I’m a rat dad to two young females (both three months-ish old; sisters from the same litter). They got along great until very recently I’ve started noticing problems. Lately they’ve been fighting pretty frequently, and I’m 90% sure this may not be just play behavior / establishing dominance because they SCREAM bloody murder when they fight, and blood has been drawn once. It’s the kind of scream rats scream when they fight an unfamiliar rat. I’ve had to separate them temporarily a few times bc they got into a rat ball and i was afraid they hurt themselves.

So.. i guess i’m just confused as to WHY this just started happening. I know this is around their “puberty” age but I guess i was just under the impression that only males developed hormonal aggression. Is it possible for females to do so? I’ve seen no signs of illness or injury that couldve caused one of them to lash out (plus, they’re both still perfectly sweet towards me.) but do yall think that i should get them checked out to be sure one of them isn’t in pain or something? Any advice appreciated.
 
#2 ·
Female rats can get bad tempered the day before they come on heat,which is about every 5 days.Or sometimes there can be a personality clash,they just don’t like each other.Is there moments when they do seem to get on?How bad is the blood drawing.just little scabs or actual gashes?
 
#3 ·
Sounds like those are some serious fights, not just squabbles. It's important to allow them to establish a hierarchy and squabble a bit, but ideally, you want to nip proper fights in the bud before they become a rat ball and/or draw blood from one another. Females do go through puberty and will have different/elevated hormones for a while so you may see more squabbling but not to the same extent as you'd see in bucks. When you're seeing these fights you could use a water spray or a big loud clap to separate them, the jury is out about removing one of the rats from the situation, I guess it works for some and not for others just to diffuse the tension.
Might it be worth going through a mini re-introduction? I know they were never introduced as they are litter mates but perhaps it's worth a try if things aren't settling down?
Another option, depending on your own circumstances is to introduce a third and fourth rat but to have a spare cage/fallback situation if it didn't go well.
Best of luck.
 
#4 ·
I have 5 girls and they get in tiffs from time to time. Theirs a clear hierarchy in the cage, but I have one lady who will overstep her bounds and the Alpha will put her in her place when necessary.
It's normal. Who would follow the rules if no one was there to enforce them?
 
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