[chloegxnt]

Hey!

I currently have 2 fancy rats, and they are around the 7 month old mark. They are lovely, one is very confident and the other is getting there!

We had bought a third and fourth rat, much younger to try and bond them. However, one of this pair came to us with respiratory issues and has sadly passed away, so we are now trying to get the lone rat bonded as fast as possible.
Rat 1 from the first pair gets along well with him, and they frequently have playpen time together (though they live in different cages). Rat 2 however, is very very territorial. He goes for the 3rd rat and has drawn blood, which we know is not great. He puffs himself up and acts very sheepish, and then gains confidence and tries to attack.
We know they have to establish their dominance, as we saw it with the other two rats when first introduced. However, this aggressive rat seems to be taking it much further than just showing dominant behaviour, and acts as though he is going for the kill.
The 3rd rat is only about 3 months old and is much much smaller.

The aggressive rat does not show this behaviour to his brother, or to any humans.

Does anyone have any tips??

We have:
-put their cages within smelling distance
-mixed their toys around so they can get each other’s scent
-introduced food as a distraction to the aggressive rat when trying to bond

 

[chloegxnt]

It takes at least 3-4 months for a rat to become full-grown. Young rats can be apart of a larger mischief with various ages, but it's important for them to have at least one companion of a comparable age + size. Though it might not be preferable, you can easily find young rats at chain pet stores like Petco/PetSmart. I would recommend getting one and then keeping the two pairs separate until further notice, possibly permanently. A little tussling is to be expected but the level of aggression your territorial rat is showing is dangerous to your little one. While it's less common with domesticated ones, rats absolutely can and sometimes will kill each other. Also, are your rats male or female?

Hey! My rats are male, so we are considering neutering the aggressive rat. We very well may also have to purchase another rat to go with our younger one just in case, which is not ideal as there is always the risk of them not getting along too, but it may be the safest bet for all our rats.