[CaptainFlow]

The other night the girlies were out playing on my bed, I was sitting with them doing homework. They seemed perfectly normal, running up to say hi, running back to the cage, running up to bug the other one... well, they're young girls, a lot of running was involved!

All of a sudden I hear this loud shriek! It was a lot louder than anything I'd heard them make before, and startled me! I looked over, and Belgie had Sevilla pinned on her back with one arm up defending herself from Belgie, and both girls were standing stock still! The stayed that way for a while, and I even poked Belgie with my pen (I had no idea what they were doing, I wasn't about to use my finger! But it was a light poke, I swear!), with no response. Sevilla's eyes started to close slowly, and she kind of started wilting, and I was so freaked out that Belgie had somehow killed her right in front of me!

Eventually (like, after 30 or 40 seconds) Belgie walked off, and Sevilla got up and came over for pats.

It was clear they were having some kind of monumental face off, and I guess Belgie went too far for Sevilla's taste.

Then a similar episode happened just now- they were chasing each other around, coming to sniff me, walk all over my homework and generally be pains, when they run off, and I heard that shriek again!

I looked over, and Belgie has Sevilla pinned AGAIN! They stood still for a while, and then suddenly there was a round two! Sevilla jumped up, and I think Belgie must have tried to bite her, cause I actually saw some fur fly! The both got up on hind legs and held their hands out about a quarter inch apart, and stood like that for about 10 seconds! Monumental faceoff! I kept talking to them, telling them to calm down, leave each other alone, but my voice had no effect.

Sevilla seems unharmed, and they're both acting more or less normal now, if a little quieter and more subdued, but it really freaked me out. They've lived together so peacefully before this! They'd fight occasionally, and I'd hear little squeaks, but nothing like that shriek.

The really weird thing is that Sevilla is usually the dominant one. So I'm wondering if this is just some kind of power reversal that Sevilla's not taking very well, or what. But it's scary! Please tell me my girls aren't going to hurt each other!

 

[Forensic]

One of them may be in heat or something may have shifted a little. My boys do the 'face off' every now and again. I figure that, like humans, eventually people get annoyed with the people they live with.

And dominance shifts around in my cage too. Bacardi usually assumes a dominant role, but Perry will some days... or Guinness.... Usually not Baileys, but hey, there has to be a peacemaker in there somewhere. :lol:

If they bite and tear and draw blood, there's an issue, but if not, it's probably just a normal tussle.

 

[allynpsych]

My girl Dax is the larger and older (7months) of my crew. The two boys about about 4 months I think. But they are starting to assert themselves. They will often tumble Dax, and pin her on her back. Then everything freezes, or they start to "power groom" her head and face. She seems to relax and her eyes close and she lays still, even for a few seconds after they leave. But then she's up and grooming and all is fine until the next round. I've had to train myself to not freak out when I hear the shriek and see "Face-off". I look for blood or injury, I tell them "Would you guys stop the racket" and I laugh when the boys "box". You're little ones are just growing up.

 

[Ratty1100]

My boys did it very often when they were about 6 months old. Don´t worry if there is no blood. They´re finding out who's the boss. Little bit fur isn't also a very bad thing, it happens sometimes while struggling or when a rat is grooming the other.