I adopted two female rats last Saturday, it's my first time adopting (yay!) and first time having more than one rat at a time (I know it's better that way, but when I was younger I was only allowed to have one) so some of this is really new to me. They came in together by the way, so they already know each other. Anyway, I read beforehand that it's better to let them get used to the cage for the day, then slowly try to bring them out. The last couple of days I decided to just leave the cage open while keeping an eye on them since I did that for my other rats in the past. I figure it's better to give them a chance to come out on their own if they are ready to explore a little bit. Neither of them have, but Jasmine gets really close to coming all the way out, while the other, Rory, barely even peaks her nose out. I thought maybe Jasmine just needed a little boost so I tried to grab her but then she just looked really fearful and I didn't want to push it. The last thing I want to do is rush them before they are ready, but I figure they would be bored in there by now? I guess I'm just looking for some general advice on this subject. I wouldn't want to take too long to where they'd never want to leave the cage and live a dull life, but I also don't want to force them out if they absolutely do not want to. Is it just too soon?
Another question about play fighting- like said, this is my first time having a pair so it's the first time experiencing this. They wrestle around and I read that's normal and it's just playing, but one of them (can't tell which one, or if it's both) does let out little squeaks and that scares me a little bit. Is a little bit of squeaking normal? I haven't seen any real bites/scratches, and if it sounds like it's getting too rough I can just say "girls!" and they will look at me and calm down. Just looking for some peace of mind with this as well, I don't want this to be a start of something more serious, and if it is I would like to know what to do.
Okay I think that is it, thanks for reading
Another question about play fighting- like said, this is my first time having a pair so it's the first time experiencing this. They wrestle around and I read that's normal and it's just playing, but one of them (can't tell which one, or if it's both) does let out little squeaks and that scares me a little bit. Is a little bit of squeaking normal? I haven't seen any real bites/scratches, and if it sounds like it's getting too rough I can just say "girls!" and they will look at me and calm down. Just looking for some peace of mind with this as well, I don't want this to be a start of something more serious, and if it is I would like to know what to do.
Okay I think that is it, thanks for reading