[JoshRmc1989]

Hello! Recently I ran into a problem with my boys. They all dominate each other back and forth and it caused a stalemate between all of them. I've tried many re introductions but it's always led to violent behavior that draws blood. That being said I separated them, now they each have their own cage. My oldest and sweetest seems to dislike me from time to time. I reach in to pet him and he sidesteps and arches his back like he's trying to prevent domination. I don't understand why he suddenly developed this behavior. Out side of the cage he seems to enjoy my company allowing me to groom him which is mostly followed by him bruxing and eye boggling. but as soon as he's back in his cage he seem dis interested or even mad. I'm thinking of breeding him in hopes it may help? Is there a way to help his behavior? do I need to hold him more now? I do know he was the alpha when they were all together and he took being dominated pretty harshly. I want my sweet Marv to be himself again. Any suggestions?

 

[moonkissed]

Do not breed him...I am not even sure why you would think that would do anything to fix the problem? Breeding will not fix any problems. And it is unwise to breed a rat if you do not know what you are doing & know the pedigree. Plus rats can have a huge litters, if most are male & u can not find homes for them and they end up not getting along that it is going to be insanely expensive to neuter or buy separate cages for each of them....

I think you may be thinking of neutering helping. Which it may. Neutering your boys may calm them down and help them to get along as well.

Some Rats can be a bit territorial. Some do not like you in their space (cage). If he is still feeling upset over the other boy then it could make him on edge. How close are the cages to one another?
Try to go slow and give him treats in his cage, don't back him into corners. Play with him outside of his cage instead.

Also most male rats go through puberty and all the changing hormones that go along with it. Which means they often do change personality a bit. You didnt say how old they are? This does sound like it could be the reason.

 

[Jess <3]

Breeding a rat with an unknown history and who shows signs of aggressive behaviour isn't sensible and will do nothing to help your situation. Also, I'm pretty sure talk of intentional breeding isn't allowed on this forum.

I agree with moonkissed, you should look into neutering, keeping rats a lone can have negative effects on their wellbeing and neutering is likely to make them all calmer and help them to get along better.

May i ask how big the cage you were keeping them together in was? Rats,especially males, need a certain amount of space per rat (two cubic feet each at least) or they can become stressed and aggressive towards each other. And when you try to re-introduce them, is it in neutral territory and closely supervised?

 

[JoshRmc1989]

Marv is a year old today, the other two just hit 7 months. Their cages are relatively close to each other (I have a lot of cages). Someone on another forum said that breeding can sometimes help. I do have people who want a few ratties if I ever do. Marv is never really aggressive, it just wasn't until the babies hit puberty and tried dominating him that he became irritable. I play with all of them for at least two hours everyday. Sorry for leaving things out.

 

[JoshRmc1989]

It was a big three foot cage. They were all getting along fine until one of the younger ones hit puberty and became aggressively territorial that the problem started. I've had Marv since he was two months old and he never showed signs of aggression until then. They lived with each other in the same cage for at least two months. Yes, I try reintroducing them in neutral territory and take all the steps required I.E. Supervision, letting them interact with each other in said territory for at least an hour, putting them back in there respective cages afterwards, I put their cages close enough so they can get used to each others scent and do this for about 2 weeks before putting them into the cage with new bedding and re arranged platforms. Marv just seems sad now really, like he doesn't want to be around me (Even jumping from my bed to his cage) I've always been loving and compassionate to all of them. It just breaks my heart is all, Marv was the first rat I got that bonded well with me and became like a best friend to me. I just want him to be happy again is all.

 

[Sabatea]

Neutering the younger rats seems like a good option if they're the ones that caused the imbalance in the first place. Breeding your rats doesn't seem like it would be beneficial at all. Throwing Marv in with some random female for a day and then removing him just doesn't seem like it would do anything for him. Plus, then there's an entire litter of rats and their scent swarming around him when he's already feeling bummed about the hierarchy.

 

[JoshRmc1989]

I'm thinking that's my best option Sabatea. Marv only seems to get along with one of the babies and that's Armin. I'm guessing because Armin doesn't try for the top of the hierarchy as much?

 

[Jess <3]

If they're all living separately now, it might be worth putting just Marv and Armin together if they get along. Marv could be sad that he's living alone so a friend might perk him up. You'd be surprised by the difference i've seen in rats living alone compared to with another rat they get along with. Since you're considering neutering, you may want to speak with your vet, they'll be able to tell you in depth about the procedure. Just so you know, I've had two rats neutered and it did alter their personalities and make them more docile though an already docile rat may not show much sign of change. Hope everything works out.

 

[JoshRmc1989]

Thank you! I actually put the two together and other than the usual boxing match males normally do they are getting along famously. Marv is even showing Armin that he's not a threat. It's really sweet. He keeps cuddling up beneath him hahaha it funny too because Marv is a huge rat and Armin is itty bitty.