When I do intros and it’s with already stressed out rats, then I try a neutral place that could seem scary to all rats. A place that has new smells and sounds, somewhere they’ve never been before.
For me that would be the tub.
The thing I’ve noticed with rats is that even though intros might have went bad in the past, it’s still not the end of it. You may need to step back and try again a month later. The important thing, have food available to distract them. No toys, no boxes, just a plate of food like pablum or yogurt, something that will force them to be beside each other to eat.
Have a towel handy so if a fight starts, you can throw it on them and remove the aggressor. When you have the aggressor in your hands, flip him over and with your fingers rub their chest, firmly but not hard. Then put him back. Rubbing their backs, rumps, boxing, hissing are all normal part of meeting each other. It’s when there’s a fight with blood you need to stop and try again at a later date. If all goes well with a week of these intros, then you add toys, boxes, hidey holes, some with their scent on it of both parties. If all goes well there, then you proceed to intros in familiar surroundings where they usually go for out time. If all goes well there for a week, then you scrub down the cage and put them in and watch them for a day. This is what works for me.
With rats that are not so stressed out, you can usually skip the scary place intro, go straight to the neutral intro, if all goes well, within three days, you skip to familiar place intro, if all goes well within a couple of days, then you can go straight to scrubbing down the cage and putting them in.
Intros between females are usually the easiest. My hardest intros were always between males, sometimes you need to have the male neutered to help him deal with all his hormonal stress.
The question has been asked time and time again, what is best for my rat?
Rats have nutritional needs unique to them. They are not dogs nor humans, they require more or less than other species. Companies like Harlan Teklad and Oxbow have put in time and energy and cost in finding out exactly what the rat needs in nutrients, in vitamins, minerals, macro and micro minerals. They have produced an excellent block which contains everything a rat needs.
Rats fed a high quality block don’t need anything extra in their diets but supplementing with fresh veggies daily is a huge benefit to them and gives them variety in their diet.
Dog food is formulated for dogs, it contains mostly proteins because that is their primary energy source.
Rats need carbs as their primary energy source.
Which is why dog food is not energy dense enough for rats.
It is not impossible to create a fresh natural diet for rats but you need to research in order to provide all the daily required nutrients.
Nutrient Requirements of the Laboratory Rat
The Lab rat’s needs are closer to our pet rat’s needs than the wild rat’s needs.
For a natural diet, the rats would require a protein source not necessarily from animals. They require lots of carbs as their energy source so grains, nuts, seeds… fresh veggies for excellent nutrients such as calcium and vitamin K.(raw and cooked yellow, orange and green ones) also fresh fruits like red grapes, apples, blueberries, etc…)
But again, you would need to do your research in order to formulate the best possible diet for your rats.
When making your natural diet, a commercial rat block as well as a commercial dog food may be a good supplement to their daily fresh foods. But don’t forget to balance out the high protein and high fat in the commercial pet foods.
Corn and alfalfa is not bad for rats. They do have nutritional value. They do however contain cellulose which reduces somewhat but not entirely it’s digestibility. They provide energy, protein and fiber.
It has been said that corn may contain fungi but all grains cultivated in fields, kept in silos may contain fungi, nitrates and nitrites… Cheerios anyone? …not to mention all the vegetables!
Here’s an excellent article on alfalfa
Don’t take other people’s word for it!! Research!
And don’t forger: low protein, low fat, no sugar, no salt.