5 months old

[SilverMoon]

My boys (I currently have 4, one of which I'm only holding until I can get him to my aunt up north) are just turning 5 months old. They have started scrapping with each other on a regular basis. I'm seeing them boxing, and kicking at one another, and the biggest of them has started humping all his bros when they least expect it.

I'm just curious; I was expecting them to get a little more aggressive because I read this is when their hormones start kicking in, but is it normal for them to fight each other? They aren't serious fights, no one is drawing blood, bu there's a whole lot of squeaking and shrieking going on in the cage, especially when I'm half asleep LOL I'm wondering also if they'll settle down once one of them has established who is the alpha boy?

Also, my sweetest boy nipped my sister on the finger this afternoon. Could this also be because of hormones? Usually he only test nibbles, and only on new fingers. She said he bit her hard enough that it hurt. No blood, though. I'm just worried they might become aggressive. My step sister, who owned the parents, said the father and mother were both aggressive but I think it's because she never handled them or let them get used to her. The rats she kept from the litter for herself are also very skittish and bitey when I tried to handle them, but mine have never shown me any kind of aggression (save for Loki biting me the first day I got him because he escaped the cage and I grabbed him out from under the couch and scared him).

What are some warning signs I should watch out for in my boys if they are going to become aggressive?

 

My boys started doing this around 6 months, most of them box and pin each other down. But one of my guys used to get really puffy and three times actually drew blood, the third time causing 12 stitches. It's normal for them to play fight, but if you start getting injuries you should start thinking about neutering. I got my boy neutered and now his perfect!

 

[jorats]

It does sound like it's hormonal and the boys are needing to establish who's boss so the boxing and such is normal as well.
The nipping, keep an eye on that, if it gets worse, they will need a neuter.

 

[SilverMoon]

Thanks.

I think he might have just nipped her because she surprised him, and because she stuck her finger through the cage bars. Normally he wouldn't bite in that situation but I guess anything can happen! I hope it doesn't get any worse.

 

[jorats]

Oh through the cage bars, ya, that happens a lot. I tell all my people to not ever do that. Rats immediately think: TREAT!

 

[jorats]

My step sister, who owned the parents, said the father and mother were both aggressive but I think it's because she never handled them or let them get used to her. The rats she kept from the litter for herself are also very skittish and bitey when I tried to handle them, but mine have never shown me any kind of aggression (save for Loki biting me the first day I got him because he escaped the cage and I grabbed him out from under the couch and scared him).

The parents are aggressive and they were bred? If it's true aggression, then your boys have a high risk of all becoming aggressive. That is passed on in the genes.

 

[SilverMoon]

Yeah, it was an oops litter. Like I said though, I'm not sure if they were aggressive or just shy because she never handled them... I mean she never handled them at all. They were about 6 months when she bought them from a pet store and they were already hand-shy... she was too afraid to take them out so they only got worse and worse. I never saw them lunge at her to go out of their way to hurt her, they would bite if she tried to pick them up though. The mother lunged at her once, but it was right after the babies were born. Plus she would get scared a lot when they came near her hands and would pull away if they tried to sniff her or anything (which would scare the rats).

My Oscar is only biting through the cage bars, and not hard enough to break the skin. He's perfectly fine if the cage door is open and I put my hand inside, and he's still his sweet self. I've got him right now and he's just snuggled up under the collar of my shirt. I'm not saying I won't keep my eye out for an increase in aggression (I've got an aggressive dog, I learned the hard way that anything can happen even if you don't think it ever would) but I don't think there's going to be a problem at this point. The others aren't showing signs of aggression, and my sister also has two more of the boys from the litter and she says they are sweet and friendly as well.

Thank you for the heads up though, I'll keep both my eyes on him and keep looking to see if things will escalate.

 

[jorats]

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