Are they hurting eachother?

[Slapdash]

Sorry, I have another newbie question and I just want to say I really appreciate all the help I've received so far :bow: So, Ralphie is a neutered male and Rosie a female. Ralphie is almost 5 months and Rosie is about 3 months and they've been living together for about 6 or 7 weeks now and when they play togethere there is a lot of squeeking going on, I know some of it is normal but whenever I try to check onthem they stop and run over to side of the cage so I can't see what's going on. When, if at all should I intervene? The squeeks are pretty quiet and believe it or not come mostly from Ralphie who is a good three times her size lol, He is always the one getting pinned. I've also noticed when they're wrestling they groom eachother but I think she sometimes nibbles his face or ears but I can't tell if she's just licking, is it normal for her to nibble on him? Then tonight I head some louder squeaking and when I checked on them I noticed Ralphie was biting and pulling on her tale so I had to move im away a few times before he stopped but is that normal also? Should I be doing anything to make sure they're not hurting eachother? Thanks

Amanda

 

[rat.charmer]

Are they pouffy at all?

I find some of my rats, when pinned and getting groomed with make tiny eeks, squeaks and chirrup noises (which can be happy noises or mild protests), but it's nothing to be alarmed over. A rat's scream when they are fighting is pretty obvious.

I've also had rats who will grab at their cagemate with their teeth, pull them back and continue to groom them. It kind of reminds me of a kid trying to run off before Mom is done brushing their hair and wiping down their faces, so she pulls them back to finish the job!

 

[Slapdash]

Yeah, their squaks are very quiet and I don't think it's serious. When I brought them to play at a friends house with her two rats Ralphie got into a fight with one of them and that was obvious by the noises. Should I never let them play again together? Could it be terretorial because they've been to our house b4 with no problems but that was the first time we ever had a problem. Speaking of which we've been having a small problem with the rats and out rabbit. I should mention its a flemish giant so she's the bigger than most small dogs. Well we recently moved her cage near theirs and Ralphie will come to the side of his and puff and buck at her and he is so sweet I couldn't believe it when I first saw him do it. Now when he's out he runs right to her cage and sticks his nose in it, obviously after I saw him do this I scooped him up and won't let it happen again but he just sniffed her but I didn't know if he would actually bite her or something? It seems wired that he went after her seeing as though rats are prey animals? Should I move her cage or block it with something? Do you think he'll get used to her being a few feet away now? Thanks again, sorry about all the questions I just haven't read much on them playing with eachother or other animals.

Amanda

 

[Maple]

It sounds like the little lady cleans to hard for the gentleman. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[jorats]

Your boy is entering adult hormonal maturity. Your rats should never play with other rats anymore. They shouldn't be exposed to whatever your friend's rats may have.
Also, every new pet rabbit or rat will be a threat especially to your male. I'd move the bunny if you can. Make sure that both animals can't touch each other ever. My rats used to attack my bunny.
The squeaks, they sound like normal squeaks. When through grooming, they might even be pleasure squeaks. :thumbup:

 

[Slapdash]

Ok, yeah after they got into a small fight I told my fiancee we were never bringing them back because they were both females and believe it or not they ganged up on HIM and when a small fight broke out that was it. Can Rosie still play with them? Honestly though I' probably rather not have her because they are wild and kind of a bad influence lol Thanks again, I am still shocked that Ralphie would actually go after the rabbit, looks like we will be rearranging again lol

 

[jorats]

It's just a better idea not to have your rats play with other people's rats. Normally rats need a slow intro process to other rats unless they see them, play with them everyday.
As for the bunny, if you can make sure they just don't touch, then Ralphie would get used to the bunny being nearby.

 

[Slapdash]

Ok thanks! I shouldn't have any problems with his hormones and Rosie though cause they play together everyday right?