Bad behaviour, what to do?

[user 2700]

Ray has always been a bully about food. He will hoard it, and then bully anyone who tries to take food from his hoard, which he guards a lot of the time. He will not let the others have any of his food once it's been stashed. If anyone tries to take his food, he will aggressively chase them all over the cage until they can hide/get away from him or he decides to take it out on another rat. No blood is drawn but you can tell the others get stressed about it.

He stashes it on the bottom floor of the DCN, and he'll stash it there even if there is nothing to stash it in or under. He'll do it if it's just him and one other rat in the entire cage, and it doesn't matter the rat. He hoards even if he's alone, but obviously can't guard like that. He won't guard his food from me. Time out doesn't phase him, and a food hopper just makes things worse.

It had stopped after his neuter. I had hope that I was done with this problem, but he started back up with a vengeance last night. It's a problem, that's for certain. But it's more of a problem since I am unwilling to move the small girls into the cage as planned if he is going to have a nasty attitude and could easily hurt or kill them.

What can I try to fix his behavior?

 

[EDK]

Oh wow I don't have that issue, I mean my boy Gizmo he hoards food, but the others are always able to get to it and he doesn't seem to mind. But hoarding and food aggressive with it, wow...erm...gosh I'm so sorry I have no idea what tips to try here, other then maybe fix him a seperate bowl of food for him, and put it in the place where he stashes it and leave another food bowl for others? But it sounds like he'd hoard food away from the other rats regardless...not sure sadly hope you find a way to stop it

 

[user 2700]

Yes, unfortunately he is a jerk about it. He doesn't care how much food he has, if there is more he has to have it. I'm glad no one is getting injured and he won't take food away from others if they already have it. He also wont stash fresh foods like the veggies or whatever I happen to give them that night.

I'm really hoping someone out there has an idea. He is a happy boy with the others most of the time, and really hates being alone so I don't think that's an option.

 

[jorats]

My Simon was a nasty resource guarder and food aggressive. What I ended up doing is each time I was dishing out the food more specifically, the treats, I would pull him out of the cage and make him stay with me until the buddies got their fill. And then placed him in a corner of the cage with his own food.
If he's being a jerk with the blocks, place blocks in several areas of the cage, put them loose, not even in bowls. Each time he hoards, remove the stash and scatter it around. Keep doing this for some time. It took a few months for Simon to give it up.

 

[user 2700]

I don't use a bowl unless it's a food that isn't dry (like cooked pasta), and I always place food in a few places. I've taken to putting more food then they need in the cage so every gets to eat as much as they like while Ray is busy trying to hoard it all. I then later empty out some of his hoard. I had worried that taking his food away entirely would cause him to be worse but since you had luck with it I'll give it a go. Thanks for the response.

 

[jorats]

I really think what helped Simon was pulling him out of the cage during treat time and making stay with me while there others enjoyed their salads and such.

 

[hopefloats]

Mally hated me in her food bowl, even though I was the one who filled it. I put the food bowl under an igloo and she left it be. She still didnt like me going in there so I had to chase her out before i went to fill the bowl.

 

[user 2700]

jorats do you think it's worth doing that with Ray even though he doesn't care about special food? He's only possessive over lab blocks, and most treats/veggies/etc he's pretty uninterested in.

hopefloats if I cover the food area he will either guard that too, or of there are lots he'll hoard it back down on the bottom floor.

Hoping jorats solution helps, I don't like seeing my other boys be stressed by him.

 

[EDK]

Ya I'd hate to see that too, my two boys are stressed cause my gizmo is being too much of a bully alpha so I have to sort him out with a neuter, but they aren't food aggressive luckily. I hope Jorats suggestion will help you out, its just something you have to redo over and over, repetition repetition till he eventaully stops or grows tired of hoarding.

 

[jorats]

Each time you add food in the cage or even just refilling the cage with blocks, pull him out and hold him for a while first.

 

[user 2700]

Thanks jorats, I've been doing that and his behavior continues but isn't getting worse. Hopefully in time he'll figure it out. (He's still getting time outs as well.)