Biting his mates

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Vitania

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Messages
77
Location
Bergen, Norway
So, after I neutered Wookie, and re-introduced him to his pack Champis has started biting him.
When I first godt Wookie he and Champis had some issues and couldnt quite figure out who was the boss, but in the end Wookie won and Champis became calm an soft.
When Wookie was away from the pack I think Thingol was the boss, so I cant figure out why Champis started biting.

The intro went very well, Wookie had a small fight with Champis but it was no biting and they stopped after a few sec, and fell asleep together right afterwards. Put them together in the cage, all was fine untill a few days later. I found a bitemark on Wookies jaw yesterday and today I found some blood in his fur (very small bite).
I've seperated them, Wookie is with Thingol and Belèg and Champis is with his brother Pestus.

I'm not completly sure that it is Champis that bites, but it's either him or Pestus. They're both a bit trubled and can never seem to calm down. The last few months Champis has become much more calmer, tho.

So, I'm not sure what to do. I'm a bit scared for neutering him, 'cause hes brother, Emmet, died after the neutering and the vet said it might be liver or kidney problems. So, since both Pestus and Champis might have the same problems I'm a bit scared for putting them trough any operation.
Champis, Pestus and Wookie are all about 1 year old.

Sorry for the unorganised post.
 
It sounds like the bites are pretty small and not really meaning any aggression. I would leave them together, let them work it out. It's normal for a colony of males to fight it out once in a while.
 
I think it's ten or more marks on Wookie and I don't want to leave them together and wait for the big bang.
He was bleeding, very little but still bleeding, from three of his wounds. They're not big, but it is so many that I'm not feeling safe.
Earlier I heart one of the rats squeek, I first tought it was the squeeky guy I have, but then I saw a bit of Wookies fur. Someone had pulled out his fur. Again, it was not much, but all together it makes me unsafe.

And I'm sorry, I now see that i did not say that it was several bitemarks. When I wrote this I had just discovered 3-5, now after a real check I find about ten. I'm really tired so that just got lost in the rest.
 
Sounds like alot of bites to me...I'm no expert though so not sure what to say on that. Hope that can be worked out though, jorats is probably right though that maybe they just need a bit of time to work it out? Or maybe re-intro them on neutral grounds again? Dunno if that'd make a difference. Sorry I hope it all works out for you.
 
It's about 4-5 days since the last intro. They went well the first two days. I think it all started on the third day, and I wanted them to sort it out, so I didnt seperate them untill I the third bitemark and the fur pulling.
 
Ok, thank you. I will try more intros and se what happens.

Just for the record, do you think neutering would work?
I don't think I want to take that chanse, but it is nice to know.
 
I'm neutering my boy Dax despite he's been with my group day one, reason why is cause he's overly sexual, keeps trying to hump one of my other boys Nes whos now much bigger then he is. This resulted in alot of squeaking at night, and lack of rest for Nes, and scratches on Dax, and at 3months old I didn't want this behavior to get worse. Neutering has been known to help with tampered males and females, I might give it a shot if things dont improve.
 
I want to neuter him, but I am a bit scared. I just had Wookie neutered, and thar was a big succsess, but Champis' brother did not survive the neuter.
This is what MissGuardian wrote about Emmet, Champis' brother.
He was neutered today and it all went fine. He woke up fairly quickly and started eating.. After a little while he passed away We don't know what happened. He was young, and as far as we knew - healthy. We are thinking that maybe he had some kind of hidden kidney or liver problem that caused the aggression and that he passed away due to that. His health check were fine.
I'm a bit scared that it is something inherited, and the same will happen to him.
But I'm calling the vet tomorrow to ask if this is something we can find on x-ray or something.

I will check both Champis and Pestus, 'cause I'm not sure witch one who really is the problem, and both is a bit... scared and skeptical.
 
Ya I dont blame you for being worried after losing your other boy, sorry about that :(

Well maybe you won't have to do that if they continue with intros for a little bit more? Make neutering a final resort I'd say in your case, that or he may have to find another group...or being single boy being worse case
 
Yup.. That's where the problem is. If it had been one of the others, I would neuter him without thinking, basicly. But with theese two borthers I am a bit worried.

I don't think I will send him to someone else. 'Cause I don't think that a new grup would help him and I don't know any good rat owners who want a single rat. He's working ok with his borther now. And it's just Wookie he's after, so if I don't neuter and the intros don't work I think I'll just leave them as they are now.
Wookie, Thingol and Belèg in the top of my CN and Champis and Pestus in the bottom. As two seperate groups.
 
Vitania said:
I want to neuter him, but I am a bit scared. I just had Wookie neutered, and thar was a big succsess, but Champis' brother did not survive the neuter.
This is what MissGuardian wrote about Emmet, Champis' brother.
He was neutered today and it all went fine. He woke up fairly quickly and started eating.. After a little while he passed away We don't know what happened. He was young, and as far as we knew - healthy. We are thinking that maybe he had some kind of hidden kidney or liver problem that caused the aggression and that he passed away due to that. His health check were fine.
I'm a bit scared that it is something inherited, and the same will happen to him.
But I'm calling the vet tomorrow to ask if this is something we can find on x-ray or something.

I will check both Champis and Pestus, 'cause I'm not sure witch one who really is the problem, and both is a bit... scared and skeptical.


I just went throught the a neuter after a death of a sibling. Frederick died in december I refused for a long time to get over the fear. I think that is a co mon fear after a loss I know I struggled with it. I had panic attacks the night before and felt ill. I told my vet that this was the brother of the one we lost. She checked him over and he was cleared for surgery. It is hard but if his life will improve. Then it will be worth it. Fabian made it through juat fine he will be happier r
 
Emmet died after the neuter. He woke up at the vet, ate a bit and then died. The vet thought it might be kidney or liver problems, and that might be inherited, so that's why I'm scared. And as far as I know it's hard to find these problems. Not sure.

If he just died at home or from an illness I would not link that to the neuter and this would not be as hard.

I'm glad your boy made it trough, tho. :)
 
Fred died a few hours later not during. The meds can cause an unknow side effect in some. Some have passed from some sort mucus found after surgeries. There are many reasons but it doesn't always mean siblings will pass tht is usually a fear on the humans part. Trust me I know. They can't really say unless they tested.
 
hopefloats said:
Fred died a few hours later not during. The meds can cause an unknow side effect in some. Some have passed from some sort mucus found after surgeries. There are many reasons but it doesn't always mean siblings will pass tht is usually a fear on the humans part. Trust me I know. They can't really say unless they tested.
Ah, sorry, I did not get that he died from neuter.. Well, ok, that's comforting. I've thought about neuter both the brothers earlier, but when Emmet died it kind of scared me. But I will try to check liver and kidney on both of them before the neuter. Just in case.
Still have to think it trough tho, it's a scary decition.
 

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