do I have time to get up to speed on intros? new girls

[Petunia]

On Dec 30th I got two new girls, both PEWS, a baby and her young mom (pictures coming soonish, I promise!)

I really need to re read all the intro advice I can find, since I've done very few successful intros, but I am just wondering,
the girls have only been here a few days,
how long do I have?
I mean, should intro's start fairly soon after they come into the house, or do I have time (like a week or so, or more?)

I don't want to mess this up. I know one of my girls won't accept any other rats, for sure, she just turned 2 on Dec 30th

The two girls who are roughly a year old have never lived with any other rats, so I have no idea how they'll take to the new ones, but if intro' ing should be done sooner rather than later to insure a better chance of success, I'll read up as fast as I can
(otherwise, I've really got to get my end of the year paperwork etc taken care of) :roll:

 

[Moon]

most rats do better if they have time to get used to eachothers' scents. So, one week with cages side by side, one week where you swap articles between the cages, and then intros on neutral ground. Some rats can have it be rushed no problem, but doing it sooner wont necessarily make it go faster.

I also think you mentioned that the new baby is still pretty young? You want to make sure she is at least 8 weeks old (but 10 is better) before you start intros.

 

[jorats]

I agree with Moon, but remember nothing is written in stone. A lot of different methods work. You need to go with what you are comfortable with.

 

[Petunia]

ok thanks! 'd forgotten about waiting til they were older- the rescue where I got my first girls never mentioned this and they don't follow guideline at all, so I didn't know about it before.

The little girls were born on Nov 22nd so they'll be 8 weeks old er, on the 17th

whew, I've got time.

It seemed like the more time my oldest girls spent knowing there were new rats in the house but not having any physical access to them, that it made them more and more aggressive toward the newbies...?
I don't know. Clair attacked Cookie and really beat her up bad (lots of bites) I can put Tilly with Cookie on neutral ground, but Tilly and Hope puff up huge if the see each other!!

I was thinking the maybe if I'd gotten them together sooner, they would become friends faster. My thinking was that they'd see that everyone got plenty of food, loving and cozy places to sleep etc, so they wouldn't be jealous of the others and would become friends.

I really need to learn to think like a rat. I know with cats it's all about access to resources; cats are completely out for themselves and will tolerate quite a few other cats, so long as they know that they have sufficient access to the resources that are important to them: food, the nicest spots to sleep, attention from the humans, toys, treats etc.
There is a hierarchy, but it's often pretty flexible and at least in my experience, it's not as big an issue with cats as it seems to be with rats.
Or maybe I've just been very lucky with cats LOL
I know I've one boy who is jealous of everyone, but he's a spoiled brat and wouldn't even be happy being an only cat, he's insatiable.

 

[Moon]

I absolutely wouldn't start intros until the kiddos turn 8 weeks. Some rats will see babies as babies and not a threat... others wont even recognize them as rats and they can possibly become prey. Around 8 weeks they become "rats" and are bigger and stronger in case of physical altercation.

Some maternal females will take to babies right away though.. and intoing youngns to youngns is a whole different ballgame.

Jo's right, nothing is set in stone and you know your rats best. If you're really itching to begin you could maybe start with intros with just the mom rat?

 

[jorats]

It seemed like the more time my oldest girls spent knowing there were new rats in the house but not having any physical access to them, that it made them more and more aggressive toward the newbies...?

Yep, this happens.
But I wouldn't say it would make intros any easier if you started earlier... it's very much hit or miss and about having enough patience and bravery to continue. lol Sometimes rats meeting much later become faster friends.

 

[Joanne]

I am just starting intros with my 4 young rats to my 4 older rats. The babies have been here for a month now (last two weeks recovering from neuter/spay), close enough that the older rats can smell them. If I hold one of the babies up to the cage of the older rats, the older rats will be aggressive and swing their arms through the bars trying to grab them. I have done two official intro sessions, both in the bathtub/bathroom.
The first session, the only older male was the aggressor, getting puffy and pinning the babies and making them scream. I kept that session short, and kept gently pinning the male to help him calm down.
The second session was much more successful. There was no poofiness and everyone just puttered around, sniffing and crawling on each other.
I took my rats to the cottage this weekend, and thought I'd try another session in the critter nation, as the babies had only been in it one night. That was a mistake. I put the adults in one at a time, and the babies would swarm them and then the adult would get poofy and upset. Only the female who had babies before was happy. She stayed in, and was snuggling up for a snooze before I put her back with the other adults.
So, back to the bathroom tonight. Patience is the key. I don't want anyone to be hurt.
Note that my older rats have been able to smell the babies for a whole month, and there are still definite issues. So take your time and good luck!