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nanfoodle

nanfoodle

Active Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
25
Location
NS Canada
We have 3 little girls, Bear, Yuki and Doodle. Doodle is the youngest but by far the biggest and the strongest. She has now figured out she is big enough to try and take alpha spot and is winning most of her fights. Doodle and Yuki has worked out who is who for now and seem to be fine. Bear who is gentle, and will not fight back just goes into submissive position and cries till its over. The problem is Doodle keeps pounding on her till it sounds like she is killing her and this can go on for minutes at a time. Bear is now showing some wear and tear. Marks on her skin, teeth marks on her ears and small cuts. :panic: I have resorted this week to intervening more. I have tried to break it up nicely by separating them, by pinning Doodle down and even small pinches on her bum. She still won’t stop and I am lost as how to stop this? :cry4: :cry4: Bear is so gentle she really only has love, licks and cuddles in her!
 
It's hard when you have a bossy rat. Instead of pinching her bum, pinch her between the shoulder blades and pressing downward.
Each time there's a commotion, take out the bully instead of the victim.
 
I assume they're sisters, but if they're not, this may work. (It's a strategy for introducing new rats to eahcother, and it stopped Calvin from hurting Haru and Kori.)-
Put them in a bathtub, or another safe spot, but put vanilla flavouring on each of the rats. Then they smell the same, and somehow, it helps them feel comfortable.

Actually, this seems stupid and I don't think it would work in your case... but I guess it's worth a try.
 
lol... most rats are worried of new unknown places, that's why the bathtub works so well for intros. But if your rats have a regular play times in the bathroom, then that wouldn't be a good neutral place.
 
I don't think the bath tub will work in this situation. All 3 girls have been living together for the last 4 months, in the same cage and Bear was the one who welcomed her into their home first. She even went as far as to make sure that Doodle was always getting her share of the treats when passed out (a real sweetheart). But it is only in the last month that the fighting started. I think Bear is now not only confused as to why Doodle would turn on her like this but she is also afraid of what Doodle will do next. Despite all of this though, Bear will still groom Doodle.
 
So it's just a matter of Doodle taking over as alpha and the others respecting that. They'll have to go through the "motions" of it and then hopefully all will come back to normal. The fact that Bear still grooms Doodle, then there's not much fear there. I don't think I would worry about it.
 
Has there been any changes? Not so long for out time, new rat in the house or other pet?

I am going through that same thing you are, but my problems did not start until I brought Dolly the new baby home.

My Pumpkin and Sunflower have lived together for 10 months now and they have started to fight like mad. Pumpkin has a scratched up leg (Sunflower is a leg bitter, which makes all of the girls angry) and Sunflower had a bloody ear the other night from a scuffle along with scratches and scabs all over. Every night I hear them going at it I just go in and say "hey, stop that." They seperate but it is not long before they are at it again. I figure I will just keep an eye on them and if the fights don't get too bad they will eventually iron out the kinks in who is the boss. I try not to interferr. I don't have screamers so it is just a big ball of fur flying around the cage knocking into everything.

Like your girls I still find them sleeping together and grooming each other. So it can't be to bad.

I would just keep an eye on them and make sure nothing gets to serious.
 
As previously mentioned, when one or more rats are added, they need to work out their hiearchy all over again.

Hopefully they will soon work it out.
Neutering helps a great deal when one boy becomes a bully due to raging hormones.
If the problem doesn't resolve, you may want to see if spaying helps, assuming your girls haven't already been spayed for health reasons.
 
Hmmm that may be the reason then?? We have mom and the babies here - though not in the same room of course, but that may be what is making Doodle get all chewy-fighty-nasty? I know they have excellent smellers, and thay surely have nown there are others here since day one...

this gives me hope it will end :)
 
It is very possible that the mom and babies are the reason. If you visit the girls after touching the babies they probably smell them on you and get all frazzled about it.

If Pumpkin smells Dolly on my pants she gets all huffy and will dig and snort at my pants or shirt. =) Dolly is in the top part of the FN with my older ladies and Sunflower and Pumpkin know she is there so that is what has them all wacked out.
 

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