I Need your Opinions about Mr. Nubs Please.....

[Sharlees rattakisses]

As most of you might know I have two nakids.
Olive & Mr. Randy Butternubs.
All 8 ratties are living together with some squabbles between Clementine etc, but what is worrying me is Butternubs.
He is literally covered in scratches. :shock:
They are healing but should I be worried?
Leila's girls are bullies and him being a shy sweet guy just takes it.
Olive has started to bite.
The question is, Should I separate the cage and put Olive, Nubbies, Clemmie and kenny together?
Kenny is frantic to get his share of food.
Nubbies comes out slowly to drag his food backwards into his hideout.
I have tried daily out times but he fear poops and hiding in my lap blanket.
When I go to pet Nubbies he turns around and gives me his back and poops.
Any ideas on how to make him more comfortable and relaxed?
Thanx in advance. :cuddle:

 

[jorats]

Do you see him squabbling all the time with the others? If so, then it might be best to separate your cage. Hopefloats did that and she's very happy with the results.
I'm going to move this in behaviour so it doesn't get lost in this section.

 

[lilspaz68]

it does sound like you have 2 groups in there, and there are a lot of rats that would be happier separated.

when you say Olive is biting, who is she biting?

 

[Sharlees rattakisses]

Do you see him squabbling all the time with the others? If so, then it might be best to separate your cage. Hopefloats did that and she's very happy with the results.
I'm going to move this in behaviour so it doesn't get lost in this section.

:emb: Sorry about that.
Thanx.

 

[Sharlees rattakisses]

it does sound like you have 2 groups in there, and there are a lot of rats that would be happier separated.

when you say Olive is biting, who is she biting?

Well she's bit me twice and Holly once. :gaah:
Almost like a "Get lost" nip.
There should be enough room for 4 in one cage level and 4 in another.
Leila is a food hog and will do anything to get it.
Her girlies are a lot like her. :roll:
Olive might chill and not be so upset but might bug Clemmie but not as much as Leila.
I have to admit that I always thought that all my rats HAD to be together.
They can still do out time though.

 

[hopefloats]

I did and it was a hard choice to make... But instead of gashes and scratches on my boys, i have two groups that are extremely happy. I have also taken some rats out of the cage, only did play time with them for a while. That worked wonders with my girls. then I did the move in about a month later, and they were fine after that.

 

[Sharlees rattakisses]

So if I understand correctly did you put them together after a month or are they still separated?
I also have figured out that no one seems to like Clementine.
Put her in with Olive and she gets beat up.
Put her in with the rough and tumble girls and ditto. :gaah:
I can't for the life of me figure out why they dislike her so much. :roll:

 

[hopefloats]

Templeton hated dopey, Toby and Finley.... My hairless rats. I did intros with 3 furry rats, and the 3 hairless guys, Templeton would be find with them and stomp a mud hole in the hairless rats. I intro those hairless boys to other rats, not one problem from them. I think they just were not meant to be

And yes I did move them back in after a month. I just gave them out time together. Isis hated Eleanor and Eleanor was a screamer. It was when I was going through that with the girls so my stress level was high enough, on the table they were fine, the cage was massive fights.

What usually happens when the fight starts?

 

[hopefloats]

and it may not be they dislike her, my girls took a lot longer to like new rats LOL but now, they are all cuddled up like they never had an issue in the world. Totally not what it was like.

 

[lilspaz68]

Its possible the stresses they are all going through is setting them off, and once the groups are separated things should settle down a lot and hopefully Clemmie will fit in with the "nicer" group.

 

[Sharlees rattakisses]

I hope so.
Poor Clemmie just wants to snuggle and groom.
I wish Olive wasn't such a bossy boots. :roll: