Intact male aggression towards neutered male

[Juliette]

i have two rats who are about 11-12 months old now. They are littermates and have lived together all their lives. I adopted them when they were about 6 months old. One of them, Emile, started to get very hormonal and human aggressive so I decided to have him neutered. The procedure went great and he has already become a lot easier to handle and interact with. Emile was always very dominant over his brother, Remi. At the advice of my vet I separated the boys for a week into two different cages so Emile’s wound could heal and he could rest. After a week when I tried to put them back together Remi became very aggressive towards Emile. They are fine in the pet carrier together (no fighting and Emile is dominant) and fine in a neutral space like the bathtub (minimal fighting and Emile is dominant) but in their play area and shared cage Remi has been relentlessly picking on Emile. More than just their normal brother fights with a few squeaks, usually a lot of screaming and I end up breaking it up. I know I could opt to get Remi neutered but he is older and the surgery costs about $250 where I live so I am hesitant. I am wondering if anyone might have any other ideas or advice!!!! I just want them to be happy and able to live together. TIA.

 

[jorats]

Hi! This sometimes happen when only one gets neutered but we can manage the intact male. How does Remi pick on Emile? Exactly what does he do? Mounting? Lunge and bite? How long before you intervene? Squeaking is usually protesting. I assume they are not living together. Can you do cage switching everyday? Also, which cage will they be living in, the one that Remi is in or Emile? btw, I love their names.

 

[Juliette]

Hi! This sometimes happen when only one gets neutered but we can manage the intact male. How does Remi pick on Emile? Exactly what does he do? Mounting? Lunge and bite? How long before you intervene? Squeaking is usually protesting. I assume they are not living together. Can you do cage switching everyday? Also, which cage will they be living in, the one that Remi is in or Emile? btw, I love their names.

Émile will be minding his business and Rémi will charge at him and try to sniff where the incision is, and then tries to pin him down and bite him. Usually Emile fights back and then they’re both on their hind legs boxing. Usually i wait until Emile starts screaming or it looks like the boxing is getting too intense. I’m not sure quite how long to wait though, I don’t want to break it up too early but also don’t want anyone getting hurt. I can switch cages every day. Currently Emile is living in the one that they lived in together, and Rémi is in my spare cage. Thanks! I’m a big ratatouille fan