Introducing the Boys

[skelly10]

Hey everyone!
After the babies got settled in, we decided it was time to introduce them to Jack. They were all fine for about 30 minutes in the tub with no fights and minimal mounting. Now we've moved them to more familiar territories - the couch in the living room, my bed, and the playpen. In all of these areas they are starting to establish dominance a little bit more. I've set out some yogurt and Cheerios, and so far Jack, (our oldest, lone rat) is the only one who's taken any interest in the snacks. Of the two new rats, Bo keeps picking fights with Jack and humping Gordon, the other new rat. Last night both Bo and Gordon were humping each other, but as soon as Jack gets put in the mix Bo goes for Jack (who uses his back feet to keep Bo away from his rump) and Gordon just comes to me and stays completely still. Even like this, Jack and Bo keep coming to Gordon and bothering him. Gordon had two bites that bled yesterday and has lost a few clumps of fur today. He never really moves outside of the cage in the play areas now, he just cuddles up to me. Can anyone explain to me what is going on or what I can do to make this less stressful for Gordon? I know that Bo and Jack will just have to fight it out, but I feel bad that Gordon just gets bullied whenever all three are together.
Right now, Jack lives alone and Bo and Gordon share a travel cage until everyone can move in to the big cage. Bo and Gordon are fine in the cage, but outside Bo is active and Gordon isn't.

 

[jorats]

Are you sure it's bullying and not part of playing? Where are the bites on Gordon?

 

[xKrAzEdShOoTeRx]

intro's sound hard, next time i would get ones that already know each other lol

 

[skelly10]

Gordon's bites were on his side, closer to the stomach than the back.

And intros have been easier than I thought they would be, I just want to make sure that Gordon's behavior is normal since he's not as rambunctious and curious as Bo and Jack.

 

[jorats]

Is he biting or "grab and yank"? Usually they do the grab and yank from the sides and that's not aggression and pretty much "come with me" normal.

 

[skelly10]

I didn't actually see who bit Gordon, we just noticed he was bleeding and decided it was time to end that session. This morning Jack (the biggest and oldest) went right to Gordon and pinned him down, and Gordon made a big loud fuss but there was no biting. This is normal too, right? Now I'm just waiting for Bo to try and pick a fight and see who loses some fur today...

 

[skelly10]

I thought I would throw this in here - a picture of the boys' initial reactions to each other... LOVE! This was their first meeting in the tub, before the biting and mounting.



From top to bottom: Jack (white nose), Bo (grey-headed baby), and Gordon (dark brown-headed baby)

 

[jorats]

Jack is adorable back there. lol Cute pic.
Yes, it's very normal what they boys are doing. You just got to keep at it.
I'll move this to behaviour because I keep missing it.

 

[skelly10]

Thank you so much for your help and advice, Jo!
Is there anything I can do to make them less afraid of each other? It seems like they're either fighting or avoiding each other all together... How will I know when they are all okay to live in the big cage together?

 

[skelly10]

Also Jack has begun sniffing and maybe licking (I can't see well enough to know for sure) Bo's mouth while they are boxing during introductions. I can't find info on this on the internet... does anyone know what this means? I'm also trying some vanilla extract on their shoulders and genitals... hopefully they will be able t sort things out soon!

 

[jorats]

Usually I do a week of neutral ground and then a week of familiar ground, if all goes well, I scrub down the cage down and move them in. Boxing is normal... If they could interact more, that would be good.

 

[skelly10]

Here is everyone eating snacks/kind of cuddling together. I decided to try putting them in a large plastic container together since the bath tub gave them enough room to avoid each other and they were starting to learn how to unplug the drain, which would have been a big problem if they decided to take a stroll down into the piping of my parents' house.
But, I think this is a good sign! Even nervous Gordon is just snuggling next to Jack. They are all cleaning themselves in the same corner and climbing on each other a little. Bo and Jack are interested in the snacks but Gordon, as always, isn't.
Jack is doing a funny thing though - he keeps looking like he's going to throw up, which rats obviously can't do. I haven't fed him anything sticky for him to choke on though. They are eating a dry mix right now of crackers, rat blocks, Cheerios, oatmeal, and Peanut Butter Crunch (though I'm pretty sure there's no actual peanut butter in those). Is it possible that he's just eating too fast? What can I do about this?

 

[jorats]

It could be he's eating too fast. Hopefully he'll adjust and eat better. But do keep an eye on him. I hope it's not something worse like an obstruction in his throat.