Introductions - Momo just won't stop the aggression no matter how many times I try.

[Mandon]

I recently bought two new adorable 3/mo girls from a breeder and I've since kept them in this medium sized cage that they hate - which is why I bring them out constantly to give them some stimulation.. but whenever I try to introduce them to Momo and Bubbles on neutral territory (bathtub) with all the necessary precautions, she still gets rough with them. I'm not talking about like, humping, aggressive licking or any of the other dominance things she did with Bubbles and Pepper when they were introduced.. she downright tries to attack them not long after doing those dominance things. Maybe Daisy dying less than a week ago has something to do with it..

Will she eventually stop? Or are there other things I can do to make Momo stop doing these things?

 

[Petunia]

how old is Momo? can you try a table top intro?

I just got a new girl a couple of weeks ago, and I put her and my other two girls in the tub and immediately they were all after each other, almost had a 3 way rat ball!

One thing I did wrong was starting intros too fast, the new girl had barely been here a few days, she needed more time to get used to her new home
so I waited a bit more and took them all out on a table with a lot of really tasty treats (it was the birthday party for kate and pippa so they had tiny cupcakes)
and that went pretty well since they were all eating mostly. New girl Elyse got a bit tense so I stopped the party at the point

a couple more days go by and I take all 3 out again on the table, and give them some baby cereal with a drop of choc syrup in it and there was no aggression at all.
so it can take some time, if you just recently got the new girls, give Momo and Bubbles more time to get used to her scent, maybe switch up hammocks and/or cages if you can, and then try again. Maybe try a different spot too, if you have one

 

[Mandon]

She's 1 year 6 months. And no, I unfortunately don't have a tabletop to use.. our house is kind of small so we don't have room for a kitchen table. I do have my bed though, would that work?

Also, I tried more intro's in the bathtub with my hand at the ready to remove Momo if she starts getting rowdy. There's definitely an improvement.. I think Momo's starting to see them less as an intruder and more like babies to bully. She does the standard dominance stuff since she's the alpha female of the family - but as soon as they start fighting back that's when Momo gets rough and she starts rough housing them. That's what I've noticed as far as a pattern goes. I'm still not sure if she's actually "attacking" them though, or if their squeaks are just out of fear, rather than pain.. either way I remove them immediately so they don't get injured.

 

[jorats]

If you are not seeing actual bites and blood, I would keep doing your intros... it could be that the more she visits them in the tub the more she will get used to them.

 

[Mandon]

If you are not seeing actual bites and blood, I would keep doing your intros... it could be that the more she visits them in the tub the more she will get used to them.

Yeah. Well the squeals do seem to be more fear related than anything. These girls are really sensitive.. I doubt they've ever been power groomed in their lives. This won't scar them will it?

 

[Mandon]

Update: I actually do think it's the new babies that are being aggressive now, and Momo reacts in turn. I think they do it because the power grooming scares them... I think it's because they're part "dwarf rat", which is a breed I wasn't even aware of until I brought them home. Apparently they scare easier than a standard rat.

 

[jorats]

I would keep at it. Rats thrive in colonies.

 

[Mandon]

I would keep at it. Rats thrive in colonies.

Oh I know. I was persistent and shortly enough they were able to get along without fighting. I tried this for about a day and a half and they were doing so well that I decided to try non-neutral territory with a spray bottle and gloved hand at the ready a couple hours ago just in case Momo got aggressive. I know the standard guideline is a week on each step but I wanted to see how they'd fare. Nothing..... no aggression. they crawled all over me, the couch, the chair [using my leg as a bridge] and they've started grooming each other and acting exactly like cagemates. I don't know if I'm just really lucky or if Momo and Bubbles bond easily. Are their circumstances where some rats don't need as much time to bond with strangers?

Edit: I also cleaned and rearranged their cages to try step 3 and opened them up to let them go from cage to cage, since they've done so well on step 2 throughout the various 30 minute sessions I've spent with them. Currently Bubbles and Rat 1 (I still haven't named them) are cuddling in the temporary cage I'm using for the new rats, and Rat 2 is in the main cage sleeping and Momo hasn't bothered her once - and they've crossed paths in the cage plenty of times.

 

[jorats]

That is great. I always speed up my intros when I know I can. It's all about being really good at observing body language.

 

[Mandon]

That is great. I always speed up my intros when I know I can. It's all about being really good at observing body language.

Well for the most part Momo's alright with them but for one reason or another she does get rough with them. They don't inflict injuries on each other when they happen but I think Trixie and Piper are kind of scared of her, so I think they get defensive when she power grooms them which in turn makes Momo rough house them, forcing me to separate them. That's my theory but nonetheless I don't think they're quite ready to live together yet.