Intros

[jorats]

Moon is right... in colonies, there will be alphas, betas, beta wannabes and omegas. The betas will always try to become the alphas.

 

[Rattie Kisses]

I am trying to intro my one new girl, Maggie, to my other 4 girls. I switched the cages, so they could smell each other yesterday. Today, I put them in the tub and there was a lot of wrestling, boxing, and grooming. Is that good or bad...? Also, my new gal mounts my other girls. My girls either sit there like, "Whatev," or they jump forward one hop. After I thought that intro went well, I put one item from Maggie's cage in there and one item from my girl's cage in there. They seemed more calm then, but still wrestling, boxing, grooming, and Maggie mounting. Once I sew the brand new liners and give the cn a good scrubbing I will see if they get along then...I'm hoping they will. I've had a tough time with them for a month or two now. Soon, maybe soon!

[EDIT]:
Forgot to add that I also forced them to eat together by putting baby cereal in a bowl while in the tub.
Oh, and about 3 times, Maggie rattled her tail like a rattlesnake and stood very still...what on earth does this mean??

 

[jorats]

It sounds like your intros are going very well.

 

[Rattie Kisses]

Do you think I am doing it right?

Also...
fftopic:
Do you make your fn/cn liners with batting, jo?

 

[jorats]

If your intros are working like they are, then you are doing it right. :thumbup:
My liners are one layer of fleece.

 

[Devverrs]

I have a question =P I knew how intros generally worked even though I've never done it before. And Felicity is going to be two months on old Friday. My only problem is; Felicity is /tiny/ and could easily escape between the bars in Imogen's cage. Should I start introducing them soon if Felicity can't move into the bigger cage yet? If not, how much longer should I wait?

I plan on doing the intro on my bed as I normally don't let the rats play there.
Any suggestions?

 

[jorats]

yep, I do intros asap, have them play together all the time until they can move in together.

 

[Devverrs]

yep, I do intros asap, have them play together all the time until they can move in together.

Alright I'll start then tomorrow after school. Thank you!You've been a lot of help.

 

[ZoeHale]

Okey dokey guys. In about 8 days, Beauty will have been here 3 weeks and 3 days. She's been a singleton for a long time. Do you guys think she'll be happy to be with other rats? Or will it totally push her out of her comfort zone and cause mass chaos?

 

[jorats]

I've had several rats who lived lonely sad lives. Once added to buddies they perked up and became super happy.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

I'm sure she will be thrilled to have friends...good luck!

 

[violet976]

I don't know how in the world I missed this thread. You can bet I will be watching it like a hawk while newbie boy gets a little bigger & more settled. What a comfort this thread has been to read...

 

[ZoeHale]

So I've started gently introducing Beauty to Lady and Bug.

Bug doesn't really care that there's a new rat, and Beauty doesn't really care about Bug being there. They're already friends.

But Beauty and Lady both want to be the alpha. There was alot of wrestling and pinning and power grooming. I didn't keep track of who pinned who the most. I probably should.

But anyways. That's how it's going.

 

[jorats]

Sounds pretty good.

 

[ZoeHale]

I got a video of the girls in the tub, you can kinda see the butt-sniffing.

[youtube:29trrhe7]NtqkaMl8auo[/youtube:29trrhe7]

 

[jorats]

lol... silly girls. I'd say they are doing great.

 

[violet976]

Ok, it's time for my check in to see what I'm doing right... or wrong...

I'm still planning to wait another few weeks to intro Minx (spayed female, appx 1.5 years) & newbie (male, appx. 6-7 weeks old), as I'd like him to be a bit bigger & able to hold his own when he meets Minx. So far, they are in adjacent cages where they can see each other slightly from the corner, & I've been swapping bedding to help get each accustomed to the others scent. newbie doesn't seem to care one way or the other. But I have noticed that Minx still gets excited (don't know if its aggravated or just interested) when she sees him, & has actually bitten my hand a few times when it smells like him (not enough to break skin, but hard for Minx).

Is there anything else I should be doing at this point. Any of the above I should not be doing (like letting Minx smell him on my hand?). I've been trying to use Minx smelling him on my hand as a gauge for how she'll treat him, figuring if she bites my hand she'll probably bite him. The cages are about a foot apart, with just two corners facing one another so there's not too much visibility. I also let newbie play on the bed first, then Minx, so she can smell him better as well.

At this point, I'm leaning towards the bathtub/water/safety island method since Minx still seems worked up about him, but would appreciate any advice on what I should be doing now & what route you would take once actual intros are to take place.

Thanks so much! :bow:

 

[jorats]

Is this the first time Minx has a buddy? How was she with them?

Having her smell him but not actually see him is kind of like teasing her. So don't gauge how the intros will go by that. Same with how she acts between bars, it won't be the same as when she actually meets him. I wouldn't add water in the tub when doing the neutral meet up, only if it goes very badly.
I'd start intros when little guy is about 8 weeks old, they are usually solid enough at that age but yet still young enough that he's not considered a threat.

 

[violet976]

Thanks so much for the advice. This is actually to be Minx's second companion, as she just lost her manrat Verdell a bit ago. She intro'd flawlessly with Verdell, but it was a whoopsie into, as we thought Minx was a boy & of course, Verdell absolutely loved "him". :emb: :roll: So, this time is different as she is now the older rat, meeting a young man this time.

So, should I not be letting her smell my hands after I hold him? I just figured it would help her get accustomed to him being present. & she can see him through the bars, but nothing up close. I just thought it'd be good for her to see that he is present & being accepted on my end. Usually he's on my shoulder & I stand a few feet away while she watches. Mistake?

I'll definitely try your route first with the tub intro. What should I have in there, just fleece, no hiding places and some yogurt or something? Also, when is enough enough. I made the mistake of trying to let them meet when I brought him home, & all she did was lunge & bite. If that occurs again for a length of time, do I let it continue even though no blood is shed? I know "no blood, no foul", but is excessive lunging & biting still considered ok?

Sorry, anxious rat mom here, trying not to muck this up again.

 

[jorats]

I'd let her smell him off of you, good to have her know that there's a new rat in the house, just don't let her reaction make you think that intros wont work. Also, make sure she doesn't bite you because of it.
In the bathtub, nothing except yogurt or other soft foods that will force them to eat side by side at a dish.

Lunging and biting should be discouraged but no need to stop intros. When she goes for him, if she actually bites, push her away on her side like another rat would do. (side rubbing) And say a firm NO. If she lunges, put your hand beside her and push away. Make sure though that she doesn't go to bite you. You can use a towel for this. Eventually she will learn that she can go sniff the guy only if she doesn't lunge and attack. Once she sniffs him, flipping him is ok. She needs him to become submissive to her. Watch his reaction when she's around, if he tenses, the she's being a bully, if he's relaxed then she means him no harm.