New rats

[daisylynn]

So I'm fostering new babies and decided to keep 2 of them. I want to intro Ben and Gimli to Splinter and Connor, but I'm not quite sure how to go about it.
What's a good age to start introducing them? Right now I'm guessing the babies are around 4 weeks? I have the babie's cage on my bed while Ben and Gimli are having their out time. They seem to be ok with it, but bars are in between them as well. I don't want anyone to get hurt. I don't know much about intros because I've never had to do one. Any help would be great. :stickpoke:

 

[Argent]

Let the babies hit at least 6-8 weeks so they can get a bit bigger and stand up for themselves lol. If they're not already, put the cages next to each other for a week or so, swap bedding for another week and then intro on neutral grounds. If there's no violence, keep that going for a week then let them play together in a regular spot for a few days/a week. Then clean out the main cage completely and put them all in together.
Expect sniffing, huffing, flipping, tons of grooming and squeaking. Good luck, hope it all goes well.

 

[mamarat]

I wouldn't let Ben and Gimli have access to the babies' cage during their out time though. Have the two cages close together when all are in their cage. When the babies are older intro like Argent said. Good luck!

 

[jorats]

Yep, I agree with mamarat. Don't have the cage accessible to the older guys during out time, that can cause for a lot of bitten toes.