Hello,
So I finally got two new rats to be companions to my two existing rats this afternoon. My oldest, Phoenix, is not too bothered by them, but my youngest, King Jack (about 10-11 months old), is really wanting to fight them. The two new boys are between 6-8 months apparently, but King Jack is almost twice the size of the oldest newbie, Sweeney (So is Phoenix actually, and I wonder if it is because my old rats are only locked in a cage on rare occasions).
Anyway, King Jack really want to have a go at them, he is all puffed up and is constantly slinking around and over the cage, and is even sleeping next to it. Because he is free range and has full access to my (small) apartment, I have no neutral ground to allow them to interact. He is even trying to nip them on their backside through the cage bars (and sometimes when this happens, one of the newbies thinks his cagemate did it and it causes a fight to break out between them).
Despite me having had rats for many years, this is only my third introduction (most of previous rats were from the same family). My first introduction went badly (Phoenix was gotten as a companion to the last member of my original family, and poor Phoenix was traumatised and lost the end of his tail. The next introduction was King Jack and his brother to Phoenix and that went great (mainly because Phoenix just ignored them, and King Jack and his brother were still pretty young). I do not want to have to keep the newbies in the cage all the time ( they are very friendly and comfortable with me or Phoenix).
Would King Jack get used to and more accepting of them just by having the cage where he can climb all over it fine, or should I put it up on a table where he can not get to?
(I am sorry I get wordy, but I just often feel I have to explain things first)
So I finally got two new rats to be companions to my two existing rats this afternoon. My oldest, Phoenix, is not too bothered by them, but my youngest, King Jack (about 10-11 months old), is really wanting to fight them. The two new boys are between 6-8 months apparently, but King Jack is almost twice the size of the oldest newbie, Sweeney (So is Phoenix actually, and I wonder if it is because my old rats are only locked in a cage on rare occasions).
Anyway, King Jack really want to have a go at them, he is all puffed up and is constantly slinking around and over the cage, and is even sleeping next to it. Because he is free range and has full access to my (small) apartment, I have no neutral ground to allow them to interact. He is even trying to nip them on their backside through the cage bars (and sometimes when this happens, one of the newbies thinks his cagemate did it and it causes a fight to break out between them).
Despite me having had rats for many years, this is only my third introduction (most of previous rats were from the same family). My first introduction went badly (Phoenix was gotten as a companion to the last member of my original family, and poor Phoenix was traumatised and lost the end of his tail. The next introduction was King Jack and his brother to Phoenix and that went great (mainly because Phoenix just ignored them, and King Jack and his brother were still pretty young). I do not want to have to keep the newbies in the cage all the time ( they are very friendly and comfortable with me or Phoenix).
Would King Jack get used to and more accepting of them just by having the cage where he can climb all over it fine, or should I put it up on a table where he can not get to?
(I am sorry I get wordy, but I just often feel I have to explain things first)