Newly adopted agressive male

[handmeafish]

A friend of a friend ( anic: ) recently adopted 3 male rats, from a shelter somewhere. One is being super agressive, I sent her the forum link, but I don't think she wants to join... So i'm posting this for her. I'll provide all the information I have. This is what she emailed me.

" He was so sweet at the shelter when I picked him and his brothrs up, they've only been home a week, and he has been inflicting some severe bites on me. I am a firm believer in a rat doesn't bite unprovoked, but I have been really careful and I can't quite figure out why he is biting. He'll race to my hand and bite it when I am just sitting quietly with them. He wont even just sniff my hand, just bite. And he is becoming mroe aggressive with his brothers and constantly instigatring scuffles. I do not know what to do other than considering neutering him. But will this help significantly? I've had males before and never have I had to neuter them and they've been so cuddly and friendly."

I also know that he is not puffing or anything before he bites, he just charges. He bites in and out of the cage, and doesn't discriminate, he bites people, boys and girls, as well as his brothers.
He's about 3 months old...

I'm thinking the solution would be neutering... but I thought this kind of agression happened in rats a bit older, more like 6 months. Also, sense she's only had them for a week, is it possible that he just needs like some shirt time? or just some more time to adjust?
thanks friends

 

[Kimber]

When I adopted Quinn from MRRG he was said to be a sweet boy who was very friendly...within an hour of being home he tagged me pretty good. Lindsay was surprised too....I gave him 6 days to settle. I would go to the cage to talk to him (he'd grumble and attack any part of me that was close enough), but after about 4 days he stopped doing it as much and would listen to me and started taking treats.

Last night I pet his head/shoulders carefully and he was great...he wanted to sniff me, but I was/am still a little wary. Within the next couple days I am going to put my hand in, let him have a good sniff and see where we're at.

I believe that he needed the time to settle down.

 

[MomRat]

Neuter neuter neuter. Easiest and most effective solution for agressive males. Our quilt did permanent nerve damage to both david and myself before we made it to the vet to get him snipped, and he was the biggest squishy butterball to the end of his days. =)

 

[hopefloats]

Toby was this way, he grew out of most of it, with a lot of work and treat bribing. He would attack the bars like a mad man. If you put your hand near him, he bit. We worked with him, treats, treats on a spoon, he got out of it. I had him fixed because he was rubbing the sides and so on. He was not 6months old when we got him. The other lady had it worse, he bit her a lot but I didn't touch him for a week hardly. then we eased him into it. He change fast well before his neuter, the vet picked up the day of the neuter and she said he didn't even try to bite her. I wasn't that brave until after I got him fixed.

 

[jorats]

Definitely a neuter. My 3 3 month old pews got their nickname: Great White Sharks because they became exactly how you described the male.