Odd behavior in King Atlas, our newest rat

[halfbreed223]

My daughter has 3 rats, and recently added King Atlas to our growing brood. However, when he was introduced to the females, he reacted rather badly and bit my daughter on the finger. I took her to the ER, and it's fine now. However, Atlas had to be checked out by the health department (and he had a clean bill of health). We found that he didn't want anything to do with the females (he's only 6 months old, but the girls are about a year), and we ended up removing Atlas from the bedroom and putting him in my bedroom. He was never in the female's cage, but wouldn't respond or eat while in the presence of the girls. Is this something to be concerned about, or is it just a weird idiosyncrasy that he has? We have had him in my bedroom for about a month and a half, and he is the most lovable :heart: rat I've ever had. He loves to cuddle :cuddle: and steal everything he can (he took my hubby's rabbit root to play with), but I was thinking about breeding him, but was concerned that he might still be aggressive around females.

He also seems to have a love for country music, and sings (chirps) along. Also, he seems to spend a lot of time grooming. Is that normal? I've had rats in the past, but never one so meticulous about his appearance.

Thanks in advance.

 

[GrayLightNewDay]

Get him neutered, and after a few weeks you can start the introduction process.

 

[temblabamomo]

I'm assuming either he is fixed, or the girls are?

graylight is right, a neuter will help if he isnt already. when he heals we can help guide you through intros and any obstacles you encounter, if needed.

 

[hopefloats]

Like the other i am hoping one is spayed or he is neutered. Rats can mate lightening fast so any intro between intact rats will produce babies and a lot of babies. Some rats need an adjustment period to a new house prior to intros but if neither are spayed or neutered then you shouldnt even do a little intro at all.

 

[GrayLightNewDay]

She said she was hoping to breed him, so I assume none of them are fixed. Anyone want to tell her why she shouldn't breed?

 

[hopefloats]

She must of missed this was a rescue site that does not support breeding. I missed that. For one there are way to many animals to allow more to be made. Rats can have complications and its is hard to find homes for babies. There is really no shortage of rats and people do not offer forever homes for them instead they wait until they are full of tumors then decide to hand them off to a rescue. If you want to do something about rats rescue or support a rescue because we are full already of unwanted rats. Please do not breed rats there is no money in it and there shouldnt be any satisfaction in making lives that wont have homes.

 

[jorats]

Your little guy is probably very hormonal because of the girls scent.
The fact that he bit during this state makes him an aggressive rat and will pass that gene along to all his babies. That is not something you want!
Breeding shouldn't be done willy nilly. You should consider the female's and the male's genetics, his background. Do they come from good stock, from a reputable breeder, what are in his lines. You could be breeding cancer, tumours, aggressiveness, skin issues, eye issues, lung issues... all kinds of things can pop up in rats so it's really not a good idea to breed them at all. Not to mention that there are thousands needing good homes.
I highly recommend you have him neutered because he is an aggressive rat. Move him in with the girls and have them live a happy mixed colony. If you want more rats, please rescue, check out your local ads, check out your local shelters and SPCA.
Rescuing is so much better than adding to the major ongoing issues with rats.

 

[halfbreed223]

Okay, so no breeding. Check. I have in the past raised hamsters (we had 60), and I had given them all good homes. I have an older friend who is currently rat-less, and he loves Atlas, so I was hoping to have a few offspring to share. But if you guys think breeding is a bad idea, I'll follow suit. I am not totally clueless about breeding issues, as I have had rodents in my life for the past 20 years. I have not ever bred rats, though. Since this is a rescue site, I will pinky swear that I won't breed him. He was a rescue, too. My daughter's best friend works for PetSmart, and once their rodents reach 6 months of age, they are no longer sellable, and they adopt them out. Since the two knew each other, and my daughter has three already, we figured one more couldn't hurt. I'm not against having him neutered, but I live in a small rural town, so I will have to do my homework on that one. I am glad I found this site, though. I appreciate the prompt replies. Aside from that one time, he has never bitten or been aggressive in any way, so I was under the assumption it had something to do with the girls. They are older (Lena and Luna), and they too are rescues from a local college's lab. They were to be put down, but my daughter is friends of a friend, and when she heard about them, we drove to go get them. They are well-behaved, but I don't know what they did to them in the lab. It hurts my stomach to think about it, so I just concentrate on giving them the best life they can have. I also don't know if the girls are neutered or not, so maybe that might make a difference in Atlas' reaction? He is just so sweet-natured and loves to be petted and cuddled. It could have been welcome home nerves, too. We only had him about a week before we tried introductions. But for now, he is content being the center of attention in my room, away from the other rats. We didn't attempt any further intros after the first. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[dspch911]

:thumbup: Welcome, and intros have to be done a certain way - you cannot just put them together and even when you're doing them properly things can go wrong. So, just follow the intro directions these ladies give you and your boy should be alright to meet his ladies once neutered. I have 15 boys and when they cannot handle their hormones :gaah: :emb: they need snip snips or they can drive you crazy along with their cage mates!

 

[jorats]

It's actually quite uncommon for a rat to bite so when we hear of one biting, chances are they will do it again so we label them aggressive. In his case, very likely due to the girls and his out of control hormones.
It's really nice to hear all your rats are rescues. Males become hormonal between the ages of 5 to 8 months but we've seen it happen as young as 3 months and up. So your little man is at the right age. Good call in keeping him in a different room. Some rats simply can't control themselves but if you were to get him neutered we can guide you on how to intro them and you'll have the best little colony. Mixed colonies are the best.