hello i am having a real problem with one of my rats and aggression. it didn't start out to bad he used to be supper calm, lovable, people friendly and didn't really care what the other rats did. But he as slowly been becoming worse. this is the 3rd time i have had a major problem and ended up getting bitten!
the first incident. was before thanksgiving and was my fault. At the time i had my big cage with remmy and loki close to baby's cage who as been pretty aggressive with my other two and now is currently by himself. my dad kept saying that it was a good idea to keep them close because it should get them use to each other again. its not really a great idea to take advice from people who have never owned rats because the only thing that did was stress them all out! well one late night i had remmy and loki out. remmy was in the cage at them time and loki decided to jump onto baby's cage which i had to pick him up fast because baby bit his foot. i put him down in his cage and a couple seconds later remmy started fighting with him. i was kind of annoyed and grabbed remmy rather fast and from behind. I use to stop some of their fights by grabbing them. (even though my friend with more experience said it was stupid and i was gonna get bit.) well i ended up scaring him and he turned around and bit me. i don't think he really realized it was me till after he did it. he kinda froze after wards and then stated licking me. but the bite was still really bad their was blood every where and i was having pain every time i bent it even now i still feel a little tightness when i bend it. but i knew that it was stupid and my fault so i didn't really thing any thing of it.
then about a month ago when i was cleaning the cages i happened to clean baby's cage first. (which is now no where near the other cage) then i was moving on to remmys cage and i had the cage open and he started almost gnawing on my hand. he didn't break the skin or anything but he was using a bit of force. it really surprised me and confused me at the time but i wasn't to worried i just figured he could smell baby and didn't like it.
then tonight i had gone to give them their nightly veggies and i ended up freaking out cause the cage was open and loki was missing. i was running all over the place looking for him thinking that one of the guys left the door open and he got out side or in the garage (which scared me even more due to all the snakes, great horned owls, possums, and wild rats that are out their) but thankfully after about 10 minutes of looking for him my brother found him curled up on the counter sleeping. i was really relieved i cuddle with him for a bit and then put at the bottom of the cage to get his veggies and planed to go to bed. Remmy had fought a little bit with loki when i put him back but it wasn't anything serious. then remmy came up to the open part of the cage i was going to let him out for a bit before bed sense he seemed to be very active. for some reason i happened to think of the incident a about a month ago where he was gnawing on my hand and thought i should let him sniff me first just so he knows its me. so i stick my hand out in front of him for him he sniffs it then stops for a few moments and then reached up bit my thumb! this wasn't even a little bit or like the gnawing it was a serious bite and i had blood going all over the place. it was not as bad as the first time i was bitten and this time he clearly knew it was me. but it gets even stranger he snuck out of the cage when i rushed to the bath room to get something to stop the bleeding and when i picked him up and put him back in the cage (i didn't really feel like playing with him at that point.) he violently went after loki and ended up chasing him to a small tunnel cave thing at the bottom of the cage. he then stayed out the out side of the tunnel and kept sticking his head in to go after him and i had loki screaming.(which unlike baby doesn't happen often) he wouldn't let up on loki and just kept going after him i put a couple drops of cold water on him. ( my friend gave me this idea she said it was good to during bad fights because they would stop and clean them selfs) that didn't work he stopped for a moment then ignored it. i gave him some bread with some hummus thinking that would distract him. he would only eat the some bread then go back to loki he ended up having most of the bread and tried to go after the one piece i gave to loki. but about 15 minutes after the bread he wasn't going after him as much as before and then he started take longer and longer breaks form it. now he is some what leaving him alone. he keeps randomly going to the front of the tunnel and just sitting by it and occisonly sticking his head in going after him. i also think loki doesn't want to come out but this is also over two and half hours!!!
I really don't know what to do with him it seems to be becoming worse and worse. i am not sure if it is just something i am doing or its him. i try to take them out as often as possible and normally he's really sweet and likes to give lots of kisses. but even if its the fact that he's not taken out enough i have seen several other rats who are fine even my friend who has had school and work and sometime didn't let her rats out to play for awhile they have always been fine and never purposely bit her. i have also been looking up a few things and some people were saying that some rats can not have good temperaments but you wont notice it till later on in their life and its from bad breeding which could be a possibility cause all of my boys were rescued from the feeder bin at a horrible pet store. that could also explain why baby, loki and junie (my friends girl rattie) which are all from the same place are ok i guess. my friend even mentioned that sense they have such a big cage and its now just the two of them he could have become more territorial. i figure that the best solution would be for remmy to get neutered which would be awesome the only problem is i don't have the money for it and i still need to get baby neutered so i can see if he will be better off with girls. i really don't want to have all three of my boys separated for the time being. if their is any help or idea's or anything i will gladly appreciate any help.
also last time i asked for help i ended up not coming back to check it this is defiantly not going to be the case this time.
the first incident. was before thanksgiving and was my fault. At the time i had my big cage with remmy and loki close to baby's cage who as been pretty aggressive with my other two and now is currently by himself. my dad kept saying that it was a good idea to keep them close because it should get them use to each other again. its not really a great idea to take advice from people who have never owned rats because the only thing that did was stress them all out! well one late night i had remmy and loki out. remmy was in the cage at them time and loki decided to jump onto baby's cage which i had to pick him up fast because baby bit his foot. i put him down in his cage and a couple seconds later remmy started fighting with him. i was kind of annoyed and grabbed remmy rather fast and from behind. I use to stop some of their fights by grabbing them. (even though my friend with more experience said it was stupid and i was gonna get bit.) well i ended up scaring him and he turned around and bit me. i don't think he really realized it was me till after he did it. he kinda froze after wards and then stated licking me. but the bite was still really bad their was blood every where and i was having pain every time i bent it even now i still feel a little tightness when i bend it. but i knew that it was stupid and my fault so i didn't really thing any thing of it.
then about a month ago when i was cleaning the cages i happened to clean baby's cage first. (which is now no where near the other cage) then i was moving on to remmys cage and i had the cage open and he started almost gnawing on my hand. he didn't break the skin or anything but he was using a bit of force. it really surprised me and confused me at the time but i wasn't to worried i just figured he could smell baby and didn't like it.
then tonight i had gone to give them their nightly veggies and i ended up freaking out cause the cage was open and loki was missing. i was running all over the place looking for him thinking that one of the guys left the door open and he got out side or in the garage (which scared me even more due to all the snakes, great horned owls, possums, and wild rats that are out their) but thankfully after about 10 minutes of looking for him my brother found him curled up on the counter sleeping. i was really relieved i cuddle with him for a bit and then put at the bottom of the cage to get his veggies and planed to go to bed. Remmy had fought a little bit with loki when i put him back but it wasn't anything serious. then remmy came up to the open part of the cage i was going to let him out for a bit before bed sense he seemed to be very active. for some reason i happened to think of the incident a about a month ago where he was gnawing on my hand and thought i should let him sniff me first just so he knows its me. so i stick my hand out in front of him for him he sniffs it then stops for a few moments and then reached up bit my thumb! this wasn't even a little bit or like the gnawing it was a serious bite and i had blood going all over the place. it was not as bad as the first time i was bitten and this time he clearly knew it was me. but it gets even stranger he snuck out of the cage when i rushed to the bath room to get something to stop the bleeding and when i picked him up and put him back in the cage (i didn't really feel like playing with him at that point.) he violently went after loki and ended up chasing him to a small tunnel cave thing at the bottom of the cage. he then stayed out the out side of the tunnel and kept sticking his head in to go after him and i had loki screaming.(which unlike baby doesn't happen often) he wouldn't let up on loki and just kept going after him i put a couple drops of cold water on him. ( my friend gave me this idea she said it was good to during bad fights because they would stop and clean them selfs) that didn't work he stopped for a moment then ignored it. i gave him some bread with some hummus thinking that would distract him. he would only eat the some bread then go back to loki he ended up having most of the bread and tried to go after the one piece i gave to loki. but about 15 minutes after the bread he wasn't going after him as much as before and then he started take longer and longer breaks form it. now he is some what leaving him alone. he keeps randomly going to the front of the tunnel and just sitting by it and occisonly sticking his head in going after him. i also think loki doesn't want to come out but this is also over two and half hours!!!
I really don't know what to do with him it seems to be becoming worse and worse. i am not sure if it is just something i am doing or its him. i try to take them out as often as possible and normally he's really sweet and likes to give lots of kisses. but even if its the fact that he's not taken out enough i have seen several other rats who are fine even my friend who has had school and work and sometime didn't let her rats out to play for awhile they have always been fine and never purposely bit her. i have also been looking up a few things and some people were saying that some rats can not have good temperaments but you wont notice it till later on in their life and its from bad breeding which could be a possibility cause all of my boys were rescued from the feeder bin at a horrible pet store. that could also explain why baby, loki and junie (my friends girl rattie) which are all from the same place are ok i guess. my friend even mentioned that sense they have such a big cage and its now just the two of them he could have become more territorial. i figure that the best solution would be for remmy to get neutered which would be awesome the only problem is i don't have the money for it and i still need to get baby neutered so i can see if he will be better off with girls. i really don't want to have all three of my boys separated for the time being. if their is any help or idea's or anything i will gladly appreciate any help.
also last time i asked for help i ended up not coming back to check it this is defiantly not going to be the case this time.
