Suddenly agressive rat

[JEFFREY BYERS]

I have two male rats Jordy and Nelson. Just today I noticed Jordy seperated from Nelson and being unusually lethargic and affectionate to me during his free time. Usually I can find them both relaxing under my bed on the storage lid they like to lay on but today I found him resting on the foot of my bed while Nelson was at his normal station.

After a few hours they began to move around but would stay away from each other. I wasnt concerned at first since being siblings they can find each other irritating from time to time but when I had Jordy on my lap Nelson hopped up and he seemed scared and then Jordy went crazy like I've never seen before.

I immediately separated them putting Jordy in a smaller cage I keep for them to hang out in on the floor and closed the door. A few minutes later Nelson wanderd by and looked at Jordy. After a few seconds I saw Jordy show his teeth in an obviously aggressive manner. I put Jordy in a diffrent room right away.

The thing that is strange to me is that in their relationship Nelson is the dominant one and I've never seen him cautious or frightened of Jordy and usually he is the more outgoing and affectionate one.

From what I've read its most likely hormones but Nelson is the same age and he's never shown aggressive behavior before. Is this normal and if so what can be done so they can get along again. They've always meshed well together and it really sucks to see them like this.

 

[Ratz_are_people_2]

This could be a sign of pain in Jordy. When was the last time you've dropped him? I have two rats and they are males as well. I've never seen that in my rats. How old are your rats? It could be a mental disorder. How aggressive are your rats to each other? Do they fight when ever they see each other? I may be asking to many questions, sorry I just wanted to know. Anyways, don't introduce them to each other until they've calmed down.

 

[JEFFREY BYERS]

I've never dropped Jordy and he's never shown any signs of injury. They're a year and a half old and have gotten along ever since I had them. I've seen them play fighting like normal rats but and Nelson always seems to be the dominant one. Jordy is actually more affectionate when Nelson is around. Its so sudden that Jordy would act like this.

 

[jorats]

A behaviour change at 18 months could indicate a pituitary tumour. I would get him to a vet for an overall check. Mention the sudden change in behaviour. Also, best to find a rat savvy vet.

 

[Ratz_are_people_2]

Well if this is as sudden as you say then it might be a mental disorder or it could most likely be that your rats are trying to own you as an item to have and Jordy is the one that currently owns you. It's a territorial thing and it's true. My rats used to do this when I first got them until one day it just stopped and they loved each other ever since.

 

[SQ]

Please take him in to see a good vet with the knowledge and experience to treat rats as suggested by Jorats.
Something is going on
18 months is a bit old to suddenly getting hormonal as that type of change is more likely to happen between 4 and 9 months
If he does have a pituitary tumour, there are meds that can slow down the progression of the disease and give him more good quality time
It could also be something else so best to have a check up with a good vet

 

[JEFFREY BYERS]

I did just notice a small scratch on Jordys behind. Not sure if it came from Nelson or not.

I did switch them so now Nelson is in the cage just to see what would happen if they were face to face again. What happened was Jordy wood act the same but would run onto my lap and try to hide in my arm. Nelson also showd some low agression by sowing his teeth but nothing else.

Jordy is still mellow when he's with me. Even when I had him outside of the cage he acted fine.

 

[jorats]

When a rat shows his teeth, it's not aggression, it's fear. Something is up with poor Jordy.

 

[JEFFREY BYERS]

I think Nelson may have gotten too rough while playing with him recently. When I have them iut the dont go after each other they just stay away. I see them getting better , I stil keep them in different cages but when I let them out the get close but not for long. Is it possible they'll get over it and go back to being friends again.

 

[SQ]

What did the vet say?
Did the vet think there is a neurological problem like a brain tumour?

 

[JEFFREY BYERS]

I have an appointment on Tuesday.

 

[JEFFREY BYERS]

Update
They are getting along just fine now. They still seem a little hesitant toward each other but they were grooming each other a bit and seem fine now.

I dont know if it was a bad tussle or what but they dont show any signs of fear or agression anymore.

Is this them getting over it?

 

[jorats]

It's hard to say... it could be they decided it's better to be together than alone. I would try them together again after a huge cage cleaning.

 

[Rataganza]

I'm having a similar problem with my dominant male, Arturius. We introduced three baby males to Arturius and his brother Finn about a month ago, and everything went fine. While we originally kept the babies in a smaller cage, it wasn't a couple hours before they were breaking out of the small cage and trying to break into the big boys' cage. We couldn't stop them, since the smaller cage was not designed for rodents that small and smart, so we let them in the big one and everything went well for about 3 weeks.
Arturius asserted his dominance, but never broke skin.
About four days ago, I noticed two of my babies' backs were covered in scabs, about 5 each. They weren't there the day before. I separated Arturius for a day and checked to see if any new marks showed up, since I wasn't positive he was the culprit. None did, but I still wasn't sure, because the babies wrestle with eachother.
After separating him for a day, the babies' were so excited to see visit him that I let him return to the main cage. This has happened twice more with me separating him for varied amounts of time. The scabs disappeared from one baby, but my most beta baby, Volar, seems to still be getting beat up.
Then, last night, I had all 5 out on my bed and everything was going fine until Arturius went nuts on Volar. It looked like he was trying to hump him and bite him. I separated the two with my hand and firmly told Arturius "no." Usually, he responds to that. But he just kept going after Volar. Finally, I put him in his closed off portion of the cage and he spent the night alone.
As explained in a different thread, I don't have access to a rat-specific vet, and my vet has explained I would need to travel to the next state over for anything closely related to cancer or cancer detection.
It sounds like Nelson and Jordy worked it out, so I'm hoping for the best, but any other advice people have would be welcome.

 

[SQ]

Rataganza, can you start a thread about Arturius.
That way people can respond to his issues, as they are likely very different from those Jeffrey's rats are having since his rats are friends and brothers