Templeton's remaining group to Dopeys Remaining group -day 5

[hopefloats]

That is really great. And it can be in part because they have lived so long in close proximity in the same room so they "know" each other already.
Love the bubble video!

Their cages have been next to each other almost non stop. No to mention they all climb on the floor so they can smell each rat.

Ludo has been super puffy when out on his own but during the intros nothing. I wonder if he feel more comfortable with these boys, one of them is the alpha, edgar or eli... so it may make him feel more comfortable knowing there is one. Since the boys passed on he comes out and just puffs up, the girls get him back in line but you can see that he is a bit lost. Algernon and Ludo have been with loki and Templeton since they were about 10 weeks old. They were my only successful intro with Templeton LOL even then it was hit and miss, he chased ludo a few times I remember it took a while for me to let them live together

I will do the floor time again later... Hopefully it will still be smooth.

My rats hate not having access to their cages it stresses some of them out, they spend some of the time trying to find a way in. IT is funny the difference a door open or closed with their cage. Open in the same spot, perfectly fine, closed panic lol

 

[jorats]

It can definitely calm a rat down when there's a good alpha around. I'm seeing this first hand.
In my intros, there's been a new development. Marshall has gone rogue. lol He's a baby who's just now coming into maturity and the little bugger is looking for the high position. He ain't gonna have it, cause Turk is working around the clock to settle him down and then there's Butter Bean Boss during out time, that's not going to fly. He may be getting a nut job done soon enough.

 

[hopefloats]

I am just glad I started them on intros while the loss was still there..hopefull they stay smooth. I will test a open cage dooe when I clean tomorrow or weds and see how the act then

 

[hopefloats]

Same song and dance tonight. No puffy, no fights, no boxing

Lenny keeps sniffing bindi and she screams but that is all I hear. I had to walk out of the room for a minutes so i tossed sunflower seeds down to be my babysitter

Now i have a mess to clean up..

They were hiding in the corner...They hate not having a cage..

We will be doing the move in test soon. Tomorrow or by wednesday at the latest.

 

[jorats]

Keeping my fingers crossed for the test move in!

 

[mamarat]

I hope the move goes smoothly. They look fantastic together.

 

[hopefloats]

Day 5... I woke up this morning to a phone call I missed. It was the crematory. They said "Templeton, loki and dopey are ready. You can pick them up any time." I have been fighting back tears. The first thing in my mind was "I will never hear that for them again." I decided I needed to go ahead with the move in test and see how it goes. Either way I want them all in one cage and Templetons old cage cleaned out so i can prepare it for it new occupants. My heart is so heavy over this today though.

Both cages are clean and the triple FN which will house the two combined groups of 16 rats (9 males and 7 females) is all ready. While i cleaned the cage I had all the rats on the floor, fun times let me tell you When i was done, I put the straggler rats in the cage and shut the doors. I gave them some dry pasta to keep them busy

Bart (black) and Ludo do not seem to mind. Both are from different groups.

Now bindi......Is not happy. She was screaming so of course here come my hall monitors Edgar and Eli, i believe the alpha boys.. and boxing happened. I put her in a hammock so she could calm down and she is napping now Stressful for her.

Full cage

Top

Middle

Bottom section

Wont be empty for long

My big concern is mally and her stashing of food. I have found if i put it in a bowl and under an igloo, I win the stashing fued and she is happy. In fact she runs all her extra food she finds around the cage so I have a controlled hoard the food is where I want it while she thinks she is hoarding still LOL win win.. I know she is almost ocd about her stashing I dont want the stress of the move in to turn her any meaner than she is :bow:

Right now they are all sleeping all around the cage. A bit stressed with the change but that should settle down. If they fight I will lock the smaller group up in on section and the bigger group in two, then I will switch them out between the bigger part and smaller part. It isnt ideal but I cannot fit four sections on one cage LOL and it is only temporary.

 

[hopefloats]

They are having their first meal as a group. They have been in there for about 3 hours now not much has happened. Finley is starting his crap as usual, but the second a boy bites him, he will stop LOL He always tries to be a bad rat but he is a super small boy and he cowers when they fight back.

 

[hopefloats]

finley is off by himself till my daughter gets home. He was picking on mally and I dont want to leave him alone for the 20minutes between times LOL

 

[jorats]

lol... is he back in now? How's the group?

 

[hopefloats]

Yes she put him back and said she didn't hear anything. I have 45 mins of work left then I can go home. He does this every intro, his game never changes but he stops at least I was worried about ludo but he did well..I am excited

 

[hopefloats]

Ludo and one of the 4 black rats...So you know why I dont know who else is with him

This was before work.

This is what they do when I come home from work

I bet lenny was in cloud nine here. He was cuddled up with 3 girls

So I am watching them and it was instant replay of intros with Templeton. I am guessing i am 100% correct with the daddies of ludo and Algernon. Loki-ludo's daddy. Loki was always more laid back ok with other boys.. Templeton, my terror, is Algernon's daddy. So tonight I hear finley, my hairless menace screaming. I look in and Algernon is slapping the hammock LOL So tempelton-like. Toby or dopey would get in that cozygloo from nic, all hell would break loose, Templeton would stand there and slap that hammock till the boys left it. It was so bad, I had to remove those and I did not give them back till they moved in with the girls I swear on my life, Templeton hated hairless rats. he would only fight with them guys, not the haired guys in the group. The entire horrible intros was Templeton attacking my hairless boys, but he had no fights with the furred guys.

I hope his hate dont run as deep as his daddy's because I will not stop this LOL.

Since Al's never been a mean boy, I am leaving them together. It is mostly quiet and with 3 levels they can avoid each other. I wont let them out all night though until I get my coroplast in the mail and I can do a better job on blocking the other cages off, since flynn is a jumper lol he was the fat rat in a little hole boy

 

[hopefloats]

Finley dont want to share the hammock. He is in it and he wont let the girl in. If he only knew I did this so he would have buddies that like to cuddle since that whole other group likes to sleep in piles. It will change in a few days ....hopefully lol

 

[jorats]

It's really looking good. Finley will get it, it might take some time but he'll get it.

 

[hopefloats]

the sad thing is I have done so many intros with my rats. I think in the time i had rats I did around 15-20 intros.... A lot have been with the same groups so i know pretty well how they react which makes intro so much easier to do. It amazes me how what they do during doesnt change. Finley did this with toby, and toby was a very good alpha, he did this when i move them in with the babies lol and he is doing it now. Everyone else seems fine. i didnt hear anything last night at all so it is pretty quiet. I have them out now so they can roam before i have to work today.

 

[hopefloats]

One hammock in this cage is causing issues. or they dont want Finley in the hammock. I havent decided. Bindi had a fit over finley being in this hammock. In the scuffle he was bitten. I took both bindi and Finley out and put hem on my lap for a good 10 minutes then I put them back in the cage. I did split off finley and a few buddies from the rest of the group while i go to work.
I will try to take that hammock out and see if it stops but it is beyond me why the fights only stem around him and that same hammock.. I could hang another one on the bottom of the cage see if that helps. they have 5 hammocks in there lol and not all of them sleep in hammocks...

Any ideas?

 

[jorats]

I'd definitely take it out. Someone is claiming the hammock and it's not sitting well with others. Very strange. Can you hang the hammock another way? Maybe it's a feng shui thing.

 

[hopefloats]

It is a bunk bed type hammock I put another one in there on the middle level... Took the one they were fighting in to the very top of the cage. Let's see if finley can simmer down. It was on the bottom of the cage.

 

[hopefloats]

Isis sat on this ramp puffed, finley would not go up.. She finally walked down, slowly and puffy the whole time

They had an hour of time out on the table.

and what happened after we came back in....Puffy butt. She was a pita with lucy and Eleanor at the end to.

I am debating my game plan. I will probably have to do so horrible scary places for those guys. May just keep Finley off with buddy when we are not here.

Any other ideas?

and yes the 15 other rats are perfectly fine, cuddly boys. But you can see by finleys back, he is a jerk so this is common but he generally settles down.

 

[Joanne]

How do you tell when a naked rattie is poofy? LOL