trying to make the move all into one cage not going great

[Jems71]

I got a cpl girls in July the person said they were 3months but I think they were only about 2 months...so this would put them around 6months now
They are healthy and one Midna is very out going friendly and active, the other Tzuki (sookie) is shy and extremly nervous, we have done the down the shirt has helped a bit...but any little change sets her off to screaming and hiding...sad really...their cage has been set up just inches from the big cage with the colony of 7 now (lost 2 recently). They sniff and watch each other all the time. I take them out and put them in 4x4 playpen with the others almost daily and it goes fairly well...some pinning by my more dominant ones and of course some screaming from Tzuki but no real aggression.
we have tried a couple of times to put them in to the big cage...but did not do so good...
and with Ellie being ill I didn't want to stress her anymore by adding these girls. Ellie is gone now and I have been doing alot of out time in the playpen and all seems to be going well... so I did it...I put them in the big cage...
Midna is getting along great, but poor Tzuki...she is terrified and I think this is promoting her beeing picked on...'cause Midna is not really being picked on...she was pinned a few times and what not but it was not a big deal and the other rats seemed to accept her...
but not Tzuki...the others come near her she screams, then they really want at her...they have been biting her no blood but fur flying...she is hiding anywhere until they find her then she has to run and hide more...

There are 9 rats intotal in DBL FN 7 girls (2@6months, 2@7months, 3@14+months) and 2boys @ 7months

Is it normal that the nervous ones get picked on more?

 

[Petunia]

sorry I'm still pretty new to rats myself so I can't answer your question just wanted to say I hope things work out

Maybe try pairing the nervous girl with a slightly bolder friendly girl, and see if they bond, and then put those two back in with the others at the same time....? so maybe the bolder one would look out for her?

that's all I can think of. good luck!

 

[jorats]

It is normal... try and hold off taking her out, I know you really want too but it won't do her any good. Give her a few days. This is all normal behaviour.

 

[hopefloats]

Our girls did that a couple of time. With mally, it was horrible. I paired her with our other rat with a similar attitude so she would loosen up a bit. It helped her get into the group. She is still a problem rat, but they did settle down a bit. Mally was beat up constantly by skittles, she would cower. Once it settled down she seems to settle down. One thing that does seem to happen, if you keep stopping them, they seem to keep the fighting longer, I dont know how true it is, but this is what I have seen. I had to hold the two that were fighting on my lap to get the mean one to see she was ok, i did that a lot before they finally let her in. My rats wont fight if i am holding them. I dont know if that is normal, but they dont, they calm down. I put them in a pouch to get them together closer and just pet them both.

 

[Jems71]

Cage seems a bit calmer this morning, little Tzuki is sleeping in a hanging tunnel with Blossom one of the bullies in the cage...Blossom came out Tzuki did not move she is still acting like a statue but just the fact that Blossom was sleeping with her in the tunnel and my big bully boy Sketchie (jasper - blossom's brother) was sleeping next to the opening of the tunnel either means they have her trapped in there and controlling her or they are trying to bond with her...I am really hoping for the latter but knowing Blossom and Sketchie they are being bullies and controlling her...poor girl...at least she has no visable wounds so I will leave it alone for now, maybe a cpl more days and everyone will be good.

 

[jorats]

I really can't see them trapping her. I've seen rats trying to "hide" the bully but never the one being bullied. If they really would have tried to trap her and control her, Tzuki would have shot out of there like a bat out of hell. You would have heard the commotion.

 

[Jems71]

I really can't see them trapping her. I've seen rats trying to "hide" the bully but never the one being bullied. If they really would have tried to trap her and control her, Tzuki would have shot out of there like a bat out of hell. You would have heard the commotion.

So true since she is a screamer...I am sure we would have heard something...I think they are all starting to work it out...maybe she is making friends with the young bullies in the cage...better than being picked on by them I guess.

 

[hopefloats]

One thing i have noticed about my girl rats, they can be fighting, occasional fur flying, screaming, running from each other, standing on their hind legs staring for long periods, then less than 5 minutes later, those same rats, are cuddled up together. It almost seems normal for them. It has taken us a long time, a month since our oldest rat passed away, our cage has been insane since then. It is just now calming down and you can see who is wanting to fight for alpha and who could care less.

 

[jorats]

When you think about it, it's no different than like a human family... the kids are fighting one minute and playing the next. lol

 

[hopefloats]

LOL so totally like ours here, i dont know why i didnt think of that. I have a kid just like pika, and she is mean like toby was!