File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Dear /an/. I have two rats. And now I have a problem, as well.

We bought the rats at the same time, and for the last year and a half have kept them in the same cage. They've fought ever since they were little, with the balance of dominance shifting from rat 1 (who was the bigger of the two at first), to rat 2 (who started growing faster than rat 1 did), and back to rat 1 (as he caught up and somewhat surpassed rat 2). Their fights, while noisy, have not caused much in the way of visible harm to either rat, and at /an/'s recommendation, I have not separated them.

Tonight, that all changed. They were fighting pretty fiercely, and they seem to have done enough damage to each other to cause me concern. Rat 1 has a fairly deep gash on his face, and rat 2 on his leg, presumably from bites. I have separated them for now, putting rat 1 in a temporary makeshift cage. I only have 1 water bottle, and no way to buy another as it is currently 3am here, and pet stores are all closed. I'll switch them when I wake up, so the other can get some water.

What happens now, is what I'm most wondering about. Do you think it'll be possible to put them back in the same cage tomorrow, or will I have to go out and buy another? Has anyone else had an experience with this sort of thing?
>> Anonymous
Thats the reason why both of my males are separate because of all the fighting. I was talking to my vet about neutering one/both of them but I'm not so fond of the risks like them chewing out their stitches(and the fact that rats are small mammals and its more of a risk when it comes to surgery).
So for now, my two males only see each other when I let them run around the room.

Neutering is an option. It should take out the dominance thing.
>> Anonymous
Neutering may be the best option short of separating them completely. Male rats, even if they're brothers or grew up together, will become aggressive toward other males as they reach maturity, especially if they're around equal in strength and skill. Remove the hormone factories and it should help.

Don't keep them separate unless it's an unavoidable resort. Rats are very social and can develop mental problems if they're kept alone, even if the owner interacts with them a lot.
>> Anonymous
Put some juicy fruit in the rat's cage that has no water, thats how i was taught to keep them hydrated while traveling.
>> Morrie
Well sometimes getting a 3rd might help but there is always a risk if you get a small baby as a friend for two fighting grown up males: they might just kill it but 3rd might also lessen the tension of needing to always be the leader... cos the 3rd would always be the lowest.
I personally never separate rats just if they have some wounds that aren't bleeding. It's going to be worse getting them back together. :/ If they fight so much the other cant get food or to drink, then it's bad and they should be separated.
And of neutering is always an option but I think your rats are bit old for that. :/ It would be VERY risky.
I got two older males from my friend who couldn't keep them, back when I had my first rats. They had always fought all their lives. But they never really hurt each other. I put two baby boys with them and the fighting completely stopped.
I'd suggest on getting few 3-5 months old rat babies as friends to them but if you dont have enough space for 4 rats I suppose you can try just 1 with them. :/ If they are not aggressive towards you. They probably are just too much of a same size to be able to decide who will be the boss.
>> Anonymous
>>146670
Or used in a satanic ritual.
>> #fortune Anonymous
lol
>> Anonymous
>>146669
>>146671
>>146673
>>146674
/b/ is leaking again, from the looks of it.
>> Anonymous
>>146676
How'd you know... and as a former pet shop worker and adamant activist, I can confirm that nothing is safe when satan has his hands on the...puppet..control string...things.
>> Anonymous
>>146670

hey, snakes' gotta eat too. I've never figured out why it's so cruel to feed a pet animal something it routinely hunts down and devours in the wild. Crazy humans.

Introducing a new rat should help out, their attention will be diverted and divided. But don't just toss the newcomer in with them, have him in something that will let them see and hear and smell him, and maybe have a little contact through the bars. Then put them together after a little bit depending on their reactions.
>> Anonymous
>>146683
That could be difficult. The cage I have is a glass one. My last rat before them would often be able to escape through the edges of the hinged top when he was little, so I've just been using a tank with a screen top.
>> Anonymous
>>146683
>hey, snakes' gotta eat too. I've never figured out why it's so cruel to feed a pet animal something it routinely hunts down and devours in the wild. Crazy humans.

I don't find that cruel. What I do find cruel would be buying the rat just to get mauled by my other rats, which would be a pointless death. Hence my attempts at morally justifying it to myself should it happen.
>> Anonymous
>>146687

I know, it's a difficult thing to consider. But the option list is thin, so you gotta take chances. It's uncommon that a newcomer is actually attacked and killed, there may be some aggression as the others let the newbie know where he stands.
>> Anonymous
i had one rat a long time ago and fell in love with my (in b4 furry) we were the closest pals, then he died.
so i bought two instead, two males
i thought their playfighting was cute until shavarsh was squealing all the time and ferdinand wouldnt quit.
so i seperated them both, and even though shavarsh was glad to be away, i could tell they both missed each other real bad
shavarsh died about 4 weeks ago, and ferdinand followed him about a week after

my advice to you... seperate them permenantly, but make sure you give them both enough attention, because theyre going to be lonely now.
and dont buy two males again~
but i'm just a girl on the interwabs
i'm no rat expert
>> Anonymous
>>146690
don't take advice from this person, she is an idiot. which is why she should be back in the kitchen.
>> Anonymous
Well, when I went to the pet store, the lady there said that buying a third rat would be a bad idea. We opted to get a new, bigger cage (with wire sides now instead of glass. We've put them back together for now, but if we end up having to separate them for good, we now have a second cage with which to do it.
>> Anonymous
>>146690
>>but i'm just a girl on the interwabs
Don't listen to this poster, he's obviously a pathological liar.
>> Anonymous
Neuter them and spread a few drops of Vanilla Extract around their home after thoroughly cleaning it

google vanilla extract + rats, and you'll see
>> Anonymous
>>146633
YES MUTILATION SOLVES EVERYTHING. Also most small animals have a hard enough time surviving the fricken anesthesia.

>>146610
OP: just get another cage and house them separately. If you're spending time with them often don't let the OCD set convince you that you must always have a pair for them to be happy.
My best rats were singles, and the most playful social things ever.
>> Anonymous
For now, put a shallow bowl of water in the cage without a water bottle, just don't fill it too much that he could drown and it'll be fine.

If you want to -try- and keep them together in the future, it might be a good idea to reintroduce them on neutral territory-- the bathtub is usually the easiest. Pay them both a lot of attention and see if they might get along again. You'll have to really clean and rearrange their cage so that one of them doesn't get territorial if you try to put them back.
>> Anonymous
>>147092
I one-upped that. Completely new cage. Apparently, aside from right at the beginning, they haven't been fighting as much.