Rattie question

Question
Hey there:) I recently got two five week old male blue hooded dumbos,
and just today I goy an older male, about a year old, because my sister
wanted a calmer pet. I have a bunch of questions, sorry to be a pain >.<
I've done a ton of research and I know the basic care such as feeding,
housing, etc.

One of my young males who is now six weeks old doesn't seem to
have..umm..dropped if you know what I mean xD I'm 99.9% positive he is
a male, everything else looks exactly the same as my other male except
for the extra space under his tail. Any ideas?

Do you know if there are any dry shampoos for rats? Is ivory soap safe if
only a little is used and it's washed thoroughly out?  My newest male isn't
from very good conditions and is excessively smelly.  I'd like to use dry
because I only just got him and don't want to stress him out, but he's SO
stinky! Should I just wait? He's friendly and pretty laid back but he's not
quite sure about me yet.

I have him in quarantine right now, although I don't have the option of
separate airspace.  He's two floors away from the others on the otherside
of the house, though, and I'm being careful about hand washing abd
clothes changing.  How long should I quarantine him for? Also, I'm worried
about the stress from being alone. He's used to overlycrowded conditions
and now suddenly he's all by himself.  Does he just have to tough it out?

When I introduce them, I was planning to first put his cage by theirs for a
few days, then bring them to neutral territory to meet briefly.  I heard that
if you put them in the bathtub with a little water it discourages fighting? I
also have the option of splitting the cage into two (its a critter nation).  
Should I put him in the top half for a few days, or would that mame him
feel like its his territory?  When they eventually go in together, should I do
it at short periods of time and keep increasing the amount of time each
day or just throw em in there?

And now my last one, I promise ;) The older male's age is unknown
exactly, but he is at least a year old and has had a rough time of it til now.  
Would glucosamine benefit him do you think? Or would it hurt to give him
some? What are some good supplemrnts, if any, for aging rats?
 Thanks a million!
Sydney  

Answer

Merry Christmas Rat Thank you for using allexperts and I apologize that I am so late in answering your questions.

1)Male rats testees can drop around 3-4 weeks of age. They also have the ability to draw them in when scared or upset.

2)You can use ivory soap, baby shampoo, or even your shampoos. I have even used Dawn before. It is fine as long as they get rinsed really well. Magic coat is something that is a dry shampoo you can buy for all small animals. It cost around $5.99 and it works pretty well. However, most rats love water so it would be fun for them to play and get a bath :)

3)For your stinky guy you can also use sprays that are made for ferrets. They smell of coconut and work great for both the animal and their bedding :)

4)You just need to give him some time. Work towards giving him loving and feeding him treats to warm your new rat up to you. It will take time but he will come around. Remember if he does nip not to hit back just give more love. I think that a spray is your best bet because you can get him easier than with a powder.

5)Quarantine should be for at least 2 weeks. Then you introduce them in a neutral  place. Since you dont have extra cage the bathtub is your best place. This is belonging to no one, they cant get out and you can safely watch them. If that works then add food and toys and then you can move it to the cage where each has their own stuff but can move about freely. There will be fights that is normal and screeching time to time. What you dont want is blood and sores to begin. That is your sign that things are not working.

6)I havent heard about the water being a way to make them less testy. As far as the cage just do as above. Whether on top of bottom doesnt matter as long as each has their own house/bed, food, and water.

7)The time together should be in limited time. First (once the division is gone) you should do it only during the day, when that works out try a little long, eventually working toward all day and night. It is kinda a watching and deciding what you think is best type of deal. You see how they enter act and choose if more or less time is needed.

8)I would talk to your vet about this. I never gave mine any I just gave him fresh foods and rat food alone with vitamin C in the water. My rat lived to be 5. So this is something I am not familiar with. As far as the vitamin C goes I just gave my rat regular water in one water bottle and Tang in the another water bottle.

I hope that I gave you some information you can use. Please feel free to ask as many questions as you need. I promise I am not always this slow on responding :)



Websites for you:
http://www.ferret.com/item/dry-shampoo-powder-for-small-animals/494722/?srccode=...

http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2002/02/19_diet.html

http://www.ratfanclub.org/newrat.html


http://www.wikihow.com/Bathe-Your-Pet-Rat