Wrestling Rats

Question
I am a pre-kindergarten teacher. I have two male hairless rats Dobby and Scabbers as class pets. We got them in April and so far things have been going great. The kids and I love them and they love us.They are such lovies. However, I noticed a small sore on Scabbers forehead. The boys have always wrestled but I'm noticing it's more than usual. I'm concerned that they are being to aggressive with each other. Should they be put into separate cages? Or is the sore evidence of something else? Any help you could give me would be great.

Answer
Hi

How old are the rats?  Depending on where you purchased them from, if it was a petstore, you never know what kind of rat your getting.  Often a male rat that is intact and was bred without knowing anything about his genetics can start to fight with their cagemate around puberty, which is around 7 months of age.  I have had well bred males live happily with each other in a mischief of 4 males with no problem and have had others go at it full throttle fighting for the alpha status and had to be housed in separate cages, which I hate to do.  Although I hate to say NOT to buy petstore rats because I feel bad they wont get a happy home, I do buy mine from a reputable hobby breeder that breeds for health and temperament.  I just drove 3 hours to Georgia to pick up three little boys a few weeks ago, and whats nice is they are very socialized as well by the breeder and they were just 4 weeks old (Almost mice size) when I got them and that makes it nice to have them when they are very young.  
The sore on Scabbers head may have been from too much wrestling, and keep in mind as you know already that little boy rats LOVE to play wrestle and its totally harmless, but when the get older and continue to do it, there are signs to watch for in order to know if they are angry or not. An angry male will puff out his fur and might rock back and forth, or walk sideways toward the other rat and may brush into the other rat sideways. They may stand on on their hind legs and circle each other too, and they even can hiss or spit when really really mad. NEVER reach in and try to break up a real rat fight (you will be bitten) in a frenzy they wont know the difference between your hand and the other rat and since rats have lousy vision as it is, they will bite and it HURTS, trust me!  LOL!

I have a website of my own, sandyscrittercity.com with info all about rats and rat care. Do let me know how old you think the rats are though. Also, be sure to wipe the little wound on Scabbers head using normal saline solution and dab a small amount of neosporin on it. Is the wound flat or raised?