rats getting along

Question
Hi.  Up until 2 weeks ago I had 4 female rats.  Three were sisters (triplets), about 6 months old.  The other had 3 sisters who have all died, I don't know her age, maybe 1.5 years.  I rescued all of them.  I have a huge cage.  Well last week a lady I work with asked me if I could take a rat that was being sold at her pet store. They did not think she could be sold because she has a bulging eye.  Of course I took her in.  She is young, maybe 2-3 months.  Her eye is not that bad, but she also sways back and forth, her eyes are not red.  So I introduced her to the other 4 and they of course tried to show their dominance.  She was petrified, I kept her in there overnight, but the next morning she looked so afraid, that I put her in a cage by herself.  I positioned the cage right next to the other one, so they  could see and smell each other.  They have been like that for a week.  I have had them out together on the couch and she does not seem afraid, but they leave her alone on the couch, as they are too busy worrying about other things.  Today I cleaned the large cage, wiped it down with a mild solution of bleach water.  I put vanilla on their backs, as I had read to do, and put them all in the cage.  Well the baby is so afraid.  The others tried to show dominance, I don't think they are being excessively mean, but she squeals like they are killing her.  Now, once again she looks pathetic and won't leave the corner.  Should I just leave her in there and wait it out, or should I put her back in a separate cage?  Any advice would be appreciated.  Thank you.  Jen

Answer

She needs to get used to them more. I would keep the cage side by side and let her get used to them more, let her get older.  Being alone is less stress on her than being in there scared to death.  The stress may cause her to become ill.  The swaying, regardless of the eye color, is normal.  Many rat sites try to second guess what the swaying is about: Some say its due to blindness, others say they are trying to focus.  The truth is here on my webpage:


http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/myratswaysherhead.htm

Also, the eye.  Has she seen a vet for this? It could be infection, it could be an abscess behind the eye. The chance that the other rats can tell that she may be ailing could also be a reason they seem to gang up on her and she feels weak against them.  Again, she is still pretty young and new to the house so I would give it more time, but would see a vet about the eye if you havent already.