king of cage killing cutie!

Question
i've had a pair of male ratties for about a month now. i believe they were 2-3 months old when i was given them. the first few weeks, they got along fine with me and each other. in the past few weeks, they've been biting each other.i realize this is most likely puberty kicking in and will (hopefully) be done soon, but the extent of the bloody scabs as well as spatter on their litter is disconcerting. they still get along fine, no hair raising or hissing. and to be honest, i haven't seen the agression. but the proof is in the pudding. the smaller one is covered with dozens of bloody scabs. is this normal, soon to phase out, or should i consider neutering? like i said, they curl up together and seem to like one another and they are never anything but loving towards people. so i'm hoping it'll wane eventually. thanks.

Answer

Are you sure the scabs are from bite wounds and he isnt scratching himself for some reason?

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

Some rats are protein sensitive and if they are fed a diet high in protein (protein should not exceed 15 to 18% ideally) they often end up full of scabs and bloodied sores.  Mites or rat lice are also a culprit and some rats are bothered by it more than others.

Puberty in males doesnt really start until they are closer to 7 or 8 months old to be honest.  Testosterone levels are out of control at that age and the result is constant fighting for the role of alpha male.  This is normal too, and usually the rats work it out, but if not, the more aggressive one is fixed.