pet rats fighting

Question
Hi There,

I have 2 male rats, Hercules and Leopold both about 1 year 3 months old. They have been together since they were babies and have had the odd tussle but for a few months now it been getting more and more regular. It's to the point where one avoids the other completely and seems ready for a battle whenever the other comes near (some very dramatic screeching before any fighting even starts). It looks like Herc (the bigger guy) is attacking Leo and biting his tail. Leo has several bites on his tail including now some deeper gouges. We've tried to avoid it, but we are going to have to separate them because Leo is getting injured too often.

We currently have them in a huge amalgamation of a large cage and a medium cage which we plan on reducing back to 2 separate cages for them. Is it okay to switch them up in the cages each day so they get both sizes/setups? How can we slowly get them to be buddies again? Or can we at all? Other than a basic disinfecting, what can I do for Leo's wounds? He does not seem to worry at them and when he's away from Hercules he acts happy and normal (they don't seem to hurt him). He's also had wounds like this before and they got better just fine.

It sort of sucks because they used to be such sweet little buddies, always grooming each other and laying on top of each other in their hammocks or hiding houses.

By the way, they get out of the cage quite a bit. Whenever someone is at home the cage is open and they are free to come and go as they please. Each day they make more and more progress on destroying our couch. Fun!

I did not want to write an essay (but I suppose I have anyways) so I haven't gone into much detail about the nature of their feuding. If you need more info please ask.

Thanks for your help and I do apologize for the length of my message.

-Matt  

Answer
Hi Matt

For starters, I have seen this happen alot with rats that were not bred well, usually pet store rats or feeder rats. Dont feel bad, I have had my share of both pet store and feeder rats too so when people get on our case about buying them from petstores, its pretty hard to NOT go there when there is a lack of rat breeders in the area.

I would say to keep them apart but let them meet during play time with supervision and see how it goes. Its ok to switch up the cages unless they seem to prefer their own.  I have had many solo males that only hung out with other rats during playtime but lived solo in the cage due to fighting and others that never fought and in fact, mourned the loss of the other mate to the point of the survivor also passing away from a broken heart!  It just depends on their genetic make up and how aggressive they are.  

I would set up an entirely new play area for them, something new.  Use a cardboard wall to close off an area just for them (check out how to do it on my website) and add some toys and cardboard houses etc...and let them play in there together.  This way they cant claim the territory as their own and should not scrap.

As for caring for the wound, normal saline solution is fine and a dab of antibiotic ointment rubbed in best you can is all that is needed.