Male African Soft Furs Rats and problems living together

Question
QUESTION: I took on ONE female African soft fur rat who was abandoned. (I have hamsters and know nothing about rats, health, ect.) Low and behold she was pregnant and a few weeks later I had 13 rats. They were born around Nov 1, 2008. When they got around 5-6 weeks old I separated them into boys and girls. The 5 girls live in a large cage with their mom. They never fight (so far) and they get along great. The 8 boys live in 7 two-level hamster cages connected by tubes. I have seen them tussling once in a while. It is very short and usually someone just complaining at another or running the other down one of the tubes. Tonight, while cleaning the cages, I noticed one has been bitten on his hind quarters on each side. I inspected the other 7 and they have no bites or abrasions on them. The bites have scabbed but do not look life threatening. (I plan to take him to the vet tomorrow for a look over just to be sure.) This discovery has me very concerned. While this time may not have been life threatening what about next time? Can the African soft furs live together or do they need to be separated? Is 8 living together too many? Do I need to separate them into smaller groups? If, so how do I separate them? They seem to usually get along and sleep in a heap so I hate to separate them, but their health and saftey is my main concern. Do you have any thoughts on how to handle this situation? Also, do you know anyone who may want some of them and provide them a good home? I never wanted 13 rats but am committed to taking care of them to make sure they have a good home and a good life if I can't find a suitable home where they will be spoiled.

ANSWER: I honestly don't know much about ASFs, but if they're like "regular" domestic rats, males can live together but do tussle when they reach puberty and sometimes it can get pretty rough. If this is your first sign of injury, in my opinion it would be okay to leave them together -- just keep an eye out in case it escalates, and if it does, locate either the instigator or the victim and remove that one as opposed to separating all of them. Rats in general are fairly social creatures and it would be a shame to separate them all. Now, keep in mind, ASFs may be different, but I've never heard if they are.

Where are you at (location)? I may know of a few people who can home them.. but it all depends on where you are.

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QUESTION: I am located in Birmingham, Alabama. I am willing to take them almost anywhere in the United States if someone is willing to take good care of them. I don't want to go to Seattle but if it is within 10-12 hour drive (one way) I am willing to drop them off at an agreed upon location. I just want them to have a good home.

Answer
Ahh.. well I know of a few of us who would love them however we're all over here in CA (where we can't buy natal rats due to them being illegal.. our only hope is someone passing through.. lol) and we're well over a days drive from AL! I'll ask around in my rat groups though. If you want, send me an e-mail (angelfinx@hotmail.com) and I'll be happy to put people in touch with you!!