caging territorial

Question
I am a school teacher and recently acquired an older (3yrs.) female and younger(6 month) male rat. Caging them together the female aggressively attacked the male.  The female is otherwise very tame and cute with people.  Should I let the attack run its course so that the female establishes dominance or will she ultimatley kill the male?

Answer
 Well you shouldn't have a male and a female in the same cage, to begin with, unless you are trying to breed them.  The female is attacking the male because he is trying to mate with her; the only time a female will allow him to mate is when she is in heat, which occurs every 4-5 days.  Though she may be too old to be fertile, some females are fertile up until death so it is never a good idea to risk it, plus if they DO breed you have a much higher risk of complications because of her age.  If you are not trying to breed them, separate them right away and either get him neutered or get her a female companion.