Should I get my rats neutered

Question
I have two male pet rats, they have been cage mates since they were about 4mo old and are 8mo old now. One of the males is starting to get aggressive with the other trying to hump him and chase him. I know during puberty this may happen and rats will scrap, My concern is that the rat that is doing the humping is trying to do it all day with only short breaks in between. The other rat finally got upset and they got in their first big fight, fur went every where. Luckily I was in the room to stop it. After the fight I can tell it was stressing out the non humping rat, he got that porphyrin stuff around his nose.

How long does this normally last?
How long should I wait this out before considering to neuter them?
I'm worried that something may happen when I'm not home.
Also they usually don't pee on the upper levels in their cage,but for the past week they have been (alot) is this a sign of a problem?


Answer
Hi Lilia

Oh wonderful male rat puberty! Your correct to assume it is probably puberty, which manifests right around 6 to 8 months old and lasts several months. Some rats breeze right through and you dont notice a change at all, except that they may get a bit more lazy and  add some weight. A rat that is poorly bred, often pet store rats, are those that tend to hold a trend of rats that have just a tad more testosterone than they need to make the big change from adolescent to adult.
They may outgrow it, they may continue to always fight for the alpha role, which is what it is all about. All of that squeaking, pushing, hissing, circling each other, its all about who is bigger and badder to earn the alpha male role.  I have had several males that were brothers (four in one cage) that all got along great till they hit 8 months old. Parker, the largest out of the group, turned into such an aggressive bad boy!!  He was such a brat he would block the other rats from going down a ramp or up, often racing them to the top. His antics would start a huge fight and all four of the would go at it. Word of warning, never break up a fight between angry bucks. You can get bitten badly. Instead, use a squirt of water  from a water bottle.

As for neutering....I would say to just go for it. This way, down the road you can add females in with the males with no problem and they always seem to get along too.  
I would be sure the vet is very skilled with rats and surgery though and if your new to the vet etc....go over everything with a fine tooth comb about the way they do the procedure etc...  Its NOT just a breeze and there are some things to look out for like pain management etc...if the vet doesnt provide antibiotics post op nor pain meds, find another vet.  Also the vet should have a nice craft at sutures in order to be sure the rats dont pick at them. Usually the ones that are not pulled super tight are best because they are comfortable and the rat tends to leave them alone. Find out about keeping the rat warm during surgery and after along with finding out how they monitor vital signs during procedure.  If you need more info let me know or if you need a good exotic vet that wont rob you blind, let me know too.

Hope this helps!

Sandy