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Question
hi. i'm a first time rat owner, and i bought them without any knowledge or preparation, so some help would be greatly appreciated. i got them when they were quite young, and they are now about 4 months old. they are 2 males, named lido & jackson, and after buying them i've put alot of effort into making them happy. they have a big cage, good food, and lots of attention, but im a bit like a panicky mother when it comes to them. theyve had chest infections for a while, but theyre taking baytril antibiotics at the moment. but since jackson has been getting better he has started hassling lido all the time.they used to playfight and lido was dominant, but now hes constantly fighting and overpowering him, and lido doesnt really fight back and often sqeaks when jackson pins him down and grooms him. theyre both friendly to me now, lido more than jackson, and have never bitten me, but lido now spends all his time standing and staring at me out the cage. he seems really bored of the cage, even though ive tried to make it as interesting as possible, as seems a bit neurootic. lido doesnt seem scared of jackson, but hes constantly being attacked. jackson tries to bite him on the rump, but then he'll groom him, often nipping him in the process. if tis continues, will i have to get him neutered?
sorry for the rambling, im sure theres a simple answer to this. thankyou x

Answer
Hi Jenna


Nope, you dont need to worry about neutering...this is typical rat behavoir and one male is just more dominant than the other. They are entering puberty now and pecking order is important to them. It seems that Jackson has made it known he is the alpha male of the cage and Lido doesnt really seem to care.  ALso, rats fall in love with their owner. I have to tip toe into the rat room when I know I dont have time to spend with the rats because if I wake up one of them, they want out. I have a big playpen fence I spread across the room during their play time and they know the noise it makes when I spread it out and know they are coming out and they come running down to the bottom level to wait. I bumped the dang thing and it fell and wouldnt you know, all four rats woke up and were wanting out!!  Rats really attach themselves to their keeper to the point they mourn when they dont see them for a few days. I was in the hospital a few years back and my rats stopped eating even though my son was feeding them, it wasnt ME so they were depressed.

Baby rats play fight, chase and wrestle like crazy and as long as they dont cause bloodied bites, its just typical baby rat play.  True aggression comes when the rats stand up on their hind legs and hiss, fur stands straight out, they snarl and show their teeth and will circle each other. It can get ugly, and never try to reach in and stop it or you will be bitten and a mad rat can have 10 pounds of pressure behind that bite!!  I have nerve damage from being careless and tried to break up a fight between three really mad males!

Check out my website for alot of info about rat ailments, proper diet and general info.  Its important to learn as much as you can about these critters, esp their diet.  THey should have low protein and fat, and not the seed mixes that pet stores offer. These are the worst foods they can eat. THey also should not be kept on pine or cedar bedding either.   ANyhow, if your bored, check out my site:

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


Feel free to write any time you need help!!  Thats what I am here for!!