behaviour

Question
QUESTION: Hi Melissa
My daughter got a pet rat from a feed store (feeder rat).  He's about 6 months old now.  From interacting with him over the last few months, I think he has a sweet disposition.  He loves to be petted and hang out.  But he has developed an unpleasant habit of biting, pretty much constantly.  Since you never know where or when he's going to bite you, we're starting to become leery of him.  It isn't a hurtful bite, and I don't think he's trying to hurt us, but occasionally he gets a tender spot.  Also, from day one he's had a urinating problem, he pees on everything and everyone he comes in contact with. I had a thought that it was his very large gonads that might be causing the urinating problem.  I'd like to have him neutered if that's possible.
Any solutions you might have will be very much welcomed, as he is a pretty cute little guy.
Thank you,
Dee West

ANSWER: Well, the first thing I must know is- Does he have a same gendered cage mate? If not that is the first thing that needs to be done, get him a friend. Rats are extremely social creatures and need interaction with their own species. They rely on their cage mates for warmth, love, grooming ect... Without them they can become quite depressed. Getting him a cage mate should be your top priority at this point.

Also, how big is his cage? Make sure that his cage is big enough for him and a friend. Rats do require enough room to live a happy life. Its possible that his nibbling (which is exactly what I would consider it if he is not lunging at you or breaking the skin, all my rats do this)... could be pure boredom or he could be feeling very cramped. If you measure your cage and input your measurements in a cage calculator it will tell you how many rats it will hold comfortably, I recommend doing this.. Here is a good cage calculator: http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.shtml

Just be sure to convert it over to inches if that is what you are measuring in...

When he bites you, does he lunge at you as if he is fearful? Is he doing this while you are holding him, or while he is in the cage? Does he do it sporadically or only at certain times (like maybe only when you stick your fingers through the cage bars?)... I definitely need more details to be able to determine WHY he is doing the biting or nibbling... I will say though that ALL of my rats give me love nibbles (as i call them). It's like they are tasting me, they just open their mouths and put their teeth over my finger or hand and just barely nibble down. It never hurts and they never break the skin. Remember that a rats mouth is much like their hands. They use it to taste and to carry things and pick things up and when it comes to our hands and fingers they also use it to keep you where they want you. Maybe he would like some scritches? I have a girl who will grab my finger with her teeth as if to say, "hey wait! Don't go yet!" and then situate herself so that she can get scritches on the head and neck.

The urinating could just be him marking you, which is actually a compliment :) Boy rats will do this on you to mark you as their territory. It means they really love you and want to make sure that other animals know that you belong to them. This marking should be in little droplets or almost as if he is wiping it on you as he walks and is completely normal. If he is really urinating on you, in puddles, or streams ect... This is most likely a fearful urination. Does he also defecate a lot while he is being held? I call this fear poop, and rats tend to fear poop and pee when they are really scared. My rats do this sometimes during a bath and always while at the vets office. It's very obvious too, not just a turd here or there and not just a drop or two of urine, it's A LOT...

So I definitely need a few more details before being able to give you a perfect answer but please do keep in mind that he absolutely needs a cage mate if he doesn't already have one. That is extremely important for him.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Melissa,
I would say that what you describe as love bites, is exactly what he's doing.  He is so affectionate.  At first I wasn't so sure about what he was doing so I'd yell at him and tell him no, while pointing my finger at him.  He'd sort of crouch down like he was going to attack me, with his rear end and tail sort of twitching, which really cracked me up, so I'd scoop him up and give him lovies.  Then all would be good for a few seconds and then another quick nip.  
As far as a cage mate, we did have one, but it was a female.
I mistakenly believed that rats came into season and were not fertile year round.  She got pregnant and passed away from complications.  This was a very sad situation for all of us.  He actually looked for her for several days. I was also under the impression that two males rats would not get along together in the same cage if they were not neutered.  Evidently I am mistaken.  The cage our rat lives in is two stories and I'm sure plenty of room for two rats.  They could even have separate sleeping quarters in the same cage if necessary.
As far as his urinating, some might call it drops some might call it a trail, actually it varies somewhere between the two. And yes the obvious reason would seem to be he is "marking his territory" like a cat or dog does.  It is a little annoying though when he pees on my mouse (wireless) or tries to mark my laptop.
Since he is around six months old now, should we try to get another one the same age or would it be okay to get a younger one.  It's hard to find a rat for sell that's over a few months old.
It's funny, your word 'Scritches',, because if I had to describe it, that would be the word I'd use to describe a sound he sometimes makes when I'm giving him lovies.
Thanks so much for you reply.  As soon as I hear back from you, we'll go out and get him a friend.  One thing you didn't cover and i am still wondering about was the neutering question.    We'll look forward to hearing from you again.
Sincerely,
Dee A. West   :-)

Answer
Hello again! Now that you describe his body language with the tail twitching and such, it sounds much more like he is actually playing with you! Thats just way too adorable :P Id want to give him lovies as well!! He sounds like such a sweetheart. Neutering can lower the amount of markings but I highly doubt that it would eliminate it. Neutering can be expensive and is a risky surgery (don't let any vet tell you that it's not a major surgery because it definitely is)... He would need to be at a vets office over night on a warming pad and on the correct kind of antibiotics. I am not a vet so I really can't say which kinds are best for after a surgery. Neutering can cause obesity in rats which can in turn shorten his lifespan if he is constantly gaining weight, it can be very stressful on the heart. Those are the only things that I know about neutering since I am a breeder- I have only ever had 1 rat neutered before and unfortunately he did not handle the anesthesia well and passed away shortly after waking up. I don't think that neutering just to reduce his marking is a good idea because really as he gets older- and he is closer to you- the marking will be less and less. Most of my males are completely over their marking stage but my younger boys really love to mark their little hearts out lol...

You can definitely introduce a baby rat in to the cage with him. There are some precautions to take though so please be prepare to do an introduction process over a few days time- it's a good idea to have another cage available, even just a 10 gallon tank since the baby will be small...

The first step in the process is to dab a bit of vanilla extract on both of their bums right above the tail on the back as well as a small dab on their testicles This will make them smell alike and it will be less likely for them to fight over territory. Clean and dry out the bathtub and place a towel in the bottom for them to walk on and place them both in the tub. They will sniff around, sniff each other, do some squeaking and talking... They might even puff up and squawk at each other... Fighting is normal- as long as there is no bloodshed, it's OKAY! Just be patient and stand by to watch. If a severe fight does break out it's best to keep a shoebox lid or something of the sort on hand. You do NOT want to separate them with your hands, it will hurt... I use the shoebox lid to place between them so I can go ahead and scoop up one of the rats and give everyone a second to calm down... This is only if I feel it's a bad fight... This might sound scary but I have never had a bad experience with introductions, these are just precautions.

Since your boy is used to his cage he has established it as his home, his territory. In order to make things go smoothly, shortly before you are certain they are ready to live together you will need to SCRUB the cage top to bottom (wires, toys, wash hammocks or change them, wash hidey houses and change bedding)... Make sure your boy has no scents left behind... When you put the cage back together move stuff around. Put the hammock in a different spot (preferably a new one, scrap fabrics and safety pins work well), place the wheel or any toys in different areas, even add a new item or toy, put the hidey house somewhere else ect... Give them something interesting to do as well, like throw a cheap roll of toilet paper in there and let them tear it to shreds. All of these things will help them get used to eachother and eliminate the smells from your older boy so he does not feel territorial... You might have to do the introductions over several days, it may only take an hour- it all depends on your rats!

Oh yes, and the sound that your boy makes when he is happy is him grinding his teeth together. It's called Bruxing and is the equivalent of a cats purr. Sometimes when they are super happy they will brux so hard their eyes will boggle (vibrate). It's very very adorable!

Oh yes, and also- it is not true that males can't live together. I have 2 cages of boys, both have 3 boys each and they love eachother. It's very unhealthy for them to be alone, they need the companionship. Its natural for rats to fight once in a while and sometimes I will hear my boys going at it in the rat room and think that if I walk in I will see blood everywhere and you know what I find? I find two boys just wrestling around, and they immediately perk up when I walk in like nothing ever happened :p

Let me know if you have any other questions at all! I am pretty sure I covered all of the ones that you had, but let me know if I missed any :)