My pet rats are acting weird - over-enthusiastic grooming. Advice please!

Question

I have four rats. I've had three of them for about a year and then added a fourth one (Tar) to the mix. Tar was pretty shy, but the others were very out-going and social and sweet. She fit in well at first.

Now it seems like the Tar is being a little rough with my other rats, but not in a malicious way. She's just grooming them really roughly. I'll hear squeaking and look at the cage and see her grooming one of the other ones really enthusiastically. The other rat will run away, and she'll follow to groom some more. She's a bit bigger and heavier than the other ones, and she might just not know she's hurting them.

Has anyone else had any experience like this? Is she being mean? Is she being nice but rough (and what should I do about it)? or did my other rats just turn into wimps?

Thanks for any advice!!

Answer 1

Sounds like she's asserting her dominance over the others. I wouldn't worry about it unless it gets rough, it will likely die down once they all find their places in the hierarchy. If the others accept her as dominant rat, it will stop. If they don't, there may be fighting. Just keep an eye out. With Tar coming in, things were shaken up and they need to fit her in and find their new spots.

EDIT: It's funny that Nathan asserts having pet rats screams "child molester" and "serial killer" despite the fact that he is asking questions about guns and knives. Couldn't we make the same generalization?

Answer 2

My rat Tobie does that to my other rat, Luna. I'm guessing they are just trying to show who is dominant.  

Answer 3

just seperate them

Answer 4

how about you get pets that don't scream, "child molester" or "serial killer"

Answer 5

I would advise peanut butter on your rat traps. That should get them to stop being enthusiastic.

Answer 6

New rat establishing the pecking order, she wants to be top rat. if the other rats don't submit, she might start hurting them.

Answer 7

congrats your rat is pregnant.

Answer 8

courtney pretty much said it all! just check on them regularly and make sure that it doesn't get too bad!

good luck!♥♥

Answer 9

I have two girl rats and the more dominant one will aggressively groom the other rat occasionally.  She's doing this to assert her dominance over the other rat.  The one of mine that's getting groomed usually squeaks, but it's no big deal.  I wouldn't worry about it unless your rat is actually getting injured.  It's a perfectly normal thing and not to be interpreted as aggressive behavior.  You don't need to separate them.

Fancy Rat Forum had this on it:

"Grooming – dominant rats both demand to groom other rats and demand to be groomed by them. Alpha rats will sometimes push their head under the head of an inferior male as an insistence that they groom him. However, inferior rats can also flatten themselves under alphas in a submissive gesture, so grooming behaviour requires careful observation in order to interpret it correctly."

Answer 10

my rats did that

right before they had babies.

Answer 11

hi yh sometimes rat makes noises when they groom eachother bit like cats when they purr but if the other rats have marks on them or have bled then i suggest you take tar out and put her in another cage , it could mean dominance aswell wich can lead to fighting ,but if your rats not bled or have no marks on them from tar they should be alright