My rats are fighting a lot....HELP!?

Question

I posted a question about my rats death earlier. I finally got a new rat. The new one,Piper is a dumbo rat. Daisy seems to accept her, but i dont know. I know that they fight for play and dominance, but lately Piper has been so aggressive. Daisy will give up, but Piper keeps fightong with her. Could the fact that they are different types of rats be an issue?

Answer 1

How long have they been together, about? I'm guessing it's been at least for a short while, since you insinuated that they got along at first.

In the case that it's only been a very short while, it could be that they're not entirely used to each other yet. Did you introduce them properly?

It's not that their ears are different. It could be a number of things, though. You may be confusing fighting with play and the establishment of dominance, perhaps, especially if Piper is younger than Daisy. It's an easy mistake to make, particularly if you haven't seen any truly aggressive behavior.

Play/dominance play might involve chasing around and tackling, so that one rat is on its back on the ground with the other pinning it, usually sniffing and grooming the submissive one. Sometimes there'll be squeaking, which is generally okay, as long as they get up and walk away with each other as fine as they were before the scaffle. Sometimes, you'll see some humping going on. Chances are, if Piper is younger than Daisy, she's trying to play and Daisy's a little old to tolerate the rumbling. Depending on how old Daisy is, she may also be trying to tell Daisy that she's the top ranking rat in the house. I have a pair of females, one who's over two years old, and the other is about ten to twelve months. I see the younger one, Zap, pin the older one Alice down a lot and groom her vigorously while Alice squeaks plaintively, and then they get up like nothing happened. If this is the kind of thing you're seeing, it's perfectly fine and there's nothing to be worried about, as long as it doesn't escalate into a fight.

Aggressive behavior includes standing up straight on their hind legs, eye-to-eye with their arms outstretched and pushing one another. They may puff up their fur, sidle (back their rear up on the other rat in a funny-looking, side-step motion), or even fight. There'll often times be a lot of loud squeaking, screeching, or screaming going on, and all of it sounds pretty scary. In general, most people go by the rule of no "blood, no foul." It's usually best to let them sort these fights out themselves so that they can get used to one another as well as establish who's dominant and who's not. However, if it's excessive or ongoing and if they're stressed out from it, it may be ideal to separate them.

After that, you can try to gradually re-introduce them again and see if they get along better. It's a good idea to do this at bath time or on neutral territory during playtime - I think you already know that from your last question, right? In the sources, I've linked to a good reference for introductions, just in case you need some help or a guide line.

However, if Piper just refuses to leave Daisy be, it may mean you have to keep them separate and situate something so that they are not alone. It may just be that Piper is an aggressive rat. You'd have to decide from considering the circumstances how to accommodate them.

Good luck, and I hope you can work something out soon! Rat fights are no fun at all, but feel lucky you're not dealing with boys. ;) They're even worse about it.

Answer 2

Seperate them. Sorry, but you might have to. Also, it could be rough cleaning.

Answer 3

are your rats hungry?  if not you must separate them.

Answer 4

separte them?? better if one is female one is male

Answer 5

try a male in the cage with them or seperate them. you could also try a wheel or other type of activity.

Answer 6

Are they drawing blood on each other? The general rule is "no blood, no foul". If no one is getting injured, it's all play and dominance fighting and they should be left to sort themselves out.

The fact that they have different ear types has absolutely nothing to do with it, no.

Answer 7

Maybe it's because piper is a dude and he is trying to get into daisy's pants and she don;t want him to so he gets all pissy and beats her HE IS A ABUSIVE HUSBAND CALL SOCIAL SERVICES TAKE HER INTO HIDING SHE IS GETTING BEATEN HELP HER DEAR GOD AND HAVE MERCY ON THIS CHILD FOR NOT SEEING IT BEFORE!!

Answer 8

one being a dumbo and one being a standard has nothing to do with why they are fighting.

As long as there is no blood there is no problem.  The size of the cage could sometimes play a role.  I have 5 females.  I used to keep them in a cage made for 6 to 7 rats but they would fight often.  When I moved them into a ferret nation 142 which is big enough for 10 rats, they fight less... a lot less.

Also, did you introduce them slowly?  If you did not introduce them slowly and just threw the new rat in with your current one, then this can also be why your current rat is a bit aggressive towards the first.  How would you feel if someone forced you to live with a complete stranger the rest of your life, without slowly introducing eath other first?

again, no blood no problem