Question for Rat people?

Question

I have 4 rats. One I got two days ago and is about 7 weeks. Buddy is 1 year, Baby is 6mths, Honey is 4mths, and Sweetie is 7wks. Baby is the alpha, Buddy is a close second. Baby power grooms Buddy often. Honey just hit puberty. Up until today, they all coexisted in a large enclosure the size of two very large chinchilla cages. Everything was pretty peaceful. Honey and Buddy got into a fight. They both have marks, Bud fairing the worse with a big chunk out of his butt. I have split the two cages apart. What do I do now. They still all love each other, but Honey is so hormonal and keeps nipping and picking on Bud ( a little on Baby). Should I keep em together? Should I seperate forever? Should I only let Honey and Bud play when they are being supervised? Should I house Honey with Baby or Baby and Buddy alone. When I put Sweetie in when he is big enough, should I just put him in with Honey so Honey can be his alpha? Why isnt Baby stopping the fight between the other two. I have seen him do it before during a little tiff that happened during free-roam play time. Urg! I really don't want to keep them seperated. What can I do? Who should I put with who?

Answer 1

For now, seperate them and put them together only when you watch them. If they show any sign of aggression, make a scary sound or squirt water between them or push your hand in between them to stop the aggression. Eventually they'll learn that aggression leads to bad things. Also eventually they sould calm down, bring them out for playtime or something and they'll probly make up

Answer 2

Keep them separated, esp as one has a broken leg, if you can have them in pairs that would be good. Then after the recommended healing time for the broken leg, attempt to reintroduce them to each other. Take them out together for their exercise wherever you do that for a few weeks and watch them. Hopefully they will start to bond again and the littlies will have grown. When you can see they are definately getting on and not fighting (they may have minor scuffle at first, but this isn't serious) after a few more days, reintroduce them. And closely watch them for a while to make sure they are getting on.

I would put sweetie in with the most gentle/the one he gets on with most.

Answer 3

you should keep them in two pairs for now and slowly introduce them. whe nyou put them togetther dont do it in a cage coz that teritory init if they do fight swirt them with water it shuold stop them boy rats are harder to introduce. nueturing them is a option but expencive. good look

Answer 4

Rats are very social with members of their own kind, and should be kept in pairs at minimum. Baby rats can be removed from their litters at about six weeks of age. A pair of females is recommended for first-time rat caretakers. Males can do well together if introduced when they are young. Females, on the other hand, are more accepting of new friends introduced later in life.

Note that a neutered male can live with females, or a spayed female can live with males. Do not keep intact males and females together, as they will breed—and breed. The average rat litter is 12 young, and can be as high as 20.

Rats do best in wire cages because they enjoy climbing, and the wire offers good ventilation. A cage that is 2’ x 2’ x 2’ will generally do for a pair of rats, but a larger space would be much appreciated. If you plan to keep more than that, you’ll need a larger cage. The floor should be solid, and a bedding of aspen or pelleted recycled paper must be provided. Do not use pine or cedar shavings, which can be harmful to your pets. If you find that your rats like to make nests, provide shredded paper towels or napkins for this purpose.

Answer 5

id say keep in separate cages for now. supervise them and try to make sure there is no fighting. make sure honey becomes nicer and then put them back together