# Is there anyway to help him?



## CourteesRatties (Feb 23, 2016)

My newest rat galileo just doesn't seem to understand he isn't the dominant rat. Now i love him i do and have for four months but even when my big boys SHOW him he isnt in charge and that their bigger he still wont give up and submit. Hes like half their size but if he sees they wont submit to him its like he gets frustrated because then he starts popcorning around, humping and starting boxing matches. I just dont know what to do. Is there someway to show him hes not in charge and to submit? And he seems to do it the same time everyday, right before i sleep.


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## Andromeda (Apr 28, 2016)

If they aren't hurting each other (no blood), I would just let them be. They're probably just playing.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

This is why I hate the whole dominance issues. While there is dominance in animals it is not so simple as alpha vs beta. There is not a rat in charge vs everyone else being submissive to them. 
There is an entire myriad of behaviors going on rather than just one rat wanting to be in charge and the others knowing it.

How old are all of the rats in question? 

The biggest issues are usually:

1. Too small of a cage. This can leave everyone feeling smushed and irritable and often leads to arguments over space.

2. One much younger rat vs older rats. Young rats are full of energy, playfullness, and boundless fun while the older rats are lazy and tired of their crap lol I see it more common in males as god do males get lazy lol So you have this younger rat that just wants to play and he gets on the older rats nerves. Imagine a little brother situation, where your little brother is just an annoying little twerp lol
On top of this far far too many rats are taken from their mom too early and are never properly rat socialized. They never learn proper rat social skills. So an adult gives them the warning- knock it off, and they don't get it. 

3. Hormones! Around 5-9 months old, depending on the rat, boys go through some hormonal changes. For most males, this is fine and nothing much changes. For others, all **** breaks loose. They often get hormonal aggression. In these cases it can be mild to extreme. In the worst cases the only thing that can be done is to have him neutered.


Now in general the rule is no blood/injury, then just let them work it out. If there is ever blood/injury separate at once.
In the mean time, make sure your cage is a good enough size. Make sure there are multiple beds/hammocks/hides so everyone can go to separate corners if they wish. I'd have multiple food dishes/water bottles on different levels/sides of the cage.

Also let him burn off his energy in a more focused manner so it doesn't have to be directed at the other boys. You said it is mostly right before bed? Take him out of the cage right before then and hardcore play with him until he is sleepy. Put him back in the cage with a snack. Taking him out of the cage multiple times a day will also help.


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## CourteesRatties (Feb 23, 2016)

There is never any blood or wounds but there have been rat balls and a lot of squealing. Ive tried playing with him more and also been giving them things to keep occupied like mini pumpkins to chew and hollow.


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## CourteesRatties (Feb 23, 2016)

But their cage is no issue as there is only 4 in a DCN


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

I think Moonkissed summarized it very well. How old are your oldest rats? At what age and where did you get Galileo?


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

What's inside their DCN cage, can you post a pic so you can see if there enough rat entertaining stuff in it


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## CourteesRatties (Feb 23, 2016)

1 year and galileo is around 5-7 months


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## CourteesRatties (Feb 23, 2016)

and their hammocks are in the washer right now i will take a pic as soon as they are hung back up


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## Ladylazerstar702 (Sep 15, 2016)

I don't have males so I'm not sure about the hormonal aggression but with my girls when I got my two babies they would constantly try to play with the older two and they would get fed up and snap at them or kick them. Of course no blood was ever drawn except the occasional accidental scratch on the hairless. I started taking the baby girls out for about 30 minutes before I took the big girls out and it helped to tire them out so they didn't pick so hard on the older ones. They just had way too much energy for the older girls to want to tolerate.


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