# Rat nipping other rats' ears



## Lunchy (Aug 28, 2017)

Hi everyone,

I've posted about this before, basically my more dominant male Rick has a habit of biting the ears of his cagemates, mostly Morty. His ears used to be really bad and scabby but they aren't as bad now, but Rick still has the habit. It only happened after Rick was alone for a few days (we thought just Morty had parasites so he got separated, and Charlie was in a separate cage anyway due to a previous bad intro) and after we moved Morty back in, Rick started biting his ears (and only his ears). It happens in and outside the cage. As I mentioned Morty's ears aren't as scabby as they used to be, so I'm unsure if Rick is doing it less, or just nipping lighter than before. It just happens out of nowhere, I've managed to video it (don't worry, I normally intervene a little if I see Rick's face hanging around Morty's ears to prevent it) and I'm really unsure if this is something hormonal, or something different. It's been happening for 2-3 months now. Does anyone have any ideas?


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## Basiltheplant (Jan 2, 2017)

From my perception Rick seems almost bored before going to bite Mortys ear. And even during the process and aftermath he still seems to have a bit of a bored expression and body language. I am no expert and have never had a mischief of boys so I am not as familiar with their behaviour as I am with that of girls. The bite did not look to me to be aggressive or dominating. Rather, he looked bored. Which brings the question "Why would he bite his cagemate just because he is bored?" My answer being that when I was younger and I was bored, I would go antagonize my siblings because even though it did not accomplish anything, at least it was something to do.
I do not know what set up you have for them and therefore do not know if it is actually boredom or something else. And I would suggest possibly providing more mental stimulation to try and stave off boredom. 
Here is an article from the American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association that is packed full of some ideas on how to provide more mental stimulation
http://www.afrma.org/enviroenrich.htm


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## Lunchy (Aug 28, 2017)

Basiltheplant said:


> From my perception Rick seems almost bored before going to bite Mortys ear. And even during the process and aftermath he still seems to have a bit of a bored expression and body language. I am no expert and have never had a mischief of boys so I am not as familiar with their behaviour as I am with that of girls. The bite did not look to me to be aggressive or dominating. Rather, he looked bored. Which brings the question "Why would he bite his cagemate just because he is bored?" My answer being that when I was younger and I was bored, I would go antagonize my siblings because even though it did not accomplish anything, at least it was something to do.
> I do not know what set up you have for them and therefore do not know if it is actually boredom or something else. And I would suggest possibly providing more mental stimulation to try and stave off boredom.
> Here is an article from the American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association that is packed full of some ideas on how to provide more mental stimulation
> http://www.afrma.org/enviroenrich.htm


You know what, I hadn't thought of boredom at all. I thought that their cage was fine for them but knew that their free range time wasn't the most enriching yet. I'll have a look and see what I can pick up cheap - thanks!


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