# Tips for Reintroducing Aggressive Male Rats?



## cephres (Sep 8, 2014)

Ok, here's the story. I got my two unneutered male rats, Gilligan and Wink, in September of 2014. All went well and they cuddled/played with minor bickering for many months. Then suddenly a few months ago they became intensely aggressive, and I had to separate them one night because Wink would not stop attacking Gilligan(There was blood). They have been separated(one in the top of the Rat Manor and one in the bottom) ever since, and reintroductions were useless once they were together outside of that time again  I feel so awful about it, I hate keeping them in such a small space, and all alone too. 

However, tomorrow is (finally!) the date of Wink's neuter. I could only afford to neuter one of them, and since he is the aggressor, he was the obvious choice. I also bought them a single unit Critter Nation and all new toys/litter box/hammock. (Do you hear that? It's the sound of my wallet weeping) 

Here's my plan:
_1. Get Wink neutered and wait about two weeks for his hormone levels to drop.
2. Bathe them thoroughly with scented soap, then do the introduction(s) in the new Critter Nation, an all new place where they have never been before. _
*
However*, I've heard that some people have success with really "scary" introductions, for example one person did their intros in a hamper on a noisy running washing machine, and whenever their rats would puff up they had a jar of coins to shake to break them up. Do scary intros work? This sounds super mean to me but if it's what it takes I will try it! ): 

Does my plan sound good? Should I wait longer/less after Wink's neuter to reintroduce? Or should I try more disorienting introductions? I am also scared of them having a bad intro in the Critter Nation and then having bad associations with their new home D': This is so hard! Please give me some advice!


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I would not do scary intros  that is terribly sad sounding. It also seems quite counter productive. You want the experience of them being together to be pleasant, happy, positive. So they then see each other that way. if you make it stressful/negative they may see each other as the cause of the problem. 

I have had success with reintroducing male rats that were trying to literally kill each other. Without neutering.

But I do think that part of the issue was that I had other rats and it was more territorial then hormonal. 

Every rat is different and sometimes rats just can not be together. 

I would wait until his neuter was completely healed and he seemed to be in good shape as well. Ive never had a rat neutered so I am not sure on that.

My preferred Intro method:

Take the rats to an empty bathtub. Use a type of messy food- chocolate syrup, yogurt, baby food. It should be extra yummy. Put the food on them. This does two things- it helps mask their smell while also giving the entire meeting a very positive experience. They will likely bathe themselves and perhaps bathe one another even.

if that goes well - no fights. Then you can give them a quick bath together to wash off the food. Then put them in a small warm space with lots of towels to dry off. I prefer a cat carrier. This also helps mask the smell and bonds them over the bath experience.

If that goes well. Then you can put them in the cage together. First the cage needs to be super deep cleaned. Get into every corner and nook. Vinegar is your friend. Also clean everything going inside the cage- dont forget food dishes, water bottles, beds, toys. Everything needs to be deep cleaned or new.

The idea is to have no smell left of the current rat(s). In some cases I would even suggest cleaning around the cage and/or moving the cage into a new neutral room for a few days/weeks. (in this case I highly suggest putting the cage in a new room for a week or so)

When putting stuff back in the cage I suggest making it alittle bit bare so if there is a fight no one gets injured on something. I would also go with multiple food dishes, water bottles and beds. All placed on different levels/sides of the cage. This will help to prevent fights.


There will likely be displays of dominance, spats, nosily squabbles. Those are all fine and normal. Let them work that out on their own. But if there is any blood or injuries I would separate at once.


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## cephres (Sep 8, 2014)

@moonkissed Thank you so much for such an in depth reply!!! I definitely won't do the scary intro then, it seems so inhumane ;_; I _will_ however definitely try the method that you've described here, I really hope that it works! Thanks again! <3


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## Rob&Beth (Aug 5, 2013)

I once had to do a scary intro with one particularly aggressive older resident rat (plenty of time left after neuter) and two newbies. After weeks with no success (even with the carrier method), I eventually put them in the shower and put the shower on. I felt sooooo mean. They were terrified  but he stopped being aggressive and they bonded over the fear. After this we did further introductions in neutral spaces and the carrier method. I was apprehensive as there had been a few significant injuries on the way (including someone's tail degloved and someone's scrotum split). In the end it was the best thing for Snorlax as he gave up his alpha role (he was a rubbish alpha anyway) and settled into a cosy, stress-free life of retirement. They became good friends. That was the only time I went to this extreme though. I will say that those rats all had a lifelong fear of water.

I don't know about re-introduction, I would go about it like a normal introduction. Hopefully they won't be so aggressive as they already know each other. I would recommend the carrier method: http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?193945-Introducing-Rats-using-the-Carrier-Method as recommended to me by Isamurat, this worked a treat with all other intros I've done. I used my cat's carrier as I thought the smell of cat might unnerve them a bit as well. It is scary putting them in such a small space! That intro with Snorlax was the first one I'd ever done so I try not to be over-cautious now. I would separate if there was aggressive behaviour like poofing and sidling but keep together if it's just grooming and peeping.

Hope they become friends again!


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## cephres (Sep 8, 2014)

Thank you so much! If push comes to shove I will try the scary kind of intro )-': But I will definitely try the carrier method first! Thank you for the link <3


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## Emma tarry (Dec 30, 2021)

moonkissed said:


> I would not do scary intros  that is terribly sad sounding. It also seems quite counter productive. You want the experience of them being together to be pleasant, happy, positive. So they then see each other that way. if you make it stressful/negative they may see each other as the cause of the problem.
> 
> I have had success with reintroducing male rats that were trying to literally kill each other. Without neutering.
> 
> ...


Can I ask how you managed to get your rats re introduced without getting them neautered? I’ve had one of my rats separated now and debating wether to re try introductions or to neuter I don’t know which is best but I need to make a decision as I don’t want him on his own much longer.


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