# Unhappy rat



## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

Since Rokk moved in with the girls, he just doesn't seem to be happy anymore. He mostly stays in the litter box, and will sometimes tolerate the girls climbing over him and around him, and sometimes he'll chase them off. He's constantly trying assert his dominance, and when he's not in the litter box, he's squabbling with at least one of them. Sakura avoids him, and Coconut bullies him and keeps challenging his dominance. He sometimes gets puffy when she's around, but there hasn't been any real fighting.

When I bring him out for one-on-one time, it takes him a while to warm up to me. First he's pretty stiff and still, and sometimes just freezes in my arms, no matter how much I pet him and talk to him. Sometimes he clamors up to my shoulder and hides his head in my hair. When I set him down, he'll run off and hide, and slowly start venturing back. After 15 minutes or so, he seems to calm down completely and turns back into his old sweet self. He never wants to go back into the cage. When I had it next to the desk and kept the door open so they could all come and go as they pleased, the girls hung out in the cage, while Rokk stayed in the drawer, as far from them as he could get.

I'm trying to decide what I should do about this. I got him neutered and put him with them so he would be happy, and have a better life than being a lone rat. But it seems to be working in the opposite direction. He seemed much happier being alone - and not just when he was out with me. He would sit in his cage and boggle and brux to himself, and climb around, and, I don't know, he just seemed happy. Now he rarely boggles, even when he's alone with me.

I should be getting my FN next week. My original plan was to keep all of the rats together, but now I'm wondering if that's a good idea. At the moment, I'm tentatively thinking I might try introducing him to Kismet (my new baby girl, maybe 5 or 6 weeks old - I posted about her in Meet My Rat). My theory is that since she's so small, there shouldn't be any dominance issues with them - there weren't with Coconut and Jellybean, and even now Jellybean is the dominant one of the two, although Rokk dominates Jellybean and Coconut challenges Rokk. But since Rokk is so much bigger than tiny little Kismet, I am worried about that. My hope is that if Rokk and Kismet get along, I could house them together in one half of the FN, and the three older girls together in the other, since they all get along beautifully. I'm also worried that maybe Rokk really was fine with being alone, and maybe he'll never be happy with other rats.

I'm wondering what everyone thinks I should do. I just want him to be happy!


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## Whiskers (Jun 29, 2007)

[align=center]Well if he seemed happy alone, I would let him be alone.
But that's just me.
I haven't had much experience with rats.[/align]


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

I would let him be alone. I have a few males and one female that actually prefer to be alone rather than with friends. I know everyone says that they need friends but this is not ALWAYS the case LoL. Sebestian is much happier since I seperated him, Steve was a lone rat (i had to rehome him because of aggression towards my son), Sniffs was a lone rat untill blaze and gir came along, Sugar Bear is a loner and so is Bill. (though i am still working on those two. Celeste is still being introduced to my girls but she will be in a home with friends soon I am hoping.


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

I think you have the right idea. Starting with a younger rat might work, but if it doesn't... you tried! 

Also, FN's are huge; it might help to have sooo much room...


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## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

Thanks for the replies!

My FN should get here Monday (I'm so excited!), so I'm going to put the four of them in there and see how well that works out for them. I'm kind of expecting Rokk to stake out one area, and the girls will stick to a different one. Since Kismet will still have 2 more weeks of QT, that will give me plenty of time to see how Rokk and the girls are getting along, and I'll decide where to go from there. If there are still problems with Rokk, I am going to try introing him to Kismet and hope they get along. If not, I'll just keep him alone, and hope that someday a rat will come along that he will be able to be friends with and love ^_^


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## Sparker (Jun 17, 2007)

I think it will work out for you. When Barry got neutered and moved in with the ladies, they had a really hard time in the beginning, too. When I bought a new, larger cage and moved them all in, they went from fighting to being in looove...


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## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

Oh, I really hope so! Thanks for the encouragement


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## rattikins (Jun 12, 2007)

I agree that patience is the key  don't get discouraged!!


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Some males take up to 2 months for all that hormonal angst to disappear. It sounds like he is just making the adjustment to living with bossy females. As a lot of people have said, patience and a biiiiig cage will help a lot. Then he has the option of being with them. When you finally see your big boy cuddling with the girls in a hammie you are going to melt. If he decides he won't cuddle with them then he is still with them but in the FN he can have his "own time" and still be with rats. I bet little Kismet breaks him down though, little babies love the big neutered fellas. :lol:


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

Like lilspaz says. 

One thing I would say is, I have read that you have to be extremely careful introducing adult males to babies, more so than adult females. If I remember correctly it was because males can be more inclined to see the baby as a threat. I'm not saying don't do it, just be more careful than you normally would when introducing rats.


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## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

By the time Kismet's QT is up, it will have been about 2 months since his neuter. Will that help him be more tolerant of her? I'll definitely be very careful and watchful in either case, because she is so small and he is so much bigger than her.

Rokk does occasionally sleep with one or two of the girls, but never Coconut. After the first night they were all together, when I woke up I saw him and Jellybean cuddled up together. It was so cute! And I got a picture of him and Sakura napping in the drawer. So I am really hoping it's mostly a space issue. The cage they're in now is technically big enough for the 4 of them (holds 5 or 6), but it just seems like there isn't a lot of room. But maybe that's because all of them prefer the top level so they're usually all squished in one little area.

I spent a lot of time with him today, just the two of us! I skritched him and petted him and rubbed him down, and told him how much I love him, and that the girls aren't so bad, they can be annoying but in a few days he'll have lots of room and places to get away from them if he wants to, and if he really really doesn't like it he can have his own "room" again. He bruxed and boggled and groomed my hands to tell me he still loves me even though I'm making him live with the girls. It was a nice afternoon ^_^


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## cashewsmama (Aug 10, 2007)

how precious.

i love your coconut haha, she sounds like a character. hm... about rokk, your idea about kismet sounds good. i also have one lone rat. hates all other rats with a passion. you'll just know


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

cashewsmama said:


> how precious.
> 
> i love your coconut haha, she sounds like a character. hm... about rokk, your idea about kismet sounds good. i also have one lone rat. hates all other rats with a passion. you'll just know


Please see latest post in over the rainbow bridge. RIP Rokk


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