# Territorial male rat, and can he ever have a friend?



## Bumble-Bee (Apr 21, 2016)

I have been hard at work doing trust training with my new rescue, Ransom.

He is very friendly when in a new area or on my lap. He just ends up sleeping and boggling whenever I pet him. He is very territorial in his cage and in the room where I let my girls play. In his cage he is alright if I pet him for a few minutes but he has bitten me twice but I am trying my best to work with him. I don't feed him any treats from my hands or through the cage bars. Due to a back injury he can't be flipped and he doesn't respond to being bopped on the nose. I wear oven mitts around him as soon as I see any territorial behavior. We have been working in his cage recently. He will bite the oven mitts multiple times, puff up, push his body into them, and stand up in a fighting stance. After around 20 minutes of biting the oven mitts he gives up and sleeps. I can then pet him with the oven mitts and even my own hands. I talk to him the whole time.

I will say that I have seen improvement! The last session we had he never bit the oven mitts! I could tell he was thinking about it and he did puff up a lot but he allowed me to pet him and he fell asleep. 

I have a suspicion that he became aggressive as he matured and that is why he was abandoned in a parking lot. I think he is likely a little over a year old. The rescue I got him from didn't want him neutered and I will respect their wishes.

I really hope that someday he can have a friend. I know my girls thrive in a large group and I feel bad that he is on his own. I don't want to risk any rat getting injured. At this point I don't believe he is ready to do introductions, but I remain hopeful that someday he may have a friend. Does anyone have any advice or experience with similar situations? I am all ears!


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## Bumble-Bee (Apr 21, 2016)

I would like to add that I do not corner him or go after him. He is actively pursuing my hands/oven mitts. Even in the end when he sleeps he does so touching them.


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## Grotesque (Mar 19, 2014)

All I can add is that I have a neutered male rescue who is extremely aggressive towards other rats but is the sweetest rat you'll ever meet when he is alone. I know this is different than your situation, but I do keep him separate. 

I have tried intros. I've worked with him for MONTHS around other rats and it just isn't happening. He has taken a chunk out of GG's back which luckily healed and poor Olive is short one eye due to his attacks. 

He needs a LOT of extra attention and care, but I do keep him alone.


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## Bumble-Bee (Apr 21, 2016)

I am glad to know that some rats out there can't be around other rats. Well I guess glad isn't the best way to put it, but I'm happy to know I am not alone!


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

There are in some rare cases rats who simply can not be kept with others. There is often a severe issue that just can not be "fixed" either hormones, trauma, etc...

I have a male rat that has to live alone. I took him in already a bit older and he wants no part of other rats after his brother died. 

Please do not ever bop him, even a gentle bop is not good. When you hit or bop an animal it something very negative. If a rat is biting they are already in a bad place- it is almost always fear or aggression. And when you hit you are just hyping up that fear/aggression and now also connecting the negative with yourself. (ps for anyone reading never flip your rat either to "show dominance" or to teach them no. )

The most ideal situation is to never be in the situation to be bit, which is easier said than done lol If he does bite, I'd say eep loudly. He may or may not have learned the social cutes of what that means but it may help.

1. What territorial signs does he show? Is he just biting randomly or do you see clear signals before hand?

Is he kept in the same room as the girls? The ladies could be making things worse for him. Hormones are usually the cause of aggression issues. Try putting him in a room far from the ladies, like the other side of the house if possible. Make sure to play with him before handling the girls, so you don't smell like them. It may help.

Honestly the oven mitts are probably super scary. I really never suggest that if possible. I personally like to just go slow and at their pace. Food on a spoon usually wins over most! A sweet/fruity baby food usually works best. But try different foods you want it to be something he loves ALOT! Only put a smidge on the spoon so he needs to lick it off. You start by feeding them in the cage. If they won't come to the door than have the spoon way in there as far back as possible.

Every day, several times a day trying is ideal. I try that same times help develop a good routine.

Start off just letting him come to the spoon and talk sweetly to him. No sudden movements. 
When he is constantly getting up and going for the spoon with no fearful body language and/or coming closer to you. Move the spoon an inch closer to the door. 
Repeat this. Moving closer to the door every so often when he is showing good progress. 
It is painfully slow and always on his terms. 
If he starts getting scared or aggressive move the spoon back in farther an inch. Never be afraid to go back and never try to rush it.
When you get to the door yay! Next work on moving outside the door. Once he does that, you can work on moving farther from the cage. 

On top of that, every single day at a very specific time I would go in and give him a very yummy treat that you can just set down. A gerber baby puff might work, just something he loves. 
You walk in and say his name + a key word (I use nummies). Sound super happy and excited like this is the most amazing thing in the entire world. Just put it in his cage. No pushing him, no handling him. He just gets a free treat. But this is teaching him so much! One you are awesome! His name & the word mean good stuff is coming! And there is zero fear or stress or having to be brave related to this. It is like a magic free pass. And that will make waves for building his confidence and lowering his stress. It is KEY that it is at a time where he won't be disturbed, like say it is right before you go to work or before you sit down to dinner or something.

Thirdly try not to handle him at all during all of this. Forced socialization almost never works in these situations and when it seems to it is usually more of a bandaid that gives the illusion of it working without actually fixing it. It can also cause the problem to become much worse, as it is stressful. Get a box like shoe box sized and poke a hole in it that is rat sized. MOST rats will instinctively crawl inside the box when offered. This can be used to transfer him, like when you clean the cage. If he won't, then I would suggest ok use the oven mitts and pick him up and put him wherever quickly without trying to scare him if possible.

I will say all of this can be painfully slow. You may not see any progress for a month or so. Not everyone has that patience lol But you are going to be building a good foundation and that takes time.

2. You said he had a back injury? It could very well be pain based. Animals are very good at hiding pain. Has he seen a vet recently? You might discuss it being pain based aggression and he may just need pain medication.

I would always consider the quality of life, if he is not showing signs of depression and is ok with you vs if he is constantly stressed, depressed, etc... Mental health is just as important as physical health. Some rats who show severe aggression are not in a good place mentally. They are suffering constantly. They are alone but they don't enjoy it, they are not anti-social they just are afraid or stressed with other rats. It is even worse if they can't find comfort with you. There may be alot of serious painful mental stuff going on inside of him. 

Every rat is different, and only you can judge for sure. But I will say that I would always consider euthanasia. Just as I would if it were a physical illness killing him. The quality of life matters and we can love them all we want, but if they are not feeling it 
Hopefully with work he can change but know that some rats can't and it is not because of something you did wrong. If it comes to that, don't feel like you are giving up but giving him peace that he deserves.


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## Bumble-Bee (Apr 21, 2016)

I did eep at first when he would bite but he didn't respond to it, he'd recoil and attempt to bite again so I have come to the assumption that he may not know rat social cues. When he bites I loudly tell him no and he eventually gets tired of biting. I can see the clear signs before hand. He will puff up, chatter his teeth, move sideways and push into my hand, he will scratch the floor and drag his hind end, he will stand on his hind legs, and he will lunge for my hand with his teeth out. I think this could also be a learned behavior. I think he may bite to get what he wants, to be left alone. As a rescue I have no idea what his past was like so I don't know how he was handled. He has bitten other people besides me and was returned to the rescue by a previous adopter for the same reason.


He is now kept in the same room as the girls but it actually seemed to be better for him. This is why I feel horrible that he is alone. He will often sit facing their cage and just watch them. He doesn't show any signs of being aggressive or territorial. He will watch them for a few minutes then sleep. When he was in a different room he would pace around his cage pawing at the bedding. Now he will watch them occasionally, groom himself, and sleep. I can put him in a separate room again to see what his behavior is like again, maybe it will change now that he has been around me longer. I also always make sure to wash my hands before being around him so they don't smell like food or the girls.


Sometimes baby food is a hit or miss. He will either sit there eating it up or he will be more interested in the hand holding the spoon. When he is eating it he does boggle and slowly I can pet him. He will always greet me at the door so I don't have to worry about him avoiding me. When I open the door he actually runs to it and stands there the whole time I am by the cage. He has never run away from me or my hand. I also make sure that I am never cornering him because I know that would be a recipe for disaster. In part it actually makes it more difficult because I don't believe he is afraid of me. He has no problem being picked up or handled, he will actually crawl on top of my hand. This is within a few seconds of opening the cage door. If I hang out near his cage too long his demeanor changes and that's when he bites. One second he will be licking my hand and the next he will bite it, puff up, and attempt to bite again. What should I do when he isn't interested in eating the baby food? Any other yummy goodies recommended that he may prefer?


I like your recommendation of giving him treats without either of us getting stressed. I'm sure he'll enjoy the treats! I want him to associate me with good things and not negative things.

Yes he does have a back injury and I wonder if his aggression is pain based. He has seen two vets before I adopted him. From my understanding they both said he was healthy, needed Revolution, and to be mindful of his back. I wondered if it was pain based so I gave him children's motrin for a day. I know it isn't a very strong pain killer but I was interested in seeing if his behavior changed (it didn't). I honestly do believe it is in part hormonal and in part pain based. I am tempted to take him to my vet and see if she can prescribe him something. Is there anything that can be prescribed that would be okay to take tong term?


Just from the looks of him I can tell he has been through a lot. What would you consider signs of depression? I am sure he doesn't enjoy being alone but I don't know if he would be too stressed to have a companion. He is currently alone in a SCN. I have the shelf on the slowest setting so he can make it up the ramp.

Does anyone have any information on PetAlive’s aggression formula? I read somewhere it was good for rats but I am not sure.


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## DamselChum (Jun 8, 2016)

Does Ransom like cherries by any chance? I have chronic neck, back and hip pain from a accident several years ago. One of the BEST things i have found that actually helped me cut back on my narcotic pain killers is cherry juice. 

Weird I know. But apparently cherries have huge amounts of the antioxidant anthocyanin, which is a powerful anti inflammatory and actually inhibits pain enzymes. 

I drink 8oz (12 - 16 if I've been having spasms) of cherribundi every evening (cherries also have a lot of melatonin so great for relaxation and sleepy time) and I find it to work better than the OTC painkillers, but it doesn't give me the tummy aches that the pills can cause and there is no fear of liver toxicity from an over dose. 

Cherries are on the rat safe food list. So it won't hurt. Might help a little. Might help a whole lot.


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## Bumble-Bee (Apr 21, 2016)

I don't know, I haven't tried cherries! I'll go out and get some tonight! Thanks for the suggestion, I had no idea that cherries could do that!


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## luvmy4rats (Nov 29, 2013)

Cherries sound yummy, but ensure they are pitted. Cherry seeds contain cyanide and can kill a rattie.


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