# Is this behavior normal? Male rats fighting?



## Riksor (Jul 30, 2016)

Hey!
I've recently brought home two 5-6 month old albino dumbo males--Spectre and Nevsky. Their time together has been dappled with occasional brawls. I'm really concerned for them and wondering what to do.
I've read up on the matter, and it seems that fighting is normal--for dominance and play. I'm just worried that they may be fighting a bit too hard. They were housed together at the pet store where I picked them up, so I thought they'd be fine being housed together at my house.
Their cage is pretty large and the rats are kinda on and off with their friendship. Sometimes they snuggle up and groom against eachother, sometimes they steal food from one another, and sometimes they sleep at opposite ends of the cage. But when they fight, it gets pretty rough. There's squeaking involved, pinning, and what seems to be nipping, but no bloodshed. Sometimes in the midst of a duel one of them will freeze. I've checked them for wounds the best I can (only have had them for 3 days so handing them isn't happening yet) and found none. Should I be concerned?
I'm sorry. I'm just really scared. I want my ratties to enjoy living here and get along nicely. My worst fear would be to wake up and fine one of my rats covered in wounds. 
Please help me or give advice if you can. I'm pretty young so I don't have a lot of experience with pet ownership and stuff. Thank you!


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## SerendipityRats (Jul 1, 2016)

It sounds pretty normal to me, honestly. Even rats who have lived together can feel the need to re-establish their heirarchy when their living arrangements change. So, going from the store to a new home with a new cage can trigger their need to prove who is boss. That can mean some odd noises, squeaking, power grooming, pinning, boxing, and even nipping - but if they are not actually drawing blood, they are fine. Just keep checking them to make sure neither one is taking things too far, and they will work it out on their own.


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## iloveme88999 (Aug 5, 2015)

The younger they are, the more juvenile. My boys did the exact same thing when they were little. They're about a year old now and still have their scuffles, but nothing every goes wrong. You shouldn't be concerned at all. The squeak they make is their way of saying "I give up, don't hurt me!" And usually it ends after that. They will pin and nip, but they would never hurt their friends. It is completely natural for boys, and girls I think too, to brawl with their buddies. Keep observing your rats and if it get's worse separate them for a little bit. You shouldn't be concerned, you're doing fine! Good luck!


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Male rats can become aggressive toward each other around 6 months of age, it is hormonal and if too bad a neuter will usually fix it. In the pet store they were most likely kept in a very small cage and now they have all that space to fight for. What cage do you have? Can you make it temporally smaller, less attractive to them by taking out hammocks...? They might be overwhelm with all that stuff to fight for now. Or it could be simple hormonal aggression and 1 or two neuters could be the solution. But to me it looks like rough playing, just keep a close eye on it and if it gets worse, try the suggestions above. Them being white should make it easy for you to see if blood was drawn. Good luck. Keep us posted.


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