# Help! Rats are seriously fighting!



## AnaliseG (Oct 11, 2013)

I have three lady rats. The first two I've had for a little less than a year, sisters that I adopted from a breeder when they were about three or four months old. About two months ago, I adopted the third. She is a dumbo that was all alone in the cage at PetSmart--I felt so guilty when I saw her there alone that I took her home. She was probably at least five months judging by her size when I got her.

I kept the new rat in her own cage for quite a while, to allow for any sickness to show and to keep my other rats healthy in the even the new one was sick. I took her out and handled her frequently, gave her treats and made sure she wasn't too bored.

Recently, I've been having all three rats run around my room together. The sisters (Honey and Ziggy) play fight, but nothing ever serious. Unfortunately, Honey and the new rat (Little Lady) can't seem to get along no matter what I do; they fight (not just establish dominance) and it can get pretty scary. I interfere, of course, when they start to fight and squeak but it doesn't seem to do anything other than make me more freaked out..I can barely separate them when it happens. I'm getting really concerned that I will never be able to have them all in the same cage together. 

Little Lady has also developed a pension for biting. My other rats never did more than a curious nibble, but this newer girl has bit my mom and has tried to bite me on several occasions, although never successfully. The weird thing is that she's not afraid of me--she has no problems with me handling her usually, and will run to me and climb onto me when she can't get a break from being chased by Honey.

I'm nearing wit's end. I don't want to find a new home for Little Lady, but I don't see the aggression between her and Honey ending. I want them all in the same cage, but am too concerned at this point to do so. 

Any ideas? Tips, tricks? I've followed all the "rules" on introducing a new rat, but this is just getting to be a little ridiculous, and unsafe for Lady.

Thanks, guys.


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## Endgame (Dec 21, 2013)

Everytime they fight, make a sharp cracking noise (If you get what I mean) or clap. It should scare them out of fighting like that.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Have there been any injuries? If not, grit your teeth and bare it. At the end of the scuffle, someone will have won. 

As for the biting of humans, I'd need more information. Under what circumstances? What kind of bite?


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## AnaliseG (Oct 11, 2013)

Endgame said:


> Everytime they fight, make a sharp cracking noise (If you get what I mean) or clap. It should scare them out of fighting like that.


I've tried that, too. It doesn't stop them. I've tried clapping, spraying them with a little water, whatever noise I come up with in the moment to throw them off, all to no avail.


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## BenLen (Jan 1, 2014)

One thing you could do is clean everything in the room they free range in, change your sheets, blankets, and spray your mattress with febreze. Vacuum the floor once you've picked everything up and use a carpet freshener when you do it.
try and get your girls smells out of that room! It'd totally wash both cages too and switch things around in them.
I would also give everyone baths so they smell the same.
Then once everything is clean and neutral try introducing them in the room again, I'd leave both cages open where they can get into them. See how things go. 
My last introduction was very very hard I had to clean EVERYTHING before they would accept each other.
Mine were seriously fighting too and hurting each other.


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## AnaliseG (Oct 11, 2013)

nanashi7 said:


> Have there been any injuries? If not, grit your teeth and bare it. At the end of the scuffle, someone will have won.
> 
> As for the biting of humans, I'd need more information. Under what circumstances? What kind of bite?
> 
> ...


As far as I can tell, neither of them have sustained injuries. However, when it happens, they let out loud squeaks, sometimes long ones...so they must be hurting each other.

With the biting, well, let's just say she bit my mom's finger so hard she bled for a long time. My mom was sweet talking her and petting her, then turned to the other cage to sweet talk my other rats at the same time and Lady just bit her. My mom swears it's because Lady got jealous, but I doubt that was the case.


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## AnaliseG (Oct 11, 2013)

BenLen said:


> One thing you could do is clean everything in the room they free range in, change your sheets, blankets, and spray your mattress with febreze. Vacuum the floor once you've picked everything up and use a carpet freshener when you do it.
> try and get your girls smells out of that room! It'd totally wash both cages too and switch things around in them.
> I would also give everyone baths so they smell the same.
> Then once everything is clean and neutral try introducing them in the room again, I'd leave both cages open where they can get into them. See how things go.
> ...


I've bathed them so they smell the same, cleaned their cages thoroughly, but haven't tried cleaning my entire room that thoroughly. I will definitely try that, thank you. It's just the two rats that have the issue, Ziggy is indifferent at best about the new rat, the smells don't seem to bother her at all.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Rats can complain, protest, and other things via squeaks. A pained one sounds like a scream. It's your call, since I can't hear them. 

For bites to human, boop their nose. It's the only advice I have. I'm not sure if it was an accident, aggression, only blindness or what. 


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## AnaliseG (Oct 11, 2013)

BenLen said:


> One thing you could do is clean everything in the room they free range in, change your sheets, blankets, and spray your mattress with febreze. Vacuum the floor once you've picked everything up and use a carpet freshener when you do it.<br>
> try and get your girls smells out of that room! It'd totally wash both cages too and switch things around in them.<br>
> I would also give everyone baths so they smell the same.<br>
> Then once everything is clean and neutral try introducing them in the room again, I'd leave both cages open where they can get into them. See how things go. <br>
> ...


<br><br>I've bathed them so they smell the same, cleaned their cages thoroughly, but haven't tried cleaning my entire room that thoroughly. I will definitely try that, thank you. It's just the two rats that have the issue, Ziggy is indifferent at best about the new rat, the smells don't seem to bother her at all.


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## AnaliseG (Oct 11, 2013)

nanashi7 said:


> Rats can complain, protest, and other things via squeaks. A pained one sounds like a scream. It's your call, since I can't hear them.
> 
> For bites to human, boop their nose. It's the only advice I have. I'm not sure if it was an accident, aggression, only blindness or what.
> 
> ...


I'm positive it's a pained squeak. I've never heard them make that type of long, highpitched squeak before. Usually if mine try to bite, I do blow a burst of air in their face. It worked ike a charm with Honey and Ziggy when they were younger.


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## BenLen (Jan 1, 2014)

Yeah your room in your rats mind is also theirs hope after the room and everything is cleaned they stop!


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## zombiesrkewl (Nov 28, 2013)

I second the nose booping for biters. There's a thread on Immersion in the behavior section of this forum that talks about how to deal with biting rats. I suggest you give that a read.

As for intros, instead of cleaning out your entire room, you could just put all three of them in the bathtub together with some new/well cleaned toys and a few treats. It's neutral, unfamiliar ground for all three.

Could you film them interacting together and then post a video of it, just so we can hear the sound they're making? My general rule of thumb is no blood on foul, but I've only done one introduction and while the first session was a bit rough, after that it was like they'd known each other for years.


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