# Food Stealing & Aggression



## KaylaMarie (Aug 13, 2015)

I know food aggression can be common in dogs, and other animals, but what about rats? Currently, my rat's are always trying to steal food from each other. These are my first two babies, and so I don't have experience with it--why this might be an obvious answer to most. My rats are actually Dory--the mother--and Gray--her baby. Dory is always stealing food from her Gray. Gray is 7 weeks now, so Dory could just not care that she's her baby anymore? But will this grow into something worse? Should I watch out for food stealing? I give them each a treat, Dory eats hers, then scurries to steal Grey's treat.


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Not to worry, rats can be the best of friends but when it come to food it's every rat for themselves.


----------



## Marie5656 (Jun 1, 2014)

I am with Rat Daddy. When I had Roxy, she was bigger than her sister, Daisy, and would often try to steal food. They each had their own hiding spots. But Daisy held her own and she did not go hungry. If you are concerned, monitor Greys weight, to make sure she is gaining.


----------



## KaylaMarie (Aug 13, 2015)

Alright, thanks guys!


----------



## raqathta (Sep 16, 2015)

Ever since I got Beauregard and Marcellus, they would try to steal each other's treats. But since they both got one at once, each would scurry somewhere to hide out. But Beau is a pig, and Mar is a mannerly boy, so Beau often would finish first and try to steal Mar's treat. Sometimes he succeeded. Mar also will try to steal food from Beau. None of this was drama until I put them on a diet and they became obsessed with food. Beau started actually attacking Mar and has drawn blood twice now. So the diet is off, and things are calmer. I think you don't need to worry as long as they are generally well-fed. I would just monitor that the little one gets a fair chance to finish her treat.


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

As folks are telling their food stealing stories, I just thought I'd add one of our own. Most of the Fuzzy Rat stories I share are about her in her prime, but she actually did get pretty old and fat... about 21 ounces actually... She was never a small rat by any means, she was bread for meat so she had broad shoulders, but old and portly wasn't going to stop her from getting all of the treats that were available. Fuzzy Rat's last roommate was Amelia... Amelia was a high white breeder cull, and she dwarfed poor old Fuzzy Rat. For folks that don't realize it, show quality rats can get huge, and Amelia was one of these monsters, but she had a peaceful and shy quality about her... She loved her older and more feeble roommate, well except when it came to food... Amelia would always be faster to the goodies and Fuzzy Rat would steal the food from her... Although not fast she was both sneaky and quick and she would sneak up on Amelia who would be carrying her food to stash it and swipe it from her and try and run off with it. When Amelia would inevitably catch her, Fuzzy Rat would roll over onto her back in a submissive posture and Amelia would groom her belly... As soon as Amelia stopped, Fuzzy Rat would snatch the food again and continue to weeble off leaving Amelia looking totally confused... Obviously it was a ploy, a sneaky trick based on Fuzzy Rat's understanding that her submission was going to get Amelia to preen her belly and distract her from taking back her food... 

It was hysterical to watch Fuzzy Rat outsmart Amelia every time... This actually continued to just about a few weeks before Fuzzy Rat passed away... either Amelia finally figured it out or Fuzzy Rat had too many tumors to flip over and she squeaked for me to rescue her. Which I did, and Fuzzy Rat weebled off with the food and Amelia stood there looking confused again... Don't get me wrong, we loved Amelia too, and Fuzzy Rat deserved to get caught, but somehow, I couldn't bring myself to take one last victory away from the old girl...

I leaned a lot about rats from Fuzzy Rat... she understood people and she understood rats too and she was an expert at taking advantage of every situation. Fuzzy Rat was a primadonna and a very spoiled rat and she almost always got what she wanted... I suppose she manipulated humans as easily as she manipulated other rats... but strangely, that was a huge part of her charm.


----------



## KaylaMarie (Aug 13, 2015)

Aw, I love these stories. So sweet!


----------



## Verucasdad (Aug 31, 2015)

When Endora swipes a treat from Esmerelda then Esmerelda comes to the side of the cage and looks at me like "Just give me another one."


----------

