# Worried for and a bit paranoid - Amity... help?



## Naku (Feb 27, 2014)

Before I begin, here is the story. Amity escape the cage through unknown means and began on a 29-day adventure throughout the house. The 6th we finally found her and let me tell you, she is TINY! 

On the 9th, she was said to weigh only 83 grams by the vet I brought her to due to a tail injury ((Docked tip)) and right now, she is on SMZ/TMP and Metacam. For reference... she's three months old! 

Anyways... she's just been in the cage with the other girls since we found her ((Please, no lecture)) and just until yesterday, they treated her like she was a baby, wouldn't rough house or tackle this little thing! Then yesterday, I'm downstairs watching a movie when I hear shrieking, I go upstairs and one of my big girls has her pinned. They're suddenly picking on her... and the only reason I can think why is... she got bigger. They attacked her mother when she suddenly got bigger as well! 

I know she was starving but she is gaining weight at an extremely fast rate. She went from looking like a thin, bony, probably not even 60-gram girl to a possibly 100 gram girl. ((I don't have a scale...))

As far as I know, we don't have a rat problem ((Minus mine of course lolz)) but the neighbors do, I'm sure. Is it possible to draw in wild rats by owning pet rats?

Doesn't pregnancy also release growth hormones or is that just nursing ((Lehna looked like a small adult at 9 weeks when she was nursing while her former cage-mate stayed baby sized))

Also, during the first or second week, I had the boys cage on the floor ((As I previously mentioned, the girl's had a blip)) in hoped to draw her out. I don't think she would have gotten in but I think it was worth mentioning.

So... any thoughts. Yes, no? Ask anything you want. Am I just being paranoid?


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## Mojojuju (Nov 15, 2014)

If you have no reason to believe that she had interactions with male rats, then I wouldn't worry. I would think you would probably know if you had a wild rat problem? Probably?

Anyhow, she could just be having a growth spurt. I was away from three days on a work trip and when I got back I couldn't believe how big my girls got. In just three days. They're about five months.

The more worrying thing is the aggression.


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## Naku (Feb 27, 2014)

We didn't, we had/have a mouse problem though the next door neighbors have rats, I'm nearly positive. But I haven't seen a mouse in forever so that was why I asked if it was possible to draw in wild rats by having pet rats. I don't think she's had exposure but I'm just trying to rule out the possibility.

And yes, the aggression is worrying... the reason I thought it concerned a possible pregnancy was that when my Lehna was pregnant ((Pet store)) she was originally in a separate cage with a single cage-mate. But one day... and this was the day before I noticed; I took her out and placed the two in the bathtub. Then placed the other four girls in with them. I was going to give them ALL a bath but then I saw them suddenly being mean to her while they weren't before... then I noticed her size. She was a pear. Undeniably preggers with ten! ((They were fine with her when she was slim as jim XD))

But yes... aggression is bad. I'm not sure what's setting them off. Any suggestions, should I separate her if they continue? ((If so, can I pick a sibling to accompany her?))

If she was though... do you think she has a chance? She's much smaller than her siblings. ((A little more than half the size of her sisters and a third the size of the males (((Separate cage)))))


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## Mojojuju (Nov 15, 2014)

I would watch and see. My own girls recently got in a spat (this was when I was away) that left the neck and shoulders of one of them covered in scabs and missing tufts of fur. Freaked me right out, and I separated. They were so miserable--had never spent more than a few minutes apart since they'd been born together--that I relented and put them in a cage by my bed so I could monitor them at night. They have not fought since.

It occurred to me that they fought when I put them in their shiny newly decorated and greatly enhanced cage. So maybe it was territory. I also wasn't there--so maybe a change in routine? 

So any of these things may have set your girls off, too. Your littlest comes back smelling different, and it seems that it has been a while, so they may need to reestablish dominance.

But if it gets bloody--yeah. That's when I separate.


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## Naku (Feb 27, 2014)

I gave her a bath before I put her back in with them to try and erase the "Adventure scent" ((She was covered in wet dirt (((We have a hardwood floor))))) she's been in there since the 6th and they loved a cuddled the poor thing till yesterday when Maizey, the girl she often fell asleep with up and decided they had a problem. No blood, no wounds... they don't mess with her tail, which is good.

They just... turned on her a bit. I don't know what she said to them or whether they were comparing stories or something but yeah... I'll keep an eye on them. If there is one thing I can tell you about Amity is that she's smart... and looks at you like she knows something... so... maybe she 'did' say something.

Thank you!


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