Need to rehome 9 week old baby richmond VA

there's a long story here but to keep things short i took on a baby so he wouldn't end up being fed off and because my other baby needed a buddy
well biggest mistake of my life
hes now 9ish weeks old and is so aggressive I can't handle him i have tried EVERYTHING
i'm being attacked almost everyday I'm losing skin and blood its gotten to a point where his cage mate will get into it and they end up fighting (other than when im involved they get along great) its not fear its plain and simple aggression
i've thought about having him fixed but its gotten so bad i don't think i can handle waiting till he's big enough
finding him a home with someone who's dealt with aggression is my last option
many people have told me (including vets) to have him PTS but I dont wanna just give up on him
i'm hoping someone can save him where I have failed
I don't know what else to do

Rats can take certain antianxiety medications. Maybe you could keep him on those until he is 12 weeks and can get snipped? Ask your vet about it. It's only 3 weeks worth. I know they can take Valium, Klonopin, and I think Ativan too. You should try the rescue remedy first though and see how that goes.

Have you had him out with you alone and not around the other rat?

Sheldon said:

Rats can take certain antianxiety medications. Maybe you could keep him on those until he is 12 weeks and can get snipped? Ask your vet about it. It's only 3 weeks worth. I know they can take Valium, Klonopin, and I think Ativan too. You should try the rescue remedy first though and see how that goes.

Have you had him out with you alone and not around the other rat?

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was gonna call and ask my vet bout the rescue remedy in the morning but when i last talked to her and explained what was going on she flat out told me aggression that young isnt normal something is wrong or bad breed (which idk if either is true) but she told me to just have him PTS which i cant do she doesnt even wanna try fixing i cant handle another month of this while trying to find a vet who will at least try to fix him he needs someone who can help him

also the only time i can get him outta the cage is with gloves ive moved him for cleaning had him alone and with my other baby both times i was still attacked

Rescue remedy is over the counter so you don't have to have your brat vet's clearance on it. You can get it of Amazon and get rush shipping. They have one specifically for pets.

Bach Pet Rescue Remedy, 1-Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0030NWZUC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Sheldon said:

Bach Pet Rescue Remedy, 1-Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0030NWZUC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

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just ordered it itll be here on thursday hopefully itll help :/

Awesome. Let us know how it goes.

Sheldon said:

Awesome. Let us know how it goes.

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just update real quick since id rather not make a post about it im upset enough as it is
he was doing so what better hed have on and off days i guess i got dumb and didnt have the gloves on since they scare him for some reason
i was in the cage filling the food when he attacked me yet again this was the worse one my knuckle was torn clean open nasty gashes on my hand and thumb ended up having to go to the ER no stitches thankfull but still possible i could have even more nerve damage in my hand than i already do
i was told by the doctors that the animal needed to be "taken care of" or they would involve animal control
im left with no choice
ive thought about trying to get him to someone else and saying he passed or i used a co2 tank or something but ive been unable to find someone willing to work with him
so i will have to make the appointment soon...

Wow I'm sorry to hear this.

So sorry he's not coming around. It is so strange how aggressive he is at such a young age. Have you not received the rescue remedy yet? I really hope it can come to being more positive for you.
We are all here for you no matter what happens!

I think the rescue remedy had already been tried.

SterlingRats0408 said:

So sorry he's not coming around. It is so strange how aggressive he is at such a young age. Have you not received the rescue remedy yet? I really hope it can come to being more positive for you.
We are all here for you no matter what happens!

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It was tried I thought it was helping which is why I don't use gloves to fill the food like normal :/ because the damage to my hand was so bad I ended up in the ER now I have the risk of animal control getting on my case im gonna have to have him PTS soon i keep putting it off cause I really don't want to

Riot! said:

It was tried I thought it was helping which is why I don't use gloves to fill the food like normal :/ because the damage to my hand was so bad I ended up in the ER now I have the risk of animal control getting on my case im gonna have to have him PTS soon i keep putting it off cause I really don't want to

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I'm really sorry about your situation. I know it doesn't help, but If he is attacking you like this, he must feel absolutely terrified and threatened. I knew a cat like this. As hard as it is remember it isn't a selfish thing. No animal deserves to live in constant fear. Sometimes you really cant help them. I'm very sorry for your situation

minnieflower said:

I'm really sorry about your situation. I know it doesn't help, but If he is attacking you like this, he must feel absolutely terrified and threatened. I knew a cat like this. As hard as it is remember it isn't a selfish thing. No animal deserves to live in constant fear. Sometimes you really cant help them. I'm very sorry for your situation

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I honestly don't think it's fear
If he was scared he'd hide from me
He doesn't
If he was scared he'd only attack when I came near him
He seeks me out to attack
He'll even take treats from my hand
But then a second later if I'm not looking he'll attack my hands
Somethings wrong I know he's not happy
No one can figure out his issue or how to fix it
I'm now being forced to take care of it another way but at least I know he won't be miserable like he must be now :/

Small animals generally do not fall under the bite laws since they dont carry the major diseases such as rabies. I would NOT put that boy to sleep because of this. He needs a neuter not being put to sleep. Get him to me, I will get him neutered but putting him to sleep is not right because he is an angry boy.

hopefloats said:

Small animals generally do not fall under the bite laws since they dont carry the major diseases such as rabies. I would NOT put that boy to sleep because of this. He needs a neuter not being put to sleep. Get him to me, I will get him neutered but putting him to sleep is not right because he is an angry boy.

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well it never came to that.. i went to feed the babies yesterday and found he had passed even tho the vet gave him a clean bill of health my mom who i made handle the body because even tho im a 21 year old grown man i cant handle dealing with my pets if they pass
my mom said he had a big lump on his side and was covered in old scratches in stuff
so im thinkin now he must have been so aggressive because even tho my idiot vet said he was healthy he wasnt

Poor baby! Sorry you lost him that way!
Your vet sounds like he/she has NO clue when it comes to rats and I'd start searching for a new one.
Sounds plausible that he was aggressive to protect his sore body!

SterlingRats0408 said:

Poor baby! Sorry you lost him that way!
Your vet sounds like he/she has NO clue when it comes to rats and I'd start searching for a new one.
Sounds plausible that he was aggressive to protect his sore body!

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we do have a new vet now just btw hes a little far away but hes cheaper and so many people take rats to him and say hes great
i feel horrible the few times i did hold him or looked close i never noticed any lumps
as much trouble as he gave me the thought of him being and dying in pain makes me feel horrible for not seeing it

Point 1: do not beat yourself up because you didn't "notice" a lump or other issue on a rat you could not even touch.
Point 2: rats and other prey animals are VERY good at hiding pain because from an evolutionary perspective they had to be, or they were dinner for someone.

For all we know he could have been fighting tumours that were pushing on organs or even screwing with his brain. When the rescue I volunteer for took in a bunch of hoarded rats several months ago we had a very aggressive boy too. After a couple of weeks he developed seizures and within a couple of days from that he passed of what seemed to be a cardiac issue. We never know what these guys have been dealt in life. You made a TON of effort to make it right for this boy. Kudos.