Leon passed, Fred depressed - how to proceed?

My little Leon got sick awhile after I had to help my Flux across the bridge.

Leon passed away a few days ago in their cage 10 or 20 minutes after I took his last picture. When I tried to take him out after a bit in the fleece blanket he passed in Fred kept running onto it and trying to groom him, poor guy.

Since then he keeps trying to push some of his crinkle bedding out of the cage. He's very much at the cage door each time he hears me move and any other time I just see him sleeping. My potato.

Before Leon got sick, I had started intros between all of them and my foster boy Ghetto because Ghetto doesn't deserve to live alone. They were going fantastic but then Leon got sick so I stopped them.

Fred is now alone. So is Ghetto.

I wanted to give Fred a few days to 'mourn', but I'm worried that he doesn't like it. Should I go back ahead with intros now?

My little Leon at the vet, holding my hand when he got his steroid shot.

Freds mess of bedding in front of the cage.

My sad potato

I'm so sorry for your loss... but yes, I would do intros asap. I've noticed that sometimes intros go so much better when one rat is grieving.

So intros didn't go so well today. I thought they had but as soon as I put them in the cage together they started fighting. I have 2 weeks to get them in a cage together before we move. Hopefully they will go better the next few days.

This information may help with your intros http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32368

hope they are son living happily together

How many intros have you done? Usually a week is good if all goes well and the cage needs to be scrubbed down really good before moving them in.

Currently doing a bath intro. Fred is being an ass and barbered poor Ghetto who screamed bloody murder.

He now has a scratch on his side, very minor. Could be from Fred trying to hold him down. No actual bites, but Fred is being very dominant and poofing and side stepping him.

Fred is my potato. Ghetto is my pancake... I want a potato pancake dangit!

Ghetto is now hiding in my lap.

The cranky potato.


The sad pancake.

Awww... each time the potato goes near the pancake, put up a wall with your hand. And each time he turns away from the pancake, give him a treat. Try that for a few intros. This way, he is near Ghetto enough to know that he's not alone but Fred is shown that he can't touch him and when he moves away, good things happen. (treat)

Tried that but he wasn't interested in treats. However there was only one scuffle.

Looks like they were too miserable for Fred to be a complete butthead. Did intros with some water in the tub. Wet them both and put a little vanilla on their backs.





I'm not going to lie, watching a wet rat try to puff up was amusing. There was no side stepping or hissing from Fred though.

Poor ghetto does not like water. He would flip out and start squeaking if you touched him wet

I don't have the money to fix Fred this week before we move or I would try that.

Seems Leon was the catalyst for great intros. My gentle little bugger. He made them a breeze with Flux and they were going fantastic with Fred and ghetto before he passed.

That's good that there was only one scuffle. I would keep at it.

I'm planning too. I've switched their cages after the intro as well. Hopefully that will help

There were a few little dominance flips, but I hesitate to say there were any real scuffles. Things were going fine until he started flipping him, then ghetto started to freak out some.

I think he is scared of Fred. He squeaks if he so much as bumps him.

How long are your intro sessions? Do you have a yummy wet food in the tub too for distraction? Can you do intros twice a day, even if the second one is super short, that might be helpful.

I've put baby food in there that they both like but it gets ignored. Fred took his time eating the peas I put in though.

I meant to do 2 intros yesterday, but was exhausted. I'm going to try to do 2 a day until I feel comfortable to put them in a scrubbed down clean cage

We have potato pancake! Put them together yesterday and while there were a ton of dominance tussles, no blood was drawn and today they were cuddling quite comfily.

Thank goodness.

Aww, so sweet!!!