Do males always get aggressive during puberty?

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Wednesday

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Apr 16, 2019
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2
Location
Massachusetts
So, I've been reading a lot about males getting aggressive and biting their humans when they reach about 6 months old. Does this always happen? Do males always have to be neutered to fix this? Right now, the two males I have are so sweet. Shy, but sweet. They never bite. Is this temporary? Are they going to start biting in a few months?
Thanks
 
Depends on your area, but its definitely not a given that a male will become hormonal. I find the super masculine more dominant boys are the ones who become hormonal, but not always. Just be aware of the behaviors so you aren't surprised and we'll keep our fingers crossed your boys just grow bigger as they get older and that's all. :)

For severe hormonal aggression, its best to neuter ASAP before the nasty behavior becomes a pattern to them. It can take varying times for them to revert back to nicer rats.

Some rats get a little hormonal, will mark more, will be pushier with their cagemates but don't become unhinged and these rats usually settle in time.
 
Thank you. I sure hope they stay sweet. I researched rats as pets before getting them and also talked to people about rat ownership but aggression never came up. In fact, I was told that boys are more docile and better for holding and petting. But then just recently I read about biting. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they stay sweet. I'll be getting a third too, because one is hairless and I learned will likely have half the lifespan of the furred rat. :( So, my thought is that if I get a third now, while they're young, it will be better than introducing a new guy in a year or so.
Thank you again for your advice!
 
I have had 5 males now, and so far, they have all been super cuddly. There was only one incident with pepper that we can't figure out. He was around 6 months, and unexpectedly attacked my son's shoe out of nowhere. He was bouncing and rolling around squeaking like he was being attacked, it was kinda funny, and only lasted about 30 seconds, and never happened again. But I'm praying that my youngest, who is around 5-6 months old, doesn't do the aggression thing.
 
things on feet like socks and bandaids anywhere they see will get attacked LOL

EDIT: Just to clarify ….. attaching socks and bandaids is not aggression, it is normal rat behaviour
 
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My son was wearing a shoe I believe! It's still funny, and a fond memory my kids have of him. He was a character!
 
things on feet like socks and bandaids anywhere they see will get attacked LOL
If I wear a band-aid on my hand, I almost need to wear three because they bite it HARD. If they don't bite it, they tug on it. A quick squeak from me and redirecting them with food usually solves the problem.
Aside from my pair of rescues, I've never had issues with my boys. The rescues had likely been abused or severely neglected, so human touch is a very scary thing to them. I got them at about seven to eight months of age. None of my boys have been neutered. I have some pretty chill, laid back boys though. The only dominance issue I ever had was my heart rat and that stopped almost as quickly as it started, especially when I'd hold him for a couple of hours and just let him sleep on my chest. I think he just wanted a nap

I'd also just like to point out, most of what people call aggression is actually fear-based. A fearful animal will bite, claw, and try to get away. People can mistake this for aggression and it's often just a miscommunication between the human and their companion.
 
Or maybe more of a foreign object on their human, that they don't think should be there. LOL
 
I think I got a little lucky with Jack because I usually always wear socks when I play with him and he’s never bitten my feet. He also knows that my bare feet are still my feet. And I wear gloves to clean his cage because fecal oral, but he knows it’s still my hand and doesn’t bite.
 
I want to mention that nakies can life long normal life spans. Not sure where the half life thing started. I've had many get to 30-36 months of age
I've never actually heard of that myth before... Wow. The only thing I ever worried with my balding rex rats was them getting cold and being more prone to scratches.
 
I saw it on several websites. They say that their immune systems are weaker because of the genetic mutation that causes the hairlessness. Perhaps it's only true if they are the truly hairless ones. I dont know.
 
Most nakies aren't genetic hairless but double rex thankfully. Issues are scratvhed, skin issues, and eye issues like debris under the eyelids or scratches and infections that can cause eyeball rupture. Their eyes are the worst thing IMO.
 
My balding rex boy had a lot of issues with his eyes when he was older. He was an apricot color (I call it orange, but people may not appreciate that) and his eyes were black, but seemed to have a hint of red, possibly due to the light coloration of his coat. He just had some extra porphyrin when he was older, but he really struggled grooming in his old age. At that point, I'd just gently wipe him off with an unscented baby wipe.
 
Hey ViciousCurse your boy was fawn who often have dark ruby eyes. I believe this is called Argente in the UK. Its gorgeous and can range from a light orange to a deep.one :)

Here's a former fawn with her sick beige friend
ZuriandKamali.jpg
 
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