Worried about my new rats

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AlaskaPets

New Member
Joined
May 21, 2020
Messages
4
Location
United States
I just got 2 three-month-old male rats a couple of days ago (Pepper & Pine),
and I've noticed one of them Pepper is being picked on by the other rat Pine.
At night I can hear them running all over there cage, and I hear squeaking.
Are they fighting, or is Pine just trying to show dominance?
 
Squeaking is normal in rats who are play fighting or being power groomed especially in male rats. As longs as the rats aren't shrieking, showing signs of injury, or avoiding each other then I wouldn't be worried.
 
3 months old is just rough baby play, even my 6 month girls still do that..and they love each other. If one is truly scared of the other they will freeze when the other approaches them or avoid them and not sleep with them.
 
Ok, so, one of them was shrieking and I've separated them for now.
I couldn't see what they were doing because every time I come to the cage they stop what there doing.
Any idea on what to do now? Do I put them back together?
 
Either you can try to get them neutered and see if that changes anything, or you can reintroduce them slowly while rewarding them for good behaviour towards each other. Don't put them back together if they are going to injure or pull each others fur out since things can easily escalate when your not their to help.
 
put them back together as they were playing and miss one another
However in a few months as they age, if you see signs of aggression (see lilspaz68's post above), then a neuter might be needed …… but for now they are young and rats play rough with each other
 
put them back together as they were playing and miss one another
However in a few months as they age, if you see signs of aggression (see lilspaz68's post above), then a neuter might be needed …… but for now they are young and rats play rough with each other
Yea, I can tell they miss each other I'm going to put them back together.
But if I see any blood or signs of aggression I'll separate them again.
 
Yea, I can tell they miss each other I'm going to put them back together.
But if I see any blood or signs of aggression I'll separate them again.

Sometimes rats can be accidently injured when playing hard so for example, blood from a scratch will look horribly frightening but is not necessarily an indication of fighting. However, as lilspaz68 mentioned, if one rat is being aggressive or a bully, other rats will be frightened and avoid the aggressor

Here are some videos and information showing rats playing and how to tell the difference between playing and fighting. Normal Play Behavior in Rats - JoinRats
When rats box, sidle, or puffy it is often a sign of aggression, but not always so context and other behaviour needs to be taken into account. (puffy can also mean not feeling well/ill). However if these are noticed during intros, they are a sign of aggression

Check out our Reference Thread as it has a lot of helpful information on various topics REFERENCE Thread - Read Only
 
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They are playing, sometimes they can play to roughly. Mine walk over the rat at the bottom of the pile, I often think ouch. But they don't seem to mind.
 
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