Keeping intact males with spayed females...

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Argent

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2008
Messages
1,036
Location
Liverpool, UK
...is it generally safe? My mum seems to think if I get Lavender and her daughter Shank spayed and intro them and her son Tetley to Rufus, Seamus and Marsh, that the boys will erm...have their way with the girls constantly regardless. From what I've seen on here, I always thought that once girls were desexed, they wouldn't have that hormone that sends the boys wild and so they'd be treated as lower rank males, or non-threatening males anyway.
Am I right? Or does my mum have a point? It seems a little silly and unheard of to me, but I'm not the one that's had a mixed sex colony before.
 
The boys will check them out and even try but generally after about a week which is how long it would take for the female to go into heat they give up.
This is actually very healthy for them to pursue and try to entice the girl. I've even seen some spayed girls invite the boys to mount them which of course made for some very happy rats. lol
Also, don't you worry... most girls wear the pants in the cage. They can shoot down the male so fast, they do a back leg karate chop which is very effective in telling them to bugger off.
 
Ah well that's good then XD I know Shank is a little tomboy, but Lavender will probably have to work at sticking up for herself since the babies seem to run rings around her and she's only got the three girls with her now. Perhaps she'll perk up when she meets her new hunks next month.
 
That does sound really sweet, Jo!
I did the first playtime with my girls and new boys and they were having fun sniffing each other for a long while, then the oldest boy started trying to mount the girls... they stopped him and I think turned around to give him a stink eye lol. But I noticed this morning two of them were nestled in the hammock I gave them from the boys cage :)
I think there will be tussles (like mine usually have now..) but probably not hormone driven issues as if they were fighting for mating...
 
I have mixed colonies too and some of my old boys still make the girls scream (they're all 24 months) by sniffing their behinds. The girls love it and it keeps the old men young at heart. And like Jo said they do pair off into couples and some girls let the boys have their fun with them. It makes for a fun and happy cage.
 
jorats said:
most girls wear the pants in the cage. They can shoot down the male so fast, they do a back leg karate chop which is very effective in telling them to bugger off.

:laugh4:

But soo true. Suri used to rule the cage and she was the only girl among 4 boys.
 
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