Will my rat become possessive of new baby?

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A

Ally Cat

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Hello. So I've had two female rats for almost a year now and just today I got a new baby female. I'll just make this short, basically my more dominant female(Jiji) when in heat tries to treat my other rat(Bea) like her baby(or at least thats what it seems like). She over grooms and tries to pick bea up and drag her around. It's not aggressive at all and I noticed that's the first thing she's been doing with the new baby. I've been introducing them and everything is going great and they're getting along fine. The only thing is that she's treating her like her baby and I'm worried that she might become possessive of her and aggressive towards bea. I'm only worried about it because Jiji is the only one who has ever bitten me and has shown possessive tendencies(despite being a sweet girl usually). So far Bea has played with the new baby and pinned her down and everything without Jiji getting aggressive at all. Is this a possibility when I move her into their cage? I'm not too worried about it but my mom brought it up and thought I'd ask anyway. I'd hate for jiji to be aggressive towards bea as they have always been best friends and bea is just the sweetest baby ever.
 
Welcome to forum! A few recommendations before we get into the actual question... Please feel free to put a more specific location. It'll help members point you to rescues, vets, and other resources. It doesn't have to be anything especially specific. For me, I just put "Central Minnesota, USA."

And you only have one baby, correct? If so, a couple of members and I would recommend getting another baby or two, especially if Jiji and Bea (lovely names, by the way!) are older. Baby energy can sometimes be too much to handle for aging rats. This can lead to issues, as the baby will just want to play and continuously bug the adults. Having two or more babies allows them to play, chase, and sleep together without bothering the adults too much. Plus, then it's double or triple the cuteness! :)

And, eventually, when the elder rats do begin passing away, it's easier not to worry if someone will be left alone without a buddy.

As for the question, I can't say for sure. Watch how Jiji acts around the baby and Bea in free roam playtime, a couple of times. Look for puffy fur, arched backs, etc. Ideally, Jiji and Bea shouldn't act any differently with the baby, besides just establishing the hierarchy. I've heard of people saying their female rats like to carry other rats around, but I don't have that experience with my males.

Spaying will also help reduce Jiji's hormones. I've never had female rats, but spaying a female rat can reduce chances of endometriosis (infection of the uterus), chances of certain types of cancer, and can make her life better without the hormones.
 
Hi! I've seen females be like that with young ones but never became aggressive. They outgrow it once the young rat becomes more independent. I wouldn't worry about it for now.
 
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