Hey guys!
So first time posting here and i'm in need of some help! A few months ago my adult male (Bud) was in need of a new cagemate so I went out and got Norton who i believe was 8 weeks at the time. So i took him home, did the quarantine and was ready to start introductions..I started putting them in the tub and noticed Bud would start to puff up and chase Norton around.. poor Norton was screaming, trying to run from him and eventually would end up in a scuffle rolling around. I've heard of people say 'no blood no foul' but it looks and sounds horrific every time we do intros! Mind you i'm an anxious person as is, so i don't know if im being over dramatic or what! After a few intros, a friend suggested putting them both in the main cage (Bud's cage) in the hopes they would get on.. unfortunately blood was drawn and i backed up doing intros for a while (kicking myself now!) Ever since this happened i've been worried about doing intros because Bud's usually trying to swipe at Norton through the bars of his cage, he's always hissing at him, does this slide movement which he then tries to throw his butt on top of Norton if hes cornered...
Now there was 1 time after this incident which resulted in me getting a cut on my hand cos i tried to intervene, it honestly looked like Bud was going to seriously hurt Norton.
Fast forward to today, i decided to give it another go but it ended up with my partner getting bitten by Bud as they started rolling around on his lap. Norton was absolutely freaked the hell out and couldn't stop shaking. How do you know when to stop intros?! I feel awful for having 2 lone rats! Bud's lived with several other rats before, one of which was his brother.. he would always try to assert his dominance with all the new rats but it has never gotten this bad before! I've come up with two options, get Bud neutered or get Norton a cagemate and just having Bud on his own but obviously increasing his time spent with me..
So i guess my questions are; is it too late to reintroduce because there was a few months separation?
Is Bud too aggressive to be with any other rat??
Do i get another mate for Norton (6 months) and have Bud on his own?
Get Bud neutered?
Sorry for the huge paragraph guys! Thank you so much in advance!
-Yazz
So first time posting here and i'm in need of some help! A few months ago my adult male (Bud) was in need of a new cagemate so I went out and got Norton who i believe was 8 weeks at the time. So i took him home, did the quarantine and was ready to start introductions..I started putting them in the tub and noticed Bud would start to puff up and chase Norton around.. poor Norton was screaming, trying to run from him and eventually would end up in a scuffle rolling around. I've heard of people say 'no blood no foul' but it looks and sounds horrific every time we do intros! Mind you i'm an anxious person as is, so i don't know if im being over dramatic or what! After a few intros, a friend suggested putting them both in the main cage (Bud's cage) in the hopes they would get on.. unfortunately blood was drawn and i backed up doing intros for a while (kicking myself now!) Ever since this happened i've been worried about doing intros because Bud's usually trying to swipe at Norton through the bars of his cage, he's always hissing at him, does this slide movement which he then tries to throw his butt on top of Norton if hes cornered...
Now there was 1 time after this incident which resulted in me getting a cut on my hand cos i tried to intervene, it honestly looked like Bud was going to seriously hurt Norton.
Fast forward to today, i decided to give it another go but it ended up with my partner getting bitten by Bud as they started rolling around on his lap. Norton was absolutely freaked the hell out and couldn't stop shaking. How do you know when to stop intros?! I feel awful for having 2 lone rats! Bud's lived with several other rats before, one of which was his brother.. he would always try to assert his dominance with all the new rats but it has never gotten this bad before! I've come up with two options, get Bud neutered or get Norton a cagemate and just having Bud on his own but obviously increasing his time spent with me..
So i guess my questions are; is it too late to reintroduce because there was a few months separation?
Is Bud too aggressive to be with any other rat??
Do i get another mate for Norton (6 months) and have Bud on his own?
Get Bud neutered?
Sorry for the huge paragraph guys! Thank you so much in advance!
-Yazz