Cage Aggression

[odoriusagi]

Is it normal for rats (intact and spayed/neutered) to display cage aggression, and is this a behavior that can be reduced through interaction/training, or is it a strong instinctive response?

I have an intact male who has become very cage aggressive since his buddy was removed to recover from castration complications. He lunges and bites when we reach in to spot clean - nothing crazy violent like his hormonal buddy, but he does make minor scratches with his teeth and is clearly not intending to maim/kill.

Is cage aggression just something that some rats show that just has to be avoided, or can spaying/neutering decrease this response? Do spayed/neutered girls and boys show it as well?

 

[Rilence]

I do not think that he is being aggressive, more of being scared from suddenly being alone.

I stand corrected, but personally if I only have 2 rats I would not separate them even after getting one neutered, or to keep them as close together as possible. I never had problems (But then, I only neutered 2 boys before!) with incision site being opened by their mate(s).

No pet rats have an intention to maim or kill your hands, they're probably just very horrified.

 

[odoriusagi]

The big problem is that they have been apart for so long because Mimo continued to open up his incision sites and the vet kept him at the clinic for about a week. Castielle, the now cage-aggressive one, is not a shy or scared rat. Since his friend was at the clinic, Castielle bites hands in his cage, but not out of his cage. He also bites very hard when picked up, but I am sure that these are fear/defensive bites from bad experiences with being picked up in the past.

Castielle is just very different than he was before he and Mimo were separated. He doesn't like to be touched or petted but will tolerate it for a minute or two, and then give you a few warning nips. Today when I was spot cleaning, Castielle had been eating a treat in one of his houses. When he saw my hand, he shot out like a bullet, grabbed onto my wrist with his claws (leaving long scratches) and biting a shallow scratch along my skin. When I took my hand away, he went back into his house and began eating his treat again.

I had always thought that Castielle was a friendly, sweet boy, but now he is unpredictable. He DOES like riding on shoulders a LOT and never ever bites when he is riding.

The good thing is that Mimo is a TOTAL DOLL now that he is home from the vet! :dance:

 

[jorats]

Cage aggression is not normal but seems to happen a lot due to certain circumstances and it can be curbed but never 100% It's more the human becoming trained to respect the space. So from now on, I would make sure he's removed from the cage when doing spot cleaning or anything really, or offer him a super yummy treat, that takes a while to eat, at least the duration of your spot cleaning.

 

[dspch911]

I still think that boy needs a neuter now too. I have 15 boys and have slowly learned who does and doesn't need to lose the torpedos... One of our boys that needs the snip snip has just started that behavior of going after the arm in the cage, but only with the fiance ...