gkelly
New Member
Hi,
I've been doing the carrier method to bond two young male rats (3months) to our older lone rate (2 years, been alone about a month now). The first stage in a actual carrier lasted around 24hrs and after some small posturing etc they were sleeping and grooming each other. We then moved them into a small hamster cage thats about 50cmx20cmx30cm (very rough estimate!), theres been little fighting but not much interaction between the older one and the two little ones, sometimes they'll go over and sniff groom him and he'll plod over to do the same, theres been a few posturing events (boxing, little squeaking no actual fights) maybe once every few hours. We put a hammock in the middle of the small cage as they weren't fighting and we thought this might be a place for them to come together and sleep in but it seems the younger two have taken to it and the older one just stays outside.
He was happier to be sleeping with them in the small carrier, and like i said isn't displaying major aggresion just some posturing etc but im unsure if we should take the hammock out, maybe drive them around abit to scare them into being together?
We've done the carrier method once before and this stage did take around a week (its only been a day and a halfish atm) but i think last time there was lots more interaction even when some of it was fighting, this...indifference i suppose seems abit strange?
I've been doing the carrier method to bond two young male rats (3months) to our older lone rate (2 years, been alone about a month now). The first stage in a actual carrier lasted around 24hrs and after some small posturing etc they were sleeping and grooming each other. We then moved them into a small hamster cage thats about 50cmx20cmx30cm (very rough estimate!), theres been little fighting but not much interaction between the older one and the two little ones, sometimes they'll go over and sniff groom him and he'll plod over to do the same, theres been a few posturing events (boxing, little squeaking no actual fights) maybe once every few hours. We put a hammock in the middle of the small cage as they weren't fighting and we thought this might be a place for them to come together and sleep in but it seems the younger two have taken to it and the older one just stays outside.
He was happier to be sleeping with them in the small carrier, and like i said isn't displaying major aggresion just some posturing etc but im unsure if we should take the hammock out, maybe drive them around abit to scare them into being together?
We've done the carrier method once before and this stage did take around a week (its only been a day and a halfish atm) but i think last time there was lots more interaction even when some of it was fighting, this...indifference i suppose seems abit strange?
