Escaped rat has finally been captured! How to reintroduce?

[TokenBlinkie]

After 5 long weeks, we have finally caught the escaped rat.
Now, I need to sex it and put it back with its brothers, or its sister if it is a girl.

The rats were litter mates, rescued from a farm where they would have been killed. Please see my previous threads for full story.

Will the rats remember each other or view the newcomer as a threat?

They were together in a litter from birth, then they came to me approximately 2 weeks old on 18th April, and the rat escaped on 1st May. Its now 8th June, so the rats have technically lived longer without their escaped sibling than with.

Any advice?

Thankyou!

 

[Kye]

There are decent chances of them remembering the other rat, but it's always safer to do intros in a neutral area. (also super glad you finally caught the little brat! I was routing for you guys, I can only imagine the stress) I hope it's a little girl so there won't be a lonely one!

 

[TokenBlinkie]

Thankyou.

The problem is,I don't think we have a neutral area.

The 3 rats are currently living at my workplace, we have separated the girl from the boys a few days ago (I know that rats have to be in pairs or more, but, I figured that the rat who has escaped has been living for about 5 weeks all alone, and by all accounts has been having a whale of a time, so to have the girl on her own while we see if she had gotten pregnant wouldn't be too bad, plus both cages are next to each other).

At work We have a large 4ftx3ftx2ft cage that the 2 boys are in, the girl is in a 3ftx3ftx2ft cage, and the newly captured rat is still at my house (it's 6:50am here) has been in a 2.5ftx2ftx2ft plastic stackable box (that was serving as a bucket trap) for about half an hour now (it isn't airtight, so there is some airflow, but not enough for an escape!

My plan is to take the escaped rat to work today.

Lucky my first client isn't in until later on, and I do my admin on a Wednesday morning, but I'm really not sure how to go about the reintroduction when I'm still trying to get the rats to be used to me.

It's been an absolute rollercoater, to be honest.

 

[mwp051699]

After 5 long weeks, we have finally caught the escaped rat.
Now, I need to sex it and put it back with its brothers, or its sister if it is a girl.

The rats were litter mates, rescued from a farm where they would have been killed. Please see my previous threads for full story.

Will the rats remember each other or view the newcomer as a threat?

They were together in a litter from birth, then they came to me approximately 2 weeks old on 18th April, and the rat escaped on 1st May. Its now 8th June, so the rats have technically lived longer without their escaped sibling than with.

Any advice?

Thankyou!

They should remember each other, but only one way to find out, lol.

 

[mwp051699]

Thankyou.

The problem is,I don't think we have a neutral area.

The 3 rats are currently living at my workplace, we have separated the girl from the boys a few days ago (I know that rats have to be in pairs or more, but, I figured that the rat who has escaped has been living for about 5 weeks all alone, and by all accounts has been having a whale of a time, so to have the girl on her own while we see if she had gotten pregnant wouldn't be too bad, plus both cages are next to each other).

At work We have a large 4ftx3ftx2ft cage that the 2 boys are in, the girl is in a 3ftx3ftx2ft cage, and the newly captured rat is still at my house (it's 6:50am here) has been in a 2.5ftx2ftx2ft plastic stackable box (that was serving as a bucket trap) for about half an hour now (it isn't airtight, so there is some airflow, but not enough for an escape!

My plan is to take the escaped rat to work today.

Lucky my first client isn't in until later on, and I do my admin on a Wednesday morning, but I'm really not sure how to go about the reintroduction when I'm still trying to get the rats to be used to me.

It's been an absolute rollercoater, to be honest.

Let escapee meet another of its siblings of same sex by holding one of them up to the other. If that goes well (no raised fur or posturing), then let both meet in a neutral area. I prefer open areas such as your bed. Put a pee proof bed cover down and let them meet on their own. If any negative behavior starts, separate gently and see if one then goes after the other one. Look for tell tale signs of aggression. Do NOT interfere unless they get to serious fighting, which is when they roll around in a ball a fury. Boxing and posturing doesn't count, pinning the other down and holding doesn't count, crab walking doesn't count but is a sign of impending fight, usually serious. Remember, no blood no foul, rhey will need to restore their pecking order if they are to stay together in the same mischief, or family, or cage. If the bed introduction goes well, you can then move on to a cage introduction, a CLEANED out cage with the previous resident thinking its a different cage, so rearrange the entire cage, but NOT until intros are successful. You want to be able to get them separated quickly if need be, so no hideouts, no hammocks, no igloos, no spacepods, nothing they can go into and you cant reach in to separate without getting accidentally bitten. Vut all rhis might be moot because they will probably remember each other anyway and be happy to see each other!

 

[TokenBlinkie]

Thankyou.

I have some bittersweet news. The rat rescue/wildlife sanctuary that I phoned for advice when I first took them in have finally gotten back to my message....I think they are going to collect them.

I'm heartbroken, but I'm feeling as if it is the best option. I'm frightened that they are going to escape when reintroducing them, and because they aren't fully tame yet, and after all they came from a farm, so I'm not sure if I've done more harm than good.

I really love these little guys. But the unexpected escape has thrown a spanner in the works, and as they currently live at my workplace I haven't got anywhere that they would know as a neutral space, nor a space that they could run to and be easily recaught.

I'm going to have a good think and make my decision.

I'm going to be second guessing whatever decision I make forever.

I've loved being with them, they were almost tamed after all the hand rearing. I know I've done well, but I feel like I've failed them no matter what.

They're beautiful.

 

[TokenBlinkie]

So,
Another update.
The wildlife centre told me to release them into the wild.

As the day went on, I was feeling more and more uneasy about releasing them, but unsure of what my other options were.

The girl that we had separated yesterday still hadn't eaten or come out of her hideout, for food or water. She looked really depressed. I know that might sound strange, but, she just looked really sad.

By the time my husband came to collect me from work, I had made a hole in a lid of a stackable box with my dremel, to make a flap where we can put rats into the stackybox to release them all. I had all my things at the door of my work because I was expecting the fur to start flying immediately, and I'd been crying like a little baby because I was so upset.

We put all 4 babies in the box. They cuddled up to each other straight away.
No noises, no puffing up, just cuddles and nuzzles.
I immediately started to feel even more guilty about releasing them.

We sat with them, watchful waiting, one by one they poked noses out, had a little explore of the box, a sniff of each other, a bit of gentle play, then snuggled back up together.

All 4 of them are in the huge cage. I'm letting them settle tonight, then tomorrow I'm going to keep popping in on them, and when they venture out, I will mark the boys somehow with some animal safe hair dye.

Then if we have two girls, I will separate them into sexes, 2 rats in each cage, and for the next 5 or 6 weeks, work on taming all 4 of them, while also watching for signs of pregnancy in the girls.

If we have only one girl, I will have a chat to a rat owning friend to see if she would be willing to take her, because she has all girls already. We are also hugely aware that because of being together with the boys, there is a chance she could be pregnant.

I really wasn't ready to let them go.

 

[mwp051699]

Sounds like youve made a decision? To love them instead of release them. Yoû are a fantastic rattie Mom, regardless of which direction you take. Best luck and remember.... Theyre probably too domesticated to release now, so just keep them!!!

 

[TokenBlinkie]

We are into day 2 of all 4 being together, and I've seen a little bit of rather cute playing, rolling around etc but nothing that I'd class as aggressive behaviour. In fact, they all seem to be really happy.

I tentatively think that we have 3 boys and 1 girl.

My rat owning friend has broken her foot, so won't be able to do anything about taking in the girl at this point, but when the girl was separated on her own she didn't eat or drink for just over 24 hours.

They seem to have changed their whole personalities. They were becoming tame before the escape, sitting on my hand, grooming themselves in my palm etc , then the escape happened and the remaining 3 became very skittish and one even bit me last week.

Today they have been very curious, peeking at me, crawling up the cage bars, being very active, so I took advantage of this and spoke to them in the singsong voice I use when I'm near to their cage and passed treats through the bars.

So yes, I suppose it looks like I'm now a ratmum!

 

[mwp051699]

Congratulations! You can keep all for together if you spay the female,or, get her a friend. You have now seen that rats are VERY social animals, and need littermates and friends, or else the become depressed, stop eating, and even die, from loneliness and longing. Also, now that you've made your decision, you should schedule their first vet visit, if not just to get them all introduced to your vet and on their records. Plus.... they're wild, and might need some different treatment than pet rats.

 

[TokenBlinkie]

Congratulations! You can keep all for together if you spay the female,or, get her a friend. You have now seen that rats are VERY social animals, and need littermates and friends, or else the become depressed, stop eating, and even die, from loneliness and longing. Also, now that you've made your decision, you should schedule their first vet visit, if not just to get them all introduced to your vet and on their records. Plus.... they're wild, and might need some different treatment than pet rats.

Yes, I have already been in touch with the only vet in apparently a 30 mile radius that deals with rats, they sexed the 3 rats as 2 boys and 1 girl when the escape drama was going on, and I've phoned for advice about spaying/neutering, they advised against it as the operation anaesthetic would be too risky, so we are hoping that a friend who also has girl rats (and is very experienced with both wild and pet rats) will take our girl in, but she has a broken foot at present and isn't going anywhere!

 

[Kye]

I would strongly advise against feeding anything through bars as that can teach them to bite through the bars, just a warning !

 

[TokenBlinkie]

I would strongly advise against feeding anything through bars as that can teach them to bite through the bars, just a warning !

Thankyou, I will definitely bear that in mind!