Help with introductions please!!!

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Angiewaugh

Angiewaugh

Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2014
Messages
60
Location
United Kingdom
Hi everyone
Really hoping someone can help.
I lost my lovely boy Madge to lymphoma three weeks ago now. This has left his brother miner (18 months old) very depressed and anxious. I have bough two babies (approx 11 weeks old)
I have tried introducing them using all the usual suggestions regarding bath tub etc. usually starts fine and miner will mostly ignore them to begin with (not bothered when they crawl over him or anything) after a couple of mins, he'll give them a gentle wash. Then he wants to power groom. The babies hate this a freak out and squeal. I think this panics miner and he begins to fuzz up and get rough. I part them at this stage and try again the next day. Not getting any further forward though. I'm terrified that miner will hurt them if I leave them together once this starts. I have their cages together and miner watches them all of the timeandcsits as close to their cage as he can! Help!! Does he want them or does he hate them? I'm struggling to read the signs
 
Babies are usually noisy by nature. Can you take a video of this? Are you stil doing intros in the tub? Or did you move to another place. Most older boys will teach the younger ones what is acceptable. Is he biting them? or just pinning them to the ground?
 
He does start to bite them when they start to freak out a bit. Not hard though. The first time they met, he grabbed them both by the scruff and dragged them towards him? I have introduced in the bath and also in a pet carrier with a blanket in. Should I try and stick to one place? Will try and post a video at next intro. They just went in the bath ten mins ago and it went fine but it wasn't for long. I'm just worried he'll hurt them. They look so terrified when he starts getting groomy with them. They won't let him pin them and I think that's why he gets aggressive. He was the less dominant rat with his brother so i naively thought he would be fine with them
 
I would stick to the bath not anything enclosed. Some boys try to own anything cage like. Have a lot of food out for intros and watch him closely. He is trying to make it known that he is alpha some boys do that early on in intros. If you can get a video we can tell you if it is normal or bad intros.
 
Some boys look like they are going to be horrible but babies just like in real life have to be taught how to act and what is acceptable. Rats are amazing role models.
 
Hello
Just did an intro in the bath. Wasn't too bad apart from one incident where miner started to power groom Rizzo and it turned into a scuffle. I took a couple of videos pre-scuffle and post scuffle. (Didn't catch the actual scuffle as I panicked a bit (so annoyed with myself)
I was hoping you could have a look at them interacting and see if you think I am likely to be able to cage them together eventually
In the second video, Rizzo has run away and sat on top of the the bath. Miner didn't Persue, just stayed a bit puffed up for a few seconds following the scuffle
PHP:
Miner gave jagger a small groom and bottom sniff without attacking at one stage (jagger was still as a statue)
Sorry trying desperately to upload the videos I took but I'm struggling to get them to download. I'll keep trying
 
Last edited:
For starters I would take the carrier out. Only have them in the tub with food but nothing to hide in. It didnt look horrible but I would do it again without the carrier. See if they squabble over that.
 
That intro is going pretty good and as expected too. Your rats are super cute.
What happened when the big guy went on top of the little guy and he let out a big squeak? I agree, I would keep doing intros with no carrier.
 
Thanks for your replies and help. I'll try without the carrier and see what happens. One of the youngsters had their tail bitten overnight (through bars I guess - thought cages were far apart enough) to be fair though, it could have happened during one of the babies play fights because they can get quite heated. Tail is fine though. Bled a bit but no lasting damage. Just wish I could get them all together because I know miner really misses his brother and he isn't the same rat on his own. I know it can take I while though. I don't want to rush it
 
In answer to your question Joanne, after the scuffle... The little guy was a bit shaken and ran to me. Miner trotted off and sniffed about a bit. Gave the other baby a sniff and a quick belly wash and I called it a day at that point. Didn't want to push it. Have had another into since and it was pretty good. No scuffles but didn't leave them long. I think...one of the babies is feeling a bit more comfortable around miner. Fingers crossed

Angie
 
So... Today's intro was a little strange. Took the carrier out as you both suggested and just put some snacks in. Miner tucked into the snacks straight away. The whole time during the intro, the babies remained motionless as if they were terrified. Miner kept going up to them and nosing them as if to say 'come on! What's up?' He gave one of them a little bottom sniff but that was about it. Didn't leave it long because the little ones seemed genuinely terrified. Any thoughts??

Angie
 
Rats prefer to hide under or in stuff. When they are out in the open they feel threatened. It is that fear that helps them bond with each other. Hopefully they will seek each other out and stay in a rat pile which will help them become BFF's. Just keep the intros like that for a while after a few days you can add a house and see how they do.
 

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