trillium
Well-Known Member
Hi
I've been working on integrating Shivers and Hobbes for quite awhile now. I'll admit I'm a wimp when it comes to this, and I'm also in no rush because I will give them both lots of attention as necessary until I get them together.
I had stopped while Seagram was ill because he absolutely would not put up with Shivers at all; they poofed at the mere hint of each others' smell and Shivers took a nasty chunk out of Seagram once -- so I wasn't having that happen again at his old age.
Here's the question: Has anyone had a rat that seems to know only, really, how to bite and integrated it well with others?
I think Shivers is lacking on "normal" rattie language. He has licked me once, but the majority of the time he just gets excited and places his teeth around my hand, finger, etc. He never bites down now (has been neutered), but when I have him hang out with Hobbes on my shoulders or in a control space all he seems to do is get really tense as soon as he realizes Hobbes is near, and his only response, even when he appears non-poofed and just hanging out is to lean over to him and do the same kind of bite he does with me. Hobbes has, on several occasions offered to groom Shivers -- Shivers allows it, if I also am "a part" of the situation and have my hands kinda grooming along with him. But if Hobbes just tries to do it on his own, Shivers tenses right up.
The attempts to bite have always been on Hobbes' facial area, nose, head; Shivers just stays very still -- gets close enough (or Hobbes leans in for a sniff) and he bites. He's never drawn blood, but I think he's working his way up to it, and Hobbes squeeks in dismay and backs right off, but then (being unneutered) tends to get a bit miffed after the second or third nip.
Am I missing something? I refuse to even place them alone in a neutral space because I think they might get in a real brawl. They have done a lot of cage switching and hanging out ON me, which they do fine with. As long as I'm there as a mediator to keep my hand sort of as a third rat, they will hang out together and even crawl back and forth over each other, but I don't trust Shivers a bit. He's also nosed his way up and put his teeth around Hobbes' tail, but I noticed and pulled Hobbes away before he did anything.
Anyone else integrated a rattie like this and have any hints? Do you think he'll ever be able to figure it out?
:eatu:
I've been working on integrating Shivers and Hobbes for quite awhile now. I'll admit I'm a wimp when it comes to this, and I'm also in no rush because I will give them both lots of attention as necessary until I get them together.
I had stopped while Seagram was ill because he absolutely would not put up with Shivers at all; they poofed at the mere hint of each others' smell and Shivers took a nasty chunk out of Seagram once -- so I wasn't having that happen again at his old age.
Here's the question: Has anyone had a rat that seems to know only, really, how to bite and integrated it well with others?
I think Shivers is lacking on "normal" rattie language. He has licked me once, but the majority of the time he just gets excited and places his teeth around my hand, finger, etc. He never bites down now (has been neutered), but when I have him hang out with Hobbes on my shoulders or in a control space all he seems to do is get really tense as soon as he realizes Hobbes is near, and his only response, even when he appears non-poofed and just hanging out is to lean over to him and do the same kind of bite he does with me. Hobbes has, on several occasions offered to groom Shivers -- Shivers allows it, if I also am "a part" of the situation and have my hands kinda grooming along with him. But if Hobbes just tries to do it on his own, Shivers tenses right up.
The attempts to bite have always been on Hobbes' facial area, nose, head; Shivers just stays very still -- gets close enough (or Hobbes leans in for a sniff) and he bites. He's never drawn blood, but I think he's working his way up to it, and Hobbes squeeks in dismay and backs right off, but then (being unneutered) tends to get a bit miffed after the second or third nip.
Am I missing something? I refuse to even place them alone in a neutral space because I think they might get in a real brawl. They have done a lot of cage switching and hanging out ON me, which they do fine with. As long as I'm there as a mediator to keep my hand sort of as a third rat, they will hang out together and even crawl back and forth over each other, but I don't trust Shivers a bit. He's also nosed his way up and put his teeth around Hobbes' tail, but I noticed and pulled Hobbes away before he did anything.
Anyone else integrated a rattie like this and have any hints? Do you think he'll ever be able to figure it out?
:eatu: