jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
REVISION!
I have been loving rats since 2002 and have had the pleasure to know over 300 rats who have come through our doors here with either myself or my close family.
I have done countless intros with all kinds of different rats from different backgrounds. All our rats are rescues and some have come from neglect or abuse. But luckily, rats live in the moment not the past and not the future.
When doing intros, you have to be patient and respectful of each rat. I no longer flip them because I am not meant to be their alpha as I am human. But I can parent them gently but firmly. We do not tolerate any biting. When a rat bites, either humans or rats, they will get neutered. Neutering helps all rats overcome their strong emotions ruled by hormones and stress.
Intros are one of the most asked question. So I thought we could all post our experiences. I've done tons of intros and here's what works for me:
When I do intros and it's with already stressed out rats, then I try a neutral place that could seem scary to all rats. A place that has new smells and sounds, somewhere they've never been before.
For me that would be the tub.
The thing I've noticed with rats is that even though intros might have went bad in the past, it's still not the end of it. You may need to step back and try again a month later. The important thing, have food available to distract them. No toys, no boxes, just a plate of food like pablum or yogurt, something that will force them to be beside each other to eat.
Have a towel handy so if a fight starts, you can throw it on them and separate the aggressor. Then put him back. Rubbing their backs, rumps, boxing, hissing are all normal part of meeting each other. It's when there's a fight with blood you need to stop and try again at a later date. If all goes well with a week of these intros, then you add toys, boxes, hidey holes, some with their scent on it of both parties. If all goes well there, then you proceed to intros in familiar surroundings where they usually go for out time. If all goes well there for a week, then you scrub down the cage and put them in and watch them for a day. This is what works for me.
With rats that are not so stressed out, you can usually skip the scary place intro, go straight to the neutral intro, if all goes well, within three days, you skip to familiar place intro, if all goes well within a couple of days, then you can go straight to scrubbing down the cage and putting them in.
Intros between females are usually the easiest. My hardest intros were always between males, sometimes you need to have the male neutered to help him deal with all his hormonal stress.
I have been loving rats since 2002 and have had the pleasure to know over 300 rats who have come through our doors here with either myself or my close family.
I have done countless intros with all kinds of different rats from different backgrounds. All our rats are rescues and some have come from neglect or abuse. But luckily, rats live in the moment not the past and not the future.
When doing intros, you have to be patient and respectful of each rat. I no longer flip them because I am not meant to be their alpha as I am human. But I can parent them gently but firmly. We do not tolerate any biting. When a rat bites, either humans or rats, they will get neutered. Neutering helps all rats overcome their strong emotions ruled by hormones and stress.
Intros are one of the most asked question. So I thought we could all post our experiences. I've done tons of intros and here's what works for me:
When I do intros and it's with already stressed out rats, then I try a neutral place that could seem scary to all rats. A place that has new smells and sounds, somewhere they've never been before.
For me that would be the tub.
The thing I've noticed with rats is that even though intros might have went bad in the past, it's still not the end of it. You may need to step back and try again a month later. The important thing, have food available to distract them. No toys, no boxes, just a plate of food like pablum or yogurt, something that will force them to be beside each other to eat.
Have a towel handy so if a fight starts, you can throw it on them and separate the aggressor. Then put him back. Rubbing their backs, rumps, boxing, hissing are all normal part of meeting each other. It's when there's a fight with blood you need to stop and try again at a later date. If all goes well with a week of these intros, then you add toys, boxes, hidey holes, some with their scent on it of both parties. If all goes well there, then you proceed to intros in familiar surroundings where they usually go for out time. If all goes well there for a week, then you scrub down the cage and put them in and watch them for a day. This is what works for me.
With rats that are not so stressed out, you can usually skip the scary place intro, go straight to the neutral intro, if all goes well, within three days, you skip to familiar place intro, if all goes well within a couple of days, then you can go straight to scrubbing down the cage and putting them in.
Intros between females are usually the easiest. My hardest intros were always between males, sometimes you need to have the male neutered to help him deal with all his hormonal stress.