Need a second (or third or fourth!) opinion...

[QueenBee]

I have two 6 month old males (brothers) in a single level CN, but it seems the one won't leave the other alone.

Ernie is the alpha, he is very easygoing and a little daredevil. Junior is much larger than him, but is constantly getting flipped and power groomed, and he squeaks very loudly every time. He almost always has a few small scabs, and most recently he's had a few scabs on one of his front legs, and his fur is bitten off there too. What worries me most is since this behaviour started a few weeks ago, Junior has regressed, and has become very timid. He loves his out time and shoulder rides, but he hates actually getting picked up, and he will run and hide some of the time when I open the cage doors. I've tried to spend even more individual time with him every day, but it hasn't seemed to help much.

With the scabs on his legs and his change in behaviour I'm worried that Junior might not be feeling well (maybe mites but I don't know what I'm looking for), or he's just intimidated by his cagemate. If that is the case, I'm considering neutering one or both of them if it would help. Throughout all this, Ernie has remained his calm and confident self.

I just would like to get some other opinions on what might be causing the behaviour and how to fix it!

 

[Fidget]

Hard to say if Ernie's just giving him a hard time or if they have mites and the aggravation is affecting both their attitudes.
Are they scratching more than usual? Mite treatement is not a hard thing to do or hard on them if you want to rule it out? But in my experience mite bites don't usually start at the legs?

 

[SQ]

Junior sounds very stressed and he could be barbaring himself (hair loss on his front legs).

Mites are invisible so you would be looking for one or both boys to be scratching more then usual.
If you suspect mites, it is easy to treat them with cat or kitten revolution from the vet. (A drop is put on the back of the neck. Approx a drop but amount is based on their weight.) Both would need to be treated.

If mites are not what is causing the behaviour change, you may need to consider getting Ernie neutered by a knowlegable vet experienced in doing surgeries on rats. Teen boys may become too aggressive because of high hormone levels caused by poor breeding practices.

 

[jorats]

I would probably do a mite treatment... it doesn't hurt even if they don't have it.

Are you sure the boys aren't just playing? I had something similar happen with my two boys, I was ready to separate them until I saw that the one being flipped actually wanted to be flipped.

 

[Maple]

Neutering is not such a bad idea. There are so many benefits to having it done.

 

[QueenBee]

Thanks for your help!

I've been watching them pretty carefully the past couple of days and I don't think it's mites. I think it is just rough play, I was just worried that it might be too rough for Junior. I'm still considering the neuters but I'll see how they do the next couple of weeks.