I'm looking for advice on introducing three older females to two newly adopted female babies. Here's the story: We adopted two one-year old female rats from a family that was giving them up. These were our first rats, and think they make great pets. We think one of the females had an undetected medical condition because she died suddenly about six months after we adopted her. (We had taken them to the vet twice before this just for checkups.) We didn't want the older female, Cookie, to be alone, so we adopted two baby rats, Chippie and Sugar. Cookie took to Sugar and Chippie right away. We didn't know to quarantine new rats or introduce them slowly back then, but we never had and issue and it was a beautiful friendship from day one.
About a year later, we decided we wanted more rats and adopted two more baby girls. All the rats seemed to get along great when we introduced them and played together well. I told my GF not to put the older females in the same cage as the babies. However, the rats seemed to be getting along and the first adoption went so smooth that my GF put the older females in the cage with the babies before she want to bed. I had already gone to bed and was unaware of what she did or I would have put them back in separate cages.
The next morning, the two babies were dead. I believe they were killed because the skin on the back of their neck had been torn way. I was very upset with my GF. I'm a very light sleeper, but I never heard the rats fighting, and we don't know which female killed them. The rats are in the next bedroom and both doors were closed, so it is possible I just didn't hear the horror. Sugar, had a cut on her back, so I though it might have been her, but now I think she got the wound defending the babies from Chippie (why I think this below.)
Well, we still wanted some more rats, so about two weeks later, we adopted two 6-week old females. This time, my GF did not mix them together, and we have them in cages beside each other. We hold the babies and let the older rats sniff them. Cookie and Sugar seem fine with the babies and alternate between sniffing them, cleaning them, and ignoring them.
However, one of the older females, Chippie, seems very aggressive toward them. When we hold the babies and let her sniff them, she tries to claw them really hard and wants to bite them. She grabbed the neck skin on one of the babies really hard and yanked it like she was trying tear the skin, but she didn't cause a wound, and the baby didn't cry either. Cookie did all this very calmly and did not hiss or arch her back, but I am now convinced that Chippie killed the two other babies.
About three weeks after we got the two new baby rats, we gave them all a bath with scented tear-free baby soap and dabbed them with vanilla, and held the babies while letting the older girls sniff them. Again, Sugar and Cookie did fine, but Chippie seemed to want to bite them or claw them. Again, Chippie showed no other signs of agitation.
So her are my questions: 1). Is Chippie really trying to hurt the baby rats since since is not showing any other signs of aggression like hissing or arching her back? 2). If we let them all roam around together in a room supervised, would we have enough time to save the babies, who are now about 9-weeks old, if Chippie did try kill them? 3). What can we do to help Chippie get used to her new sisters? 4). Would it be a good idea to let Cookie and Sugar play with the babies with out Chippie until the babies are older and can defend themselves?
Both sets of rats are in good sized cages, we we can keep the separate indefinitely if we have to, but we'd prefer to have just one happy rat family. Yes, we have made some mistakes, and I'm still a little upset with my GF, but we really like pet rats, are trying to be responsible rat owners, and want to provide them with the best home we can.
About a year later, we decided we wanted more rats and adopted two more baby girls. All the rats seemed to get along great when we introduced them and played together well. I told my GF not to put the older females in the same cage as the babies. However, the rats seemed to be getting along and the first adoption went so smooth that my GF put the older females in the cage with the babies before she want to bed. I had already gone to bed and was unaware of what she did or I would have put them back in separate cages.
The next morning, the two babies were dead. I believe they were killed because the skin on the back of their neck had been torn way. I was very upset with my GF. I'm a very light sleeper, but I never heard the rats fighting, and we don't know which female killed them. The rats are in the next bedroom and both doors were closed, so it is possible I just didn't hear the horror. Sugar, had a cut on her back, so I though it might have been her, but now I think she got the wound defending the babies from Chippie (why I think this below.)
Well, we still wanted some more rats, so about two weeks later, we adopted two 6-week old females. This time, my GF did not mix them together, and we have them in cages beside each other. We hold the babies and let the older rats sniff them. Cookie and Sugar seem fine with the babies and alternate between sniffing them, cleaning them, and ignoring them.
However, one of the older females, Chippie, seems very aggressive toward them. When we hold the babies and let her sniff them, she tries to claw them really hard and wants to bite them. She grabbed the neck skin on one of the babies really hard and yanked it like she was trying tear the skin, but she didn't cause a wound, and the baby didn't cry either. Cookie did all this very calmly and did not hiss or arch her back, but I am now convinced that Chippie killed the two other babies.
About three weeks after we got the two new baby rats, we gave them all a bath with scented tear-free baby soap and dabbed them with vanilla, and held the babies while letting the older girls sniff them. Again, Sugar and Cookie did fine, but Chippie seemed to want to bite them or claw them. Again, Chippie showed no other signs of agitation.
So her are my questions: 1). Is Chippie really trying to hurt the baby rats since since is not showing any other signs of aggression like hissing or arching her back? 2). If we let them all roam around together in a room supervised, would we have enough time to save the babies, who are now about 9-weeks old, if Chippie did try kill them? 3). What can we do to help Chippie get used to her new sisters? 4). Would it be a good idea to let Cookie and Sugar play with the babies with out Chippie until the babies are older and can defend themselves?
Both sets of rats are in good sized cages, we we can keep the separate indefinitely if we have to, but we'd prefer to have just one happy rat family. Yes, we have made some mistakes, and I'm still a little upset with my GF, but we really like pet rats, are trying to be responsible rat owners, and want to provide them with the best home we can.
