neuter and friend

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BoBa

New Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2018
Messages
2
Location
UK
A few days ago my Yoda passed away-we didn't expect him to die so quickly at only a year old. This leaves Chewy needing a companion but I have so much to think about that I need advice.

Recently Chewy has become quite aggressive; I think it's just a build up of testosterone but Yoda's illness and death most likely have contributed to his stress. He bit my dad, causing him to bleed and has bitten me quite a lot even though it hasn't drawn blood. I'm being careful around him but he would occasionally start nipping quite hard on my hands or sleeves in a pulling motion. His fur piloerects, he takes audible sharp angry intakes of breath and become defensive when I try to pick him up during playtime. He needs to be neutered and I called about 20 vets around my area about vets who have castrated rats before and how much it costs. The cheapest are at around £70 which is quite expensive although I do understand all the sedation and medication costs. Also he has a little bit of a sniffle which I'm treating and he's 550g which both might increase risk of the surgery. Could this aggression be a faze or something that needs to be fixed?

Then, his pawtner. Firstly I don't think he'll get along well with other rats if he's being aggressive towards me. Secondly I prefer not to get more rats because of the heartbreak and stress I've been through with these guys (however amazing they are), but I know I have to because Chewy's only a year old and absolutely could not live alone for potentially 1-2 more years. But to prevent an endless cycle of ratties, I'm planning on adopting a single rat. The problem is, not many rescues near me have rats and I've been on websites where people advertise pets they can no longer care for, but they are mostly babies. Maybe I could get two more older rats but again, they're hard to find. My best hope is to keep on looking, but I don't know how long it's going to take for us to get lucky and I also don't know if I should or could get Chewy castrated.

A lot's on my mind. What should I do?
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. Losing our babies is always the worst. :( Usually, I'd be on the boat that the aggression is just from the grief and stress of losing his buddy. However, when that anger is directed towards the human and draws blood, I'd suggest a neuter. It's in his best interest now that he doesn't want your attention. As you said, you don't plan on having the endless cycle, so look for older rats. If you do neuter Chewy (aptly named lol, sorry), then he can have females or other males as his cagemates. More often than not, a neuter fixes up any aggression issues a rat has, whether it's directed at humans or other rats. It also just lowers the rat's stress levels and helps them fight off illnesses that much easier.

Don't be afraid to look on the UK's equivalent of Kijiji or Craigslist (although I don't know if the UK does, so apologies). My two newest boys are rescues from Craigslist and they're an absolutely fantastic pair. One tends to sleep on my arm and just pass out. If that doesn't work out, check out Petfinder (or its UK equivalent) and just look. If anything, call into these rescues and, if they allow it, tell them to call you if rats come in. Most should be happy to have someone who'd take rescues in a heartbeat.
And, while this forum doesn't encourage buying from breeders, contact local breeders and ask if they have any retired breeders or returned rats in need of a home. The breeder I've gotten my baby rats from has retired breeders for adoption at a reduced price.

If all else fails, perhaps look in feeder bins and rescue an older rat in need of a home.
 
Haha yes, thank you so much viciouscurse. Unfortunately (fortunately) we don't have feeder bins here but I'll definitely try the other things you have suggested. I'll have to use my pocket money for his neuter but you've convinced me that it'll be absolutely worth it! Also how long after surgery would he be able to be introduced to other rats?
 
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Hi Chewie's getting neutered next week Wednesday but I haven't been successful in finding a partner.
I know intros between adult males are often more complicated but how would a neutered male rat and an unneutered male rat get along?
 
Sorry, I meant to reply to this sooner!

Depending on what your vet says and how well Chewie is doing, it really varies. When I neutered my dog, he ended up licking his stitches (somehow) and the cone turned into a six week stint instead of just three lol.

Depending on the intact male's behavior, it should go just fine. I've intro'd intact males to each other for years and have never had issues. But, that being said, they've never met ladies (spayed or intact) nor have they met a neutered male.
 
Don't worry, thank you. I've decided to cancel the neuter because Chewie's suddenly become very ill. I don't know how long he'll last but I don't think we'll be able to find him a friend. Thank you so much again.
 
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