allegator8150
Member
I am currently in need of advice and insight into my two 10-month-old male rats. I've been having a sudden behavioral change that has made it very hard for me to take care of them. They are litter mates and have lived together since day one. I went away for the week, left them at my apartment, their home, with my roommate taking care of them (he did an excellent job, not as good as I, but pretty close), came back and they were starting to get more aggressive with each other. Play fighting turned into real fighting and no serious injuries were caused but there were bite marks on each of them. They are both currently separated and I have little to no hope of reuniting them with my current knowledge and unsure of how to handle this situation. Neutering has been suggested to me, but there is an issue with that. For one, I don't know if it will work. Secondly, I'm allergic to them. I had hope that my allergies will reduce the longer I have had them, but it has caused some lung troubles since. For the two issues that this is about, I'm thinking I might need to rehome them. It breaks my heart but i'm not sure if I can find a way to avoid my health issues and decrease the aggression. I feel very unequipped to deal with their behavior issues. I love my boys, and I'm doing everything I know how to do to keep them healthy and happy currently.
Is there any way to avoid allergens with them? I've tried masks, and gloves and so far, nothing helped. As for the behavior, is this the typical "hormonal" issue with boys even though they are older than 8 months and had a "hormonal" phase already? I can tell they aren't happy being alone. My hyper one needs a playmate, and his brother is a shy, albino who needs a friend to help guide him around. I thought about adding a rat or two to maybe help defuse the aggression but then I was concerned about my allergies and health of the other rats. is that a possibility? Would it help them? Also, no judgment but what should I do about allergens? Like I said, I love my boys but being treated for the first time ever for pneumonia is not fun.
This is taring me apart.
Is there any way to avoid allergens with them? I've tried masks, and gloves and so far, nothing helped. As for the behavior, is this the typical "hormonal" issue with boys even though they are older than 8 months and had a "hormonal" phase already? I can tell they aren't happy being alone. My hyper one needs a playmate, and his brother is a shy, albino who needs a friend to help guide him around. I thought about adding a rat or two to maybe help defuse the aggression but then I was concerned about my allergies and health of the other rats. is that a possibility? Would it help them? Also, no judgment but what should I do about allergens? Like I said, I love my boys but being treated for the first time ever for pneumonia is not fun.
This is taring me apart.