Vicious rat, or just confused? - SNIP TIME FOR CASS!

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We took him to the vet last night - he's healthy and was super good with her, very relaxed and not nervous. No health problems, no mites, no respiratory issues, 560 grams. On the whole way there (we took the metro and bus) though, he was bruxing and boggling like crazy, which I'm guessing was from stress and nerves? Why else would he be boggling on a bus full of snowy, post-workday people?!

She thinks he's less than a year old, maybe 10 months, and that his aggression is hormonal/territory-based - the neuter is scheduled for next Tuesday. Wheee! Maybe our little monster will transform into a squishy laprat?
 
Yes, the stress of the transport is what caused him to "find a happy place" with his boggling and bruxxing.
I agree, he seems more 10 months especially with his aggressive tendencies and definitely hormonal. I bet within a month, you'll have yourself a sweet squishy Mimo.
 
jorats said:
Yes, the stress of the transport is what caused him to "find a happy place" with his boggling and bruxxing.
I agree, he seems more 10 months especially with his aggressive tendencies and definitely hormonal. I bet within a month, you'll have yourself a sweet squishy Mimo.
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I agree, you'll have a whole new rat man!
 
[s:1081eo6s]Meano[/s:1081eo6s] Mimo, aka Bad Boy and Fuzzybites, will be taken to the clinic for his snip snip this evening. We need some happy thoughts/vibes, and are hoping the surgery goes well and that he becomes a happier boy.
 
Good luck Mimo, best wishes for a successful snip snip and hope they take your bad attitude along with those torpedos!! Healing vibes from all of us :heart: :cuddle:
 
From scanning the replies, it sounds to me like Rat Daddy takes his own testosterone too seriously.

My thoughts when reading your initial post is that swatting, while natural, is bad advice and isn't going to do squat except make Mimo mistrust you. Swatting is emergency-get-away reaction only, when no other response comes to you faster. Also, if he bites - yell but do not yank your hand away. If necessary, use your other hand to get him to release the jaws of death. Also, let it bleed to clean the wound. I've only had very superficial infections from rat bites - the kind that salt water soaking and patience heals. But I'd hate to get an abscess like they give each other!

I have done this submission technique before with alpha males who bite. But I have also taken them in to be neutered. I've only had two as aggressive as Mimo, and a third who knew not to bite me except if I accidentally was in the way - and when he was out-alphad by another male, he chilled out without neutering.

Read here on the Dominance Pinch:
http://mooshika.blogspot.ca/2006/10/dom ... -rats.html
 
His surgery went well, no complications, eating and drinking - at the vet's, who will keep him through this evening to make sure that he is ready and hasn't been gnawing at his stitches.

Meanwhile, his buddy is quite nervous and out-of-sorts! Castielle is suddenly shy and defensive - I picked him up gently to put him in his favorite place, on my shoulder, and he squealed and bit hard enough to draw blood (the first time he's bit). He's afraid, and spent all of yesterday evening searching the cage for Mimo. From being a very confident boy, today he doesn't want to come out of his hut. :( I hope this passes when his buddy returns from the vet tomorrow.

Has anyone else seen a behavior change like this in a pair of males?
 
odoriusagi said:
Meanwhile, his buddy is quite nervous and out-of-sorts! Castielle is suddenly shy and defensive - I picked him up gently to put him in his favorite place, on my shoulder, and he squealed and bit hard enough to draw blood (the first time he's bit). He's afraid, and spent all of yesterday evening searching the cage for Mimo. From being a very confident boy, today he doesn't want to come out of his hut. :( I hope this passes when his buddy returns from the vet tomorrow.

Has anyone else seen a behavior change like this in a pair of males?
Click to expand...
I think everything has been a bit much for Castielle. He's just starting to settle in to another new home, and all of a sudden his best bud is GONE and he is all alone. He's having a hard time of it. I would think that once Mimo is back he will settle down. Whenever I have had surgery done on one of my rats, they are in and out the same day so they don't have to spend the night away from home. They are also put back with their family the same day. In my experience, the other rats don't bother the sutures or incision - maybe just to sniff it. If I had wild and crazy ratties, I might leave them in a recovery cage next to the regular cage so they don't get pounced on...
 
All rats can have those sorts of reactions if they're separated from their colony. Especially if Mimo is the alpha, Castielle is missing his protector now. (This is why it's SO important to keep rats in groups ;)) He'll be thrilled to see Mimo tomorrow :)
 
Mimo came home this evening acting like he didn't actually just lose two of his organs! He was his old self, nomming treats and biting the husband. :( But when he and Castielle saw each other, the happy reunion that I expected quickly devolved into a screaming rat ball of fury, leaving Castielle bleeding from a bite on his side. They went into separate huts. Torpedo-less Mimo is certainly acting like he's packing heat.

After a quick scuffle when Mimo joined Castielle in the hammock, Castielle retreated into a tube and lay there with his head poking out. Mimo laid beside him, outside of the tube. No arguing after this. We are keeping them in our bedroom and not in the office, to give them a change of scenery and to be able to hear them if they fight.

Why do they have to be so difficult? Husband is upset and bleeding, lounging on the couch, wondering if we will ever have nice, calm, fuzzy loves. He's also drinking a glass of spiked eggnog, which is cheering him up pretty quickly, so no worries. :)
 

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