Need some advice - fighting

So this is my first time running into a problem like this and hopefully some of you rat experts can give some insight. My best breeder male has been with a smaller male hanging out for a few weeks. I hear all kinds of screeching come from their tub tonight and when I check, he has a bunch of bite markes on his neck and back. Not bad, barely any bleeding. I left them together and listened for a few more minutes and it started up again. I think its the big boy doing the screeching. So I put him down with my two big Albino males that are just easy going. A few minutes later I hear running around and screeching in that tub. I can't figure out whether its him causing problems or if he seems weak and the others are picking on him. He seems very unsettled and flighty which is weird for him. Any thoughts?

feed off the problem child!



vaughn

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kavmon

feed off the problem child!



vaughn

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That is the problem, I dont know who it is. This guy has had problems in 2 tubs tonight but he has all the wounds. Maybe he is just a bully that starts the fights but cant finish them. Anyway, he is my best breeder so I cant feed him off.

Well, I just caught the big male instigating the fighting with the Albino males now so it appears he is the problem. I am going to keep him by himself for a day or so and see if he calms down. He should learn to fight a little better as he is the one with all the bites!

Hmmm wonder what's making him start something with the males in both tanks. Hopefully he wasn't trying to "get friendly" with them and they objected LOL. Seriously though was he recently in with the breeding females? Sometimes when a male goes straight from a breeding environment back in with other males they will harrass him because he smells of the females. When I switch out breeder males sometimes the other males will drive him crazy sniffing him madly and bouncing all over him excitedly..."you smell like a girl! you smell like a girl!" sort of thing. Usually it doesn't get into fighting but I did have a male turn vicious on another and almost kill him.

You'll want to take that male out anyways for awhile alone and treats his bite wounds. If he smells like blood or appears weak until he's healed the other rats might well take advantage of that and really hurt him very badly.

just keep him with the ladies, they like scars and bruises:)



vaughn

Rats heal incredibly fast and well too Jamie so not a lot of worries that way. After Casanova was attacked, and considering he's getting on in age, we were pretty sure he wouldn't make it (he was horribly bitten). The old guy healed right up with some rest and triple antibiotic on the bites and is still enjoying life as Stud Emeritus of the colony to this day.:)

I keep all of my males alone unless there are females in with them to get preggos...When I used to grow out the males together, they would always get into some type of skirmish...Good luck!!

i keep all my breeder males (all three of them:D ) in their own enclosers . the females i rotate in and out as their babies become weened . i'll keep future breeder males together but once they are breeders they are never with other males .

Thanks Jo! I am not sure why it happened but ill keep him alone for a while to cool him out. I feel bad keeping any rats alone. I really believe they love the company...