Rat brother aggression? Any suggestions?

[wuffielover]

I thought I'd put this here since these are pet rats ^__^

Anyway, I have a pair of male rats that are brothers. They've lived together literally all their lives. They're both dumbos, one blue capped, one black capped. Tonight I was watching television in the living room when I suddenly heard a horrible racket from the back room, squeaking and chattering. I rushed in and found Momo and Ringo rolling around yelling and screeching. They stopped when I slammed the cage door open, and came up to it. I could tell just from body language that Ringo (the black capped) had been the aggressor; Momo basically ran up to me going "Help!" while Ringo sat sullenly in the cage, fur puffed up, teeth chattering angrily. I checked Momo out and found one bleeding bite near the base of his tail; otherwise, he's OK. I cleaned him up and put him in the cage with the retired girls (no worries, they're all well past getting preggers and well acquainted with him) and went back to see if I could figure out what was up with Ringo. He was obviously still upset but he came up and sniffed me semi-normally; however when I reached in to try and check him for damage he bit me, not play-biting, but serious, drew-blood biting. Ouch!

So the question is, why is he acting this way, and what can I do about it? I've read that male rats will sometimes become more aggressive around 6 months of age and neutering can help with that, but Ringo and Momo turned a year old back in August, so I'd think they'd be past any testosterone-fuelled behavior changes by now. The only other thing I can think of is that it might be some kind of mental disorder? Anybody with some ideas or experience with this, please help! I really don't want Ringo to have to live in isolation for the rest of his life, or have him put down if his sudden aggression becomes unmanageable!

[frankykeno]

That is odd that they would have such a serious fight when they are mature and well used to each other. Any possibility they scented a female in season nearby? Any major change in their living arrangements, food supply, level of activity or health? I have males that live together all the time and they do like to scuffle but real fights where biting occurs are incredibly rare. I do train them early though that if I hear any sort of scuffle I smack their enclosure and holler BAD RATS at them so maybe they are just so used to me being their dominant that it stops them fussing much with each other...not really sure on that, all I know is it seems to work.

I wouldn't leave the one male in with those females. Even if they are older, he'll still attempt to breed with them and you don't want that happening at their age. Try stripping down the entire male enclosure then setting it up with everything fresh (food, bedding, etc.) so no one's scent is laid down. Put them both in there with some nice treats to occupy them and just keep a really close eye on their interactions for the next week or so. Make sure the injured male is completely healed up first of course.

Males do get quite large. Is it possible that with two of them they've outgrown the enclosure size and need more space? Maybe some toys in there to occupy them would help (doesn't have to be expensive stuff...rats will play with anything really as long as it's rodent safe).

Do watch your rat bite, they can turn nasty if you don't properly clean it. The male that bit you and his brother may well be ill, sometimes that will turn a rat mean so watch him closely for signs something isn't right with him. If he continues to bite other rats and you, it may come to putting him down but hopefully that can be avoided.

[SatanicIntention]

I have a big 2lb male that gets into scuffles every now and then. He looks like a roof rat.. or a New York rat. Huge boy!

When he starts getting all huffy, I put everyone into the bathtub and bathe them. The cage gets a full scrub down too so nothing smells like "BOY".

You can put vanilla on them, or embarrass the crap out of them(bathing)

Some rats do develop pituitary tumors that affect their behavior and temperment, and that may be something to think about.

Usually though, males just get crotchety when they get older, especially if they aren't neutered. If it continues, I would just separate them.

And I REALLY wouldn't put the unneutered boy in with the girls, regardless of how old they are. Sometimes they can have heat cycles, even if they are erratic, and they can get pregnant(like women going through menopause). I know I wouldn't want a 2 year old girl getting pregnant, it can cause alot of problems.

[littleindiangirl]

I agree with Jo, they may not have enough room.
Which color male bit you and was the aggresor? Any chance that they smelled a female in heat nearby? Have they ever been introduced to females? If yes, do you give them a "cooling" down period?

Perhaps the dominance factor is changing hands. I know dogs fight for alpha, my own dogs got along fine for YEARS until my female literally beat the snot out of the male with her, and became the alpha.

I dont know if its the same for rats, but I notice whenever I reintroduce a male into the community cage, things have to get worked out, there is hostility, (*but never any actual fighting) for at least a few hours. Finally my big boy will flip them over and show who's boss, and everyone is happy.

[frankykeno]

I'm the meanest rat in the house as far as the rats are concerned! Usually the mature ones know my voice and all I have to do is holler "that's ENOUGH!!!" and all scuffling stops, everyone runs for a corner and cuddles. I swear they are probably mumbling rat curses under their breath, since I've just broken up their "fun". They really seem to hate being called bad rats if they don't cut it out with the highjinks. LOL Maybe by the time they are adults they are just so used to me not putting up with any fighting or that I'm the human that brings those yummy treats.

[wuffielover]

Ah! It took me like forever to get back to this! I've been so busy >.< But the good news is, the brothers are living together peacefully again, after a good cage-cleaning and a cautious re-introduction. It seems like the fight was a once off (hopefully). In any case, for now I'm just keeping a close eye on them, and they seem to be getting along with no more than the normal ratty scuffles. Thanks for all the advice, guys!

P.S. For those that were worried, Momo wasn't in with the girls for more than a few hours, and from what I saw was too shaken up by his fight to even be interested in them!