introducing new rats!?

This video really helped me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZk8JOQj5mY

Or, if you prefer to read in written form:

Quarantine the rat first for two weeks to be sure it is not ill. After this is done, you can then start by putting each rat's cage side by side so they can see but not touch each other, and smell each other.

Every day or so, switch the rats to the other's cage.

Introduce them on neutral territory, like a spotlessly cleaned or new cage, or a closed off room. I prefer my bed or tub. Don't leave them unsupersvised. Keep the meetings short, 15-20 minutes.

Pick the cage you will be moving them into. Spotlessly clean it if it's not new and other rats have previously lived in it. If it's the cage of the rat you already have, rearrange the things in it so it seems new to both of them. Put both rats in it.

If things go well, great. If there's fighting, spray them with a bottle that has water. They'll be distracted and have to wash their faces because they're very clean like that :P Take this time to remove the rats for a little while.

When they are ready to be caged together, put in a new nesting box, or piece of PVC pipe or something for the new rat to hide in, just incase the other rat acts out or attacks.

Helpful tidbits:

Neutering is a very effective way of reducing aggression in mature males.

Have a small towel to throw over a rat, or a book ready to separate them incase of fight is a good idea. They've got sharp teeth and this may be easier than picking one up mid-fight.

Rats DO establish a dominance order, so if there's mild wrestling or "fighting", don't worry. If there's injury or one rat completely attacking another, this is a problem.

My introduction technique gets your new kids into the cage right away after quarantine. Good luck! :)

A: Quarantine:

When you pick up your new rat(s) make sure you already have a clean, full (with bedding/toys/and stuff) cage ready. This is so you can quarantine the new rat(s) from your Rat. We QT rats to make sure that the new rat have no illnesses that can be passed on to your existing pet rats. The best possible way to do this is to have the new rats in separate air space, if you're unable to do this, be sure to at least have them in separate rooms. Some believe QT should last up to 3 weeks, but I believe, as much attention I pay to all of our rats, it can last between one and two weeks.

B.Introducing the new rats:

Intros can last up to a week. There are two ways to do this.

1. After 1-2 weeks of quarantine, begin allowing the new rats and existing rats to play during out-of-cage time together. Do this every day until they feel comfortable together.

2. Make a rat buffet on a paper plate (this can include veggies/fruits, water down peanut butter, crackers, yogies, and any other types of "treats"), put it in your bath tub. Proceed to give each rat a bath in the sink then put them in the bath tub one at a time. In my experience, this is a one shot intro and is unnecessary to do again. This works well because all rats involved will be more focused on the food and grooming than one another, then will realize the other is there. My philosophy, stolen from a member of GooseMoose forums: Rats that eat together will live together!

(Please note that there are other ways of introducing - To each his own!)

No matter what, before you put all rats in the same cage, be sure to:

A. Clean and disinfect the cage.

B. Move all the rat furniture around so that the cage is "new" to everyone.

C. Monitor your rats for at least an hour to ensure no injuries.

Good luck!!

My site at http://ratcaresheetbrief.angelfire.com/ :)

I've had DOZENS of rats, and I've never had a problem. At this moment I have 5 females together.

I'll be honest, we weren't the best rat owners, we always just threw the new females in the cage. There were little tussles here or there, and then they were fine. Usually it was the babies being too wild with the adults, and the adults finally just putting them in their place!

If you are concerned (which in all reality you should be, just for the safety of all your pets) then introduce them in a neutral area. Bath tubs work great for introductions. I would say go for it now, they have been around eachother for a while now. They know of eachother's presence.

Luckily for you, it can be much easier to introduce immature females to older females because they can't dispute the older females' dominance.

Watch them for about a day to see if the older rats are showing signs of agression (tail waging, fur raising, tense posture). If not, then you should follow introduction protocol, that goes something like this...

1. Introduce rats initially on neutral territory away from their cages and the room they are kept in. Keep them distracted with new foods and smells when you do this. You may rub a little vanilla on their necks to neutralize their own personal odors.

3. Set up short "play dates" on neutral territory until they seem comfortable together and are not showing any signs of aggresion.

4. Reintroduce them to a new or sanitized cage with new litter and new toys and bedding so that no one thinks the cage is "theirs." Make sure the cage is big enough, or fights may eventually break out. Use the cage calculator: tp://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.sht…

5. Supervise them in the cage to make sure they are getting along.

6. Break up serious fights but allow them to wrestle and play to establish dominance. When it comes to wrestling/dominance play the rule is usually "no blood no foul."

7. Be patient!

You can read about how to do introductions safely in more detail here: http://www.dapper.com.au/articles.htm#in%E2%80%A6

And for the future, remember to quarantine new rats before introducing them to make sure they don't carry any diseases. (Since they are already breathing the same air... it is too late this time.)

You can keep them in cages next to each other so they get used to each other smell, then you can release them together. Watch over the whole process, and be ready to split up any fights that may occur!!!! Good Luck!!!!!! XX :D

well the older rats will just treat your younger rats as there babies but just keep a good eye on them because on fighting