# Introducing new rats.. Help please? xx



## Cherene (Nov 4, 2008)

* Ive always wanted about 3 or 4 rats, I have so much time to spend and they are such lovely animals. Ive just brought a MASSIVE new cage for the 2 i have and i would love to get another female rat.
I am actually planning to get an older rat, but im not sure how to introduce her to my other rats, and im not sure if they will get on. My rats are 9 months old and would it be better to get a rat the same age? or older (like a big mummy rat?)
My rat buttons is a jealous little girl, and loves alll of my attention so i dont know if it would be a good idea becuase i would hate for her to go off me because another rat is going to be living with them. 
Hopefully this makes sence to people lol! I would like alot of advice pleaaassseeee  :001_tongue:*


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## Cherene (Nov 4, 2008)

doesn't anyone have any advice for me?


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## You_Rock (Oct 12, 2008)

give it time some people are on different timezones so theyll probly be on later.


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## owieprone (Nov 6, 2008)

you can introduce rats of any age, though unweaned babies should be kept separate from unknown rats.

intro them somewhere that your current ones don't see as theirs, a table, in the bath, on the floor of a room they can't hide anywhere (bathroom or landing etc). clean their cage out while they're playing to it doesn't smell overly of the current rats.

leave the newbie in the box for about 10 mins with your current ones running around then open the box and let them mingle, don't take the new rat out, let it saunter out when it's ready. noses might get nipped but that's normal, it's like sticking your fingers near the bars but not putting them through lol ripe for nipping!

there may be some squabbling etc to begin with once they're all out, keep an eye on them it can seem quite vicious and the squeeling might be quite loud, unless you see blood i wouldn't worry about it.

your rats won't go off you, you'll be rat piled once they've all settled in as they vie for should space. i've had all 7 of my girls vying at once! sore!
your mummy rat might be abit jealous of the new rat if it gets attention but as long as you give her attention aswell she'll soon stop worrying about her position, they'll rank themselves accordingly after a while anyway.

good luck 

lol you might find that the alpha rat isn't always the biggest rat in the group either, we've found it's usually the best cleaner!


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## Cherene (Nov 4, 2008)

*Thankyou for the advice  
The main thing i was worried about is my rat buttons, she can get a bit too agressive sometimes (Not towards people, just when she has a lil tiff with her sister now'en aagin) and i didnt want to bring a younger rat in for it to get bullied alot. But i will give it go and intoroduce a new rat to them soon.

Btw....I brought my current rats together and they came from the same litter and so they have grown up together. Im sure my lil darlings would love a new friend, but if they fight and dont get on at all with a new rattie, does this mean it wouldnt really be a good idea to introdce any rat to them?

Sorry for all the questions lol.. I have had rats before and i know quite abit about them but ive never had more than 2 and ive never had to introduce rats before so any help on this subject will be very helpful. Thankyou! x*


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## owieprone (Nov 6, 2008)

siblings always fight, they're sorting out pecking orders which can be won and lost by the same rat over the whole time you ahve them.

the older ones might get on quicker with a younger rat as it will be automatically seen as subservient and not an immediate challenge to their dominance. 

we've introduced individuals and family groups to our already cohesive unit, with only a few problems (those being heckler and eos lol, who were just horrid rats, lovely to us horrid to anyone that wasn't bigger than them).

you will find that mostly rats are very receptive of newbies the more you introduce over the sets that you have, say you have 2 then buy 2 more, 2 die you get 2 more etc etc, however the first lot were welcomed is generally how the next lot are welcomed. or so it's been in our long history of introductions (with only the aforementioned 2 problems). Rats are very intelligent and sociable beasties and will do their best to accommodate newcomers. personalities will clash occasionally but generally all is well in rat-town.

as for other rats if one isn't accepted, it could just be that particular rat that rubs everyone up the wrong way, doesn't mean that any other rats will receive the same treatment. and not all the rats in your colony will welcome her the same way, you may find just one doesn't get on with the new one the rest are fine. rattie politics are quite hard to figure out sometimes. as long as no bad injuries are sustained (this will happen within a few days at most of introduction) the squabbles should eventually die down once pecking orders ar established, sometimes tho 2 individuals will fight over the same spot in the ranks so may never get on well but will tolerate each other.

the wounds to look out for are around the neck, especially at the back of the skull and spine or windpipe, if there are any of these, separate them immediately, it's a killing attack, and will be done again until whoever is dead. 
HOPEFULLY, you won't have this problem. If it does see if you can find out who did it, as they may not get on with any other rats than the siblings they grew up with. 


ask away  i've introduced many a rat to my colony


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## Cherene (Nov 4, 2008)

Thanx alot for that infomation! It has really help and hopefully i will be getting me little rat soon. Just waiting for her to be old enough to take her home !! 

Another question !!!! 

lol 

Im thinking about training my ratties! 
Just general things like litter training and getting them to come to me etc.

What other good small/ bitesize treat.. that i could give them.!

They dont consider fruit and veg as treat.. they kind of look it it.. lick a bit then walk off.. Because they no they get that every other day anyways lol They loveeeee yogurt and little pieces of chicken.. but i think i need something a tiny bit healthier , if im going to be teaching them things alot?

I know rats are all different but i was just wondering what other peoples ratties go crazy for lol! !!


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## owieprone (Nov 6, 2008)

i don't treat my rats with food when i'm training them. but you could try banana, my can't get enough of those! either dried or fresh.

you shouldn't actually need to litter train them, although this depends on your cage set up. if you have one of those corner litter trays with biocatolet litter in it and just paper everywhere else, they will automatically do everything in there, unless they prefer another corner lol. when rats are babies they don't have quite as much ability to keep it in, but i find that once they've reached a certain growth point they stop pooing and peeing everywhere and follows the adults cues. unluckily for me this means they pee everywhere in the cage but poo in the tray, due to one previous rat deciding that she was too good to pee in the tray.

My ratties have picked up some training from my first ever rat, Stalin, it's gone down through the colony as it's members have changed  some of them never having met my first one, obviously pick it up from the older rats in the colony, it's pretty cool how intelligent they are  much better than dogs and cats.

i'm also waiting to see who my new hair and nail groomer will be, so far no one's stepped into our old alpha's shoes in that department, (koch).

although rolly did remove some dead skin off my finger yesterday, very gentle  male hairdresser possibly?


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## Cherene (Nov 4, 2008)

aww lol... 
Your ratties sound soo sweet.

I have a corner tray and it has the recycled paper litter stuff in it. I put some old smelly stuff in there so they know thats where to go toilet and the rest has got this towel/ material stuff layed down. They still havent got the idea yet but i suppose this will come in time.. as they have only been in this new cage for 2 days so far. I thought i knew what their 'corner' was. so i changed the litter tray to that area and then they go in the other corner? They might just not like it.
As soon as i catch one of them doing the right thing i praise and praise her like mad.. and she gets all happy but then next min she does it in the wrong place again lol ah.. then again.. yes they are still little babies.

At this very moment she is wrecking the place.. lol.... pulling up the towel and trying to push the tray over and being naughty lil bean.. i think she wants me to get her out.. its her little way of getting my attention. aww!


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## owieprone (Nov 6, 2008)

if they've only been in it a few days they might not have decided what goes where yet.

babies can take a while to get the gist of things, my 2 youngest are only know figuring out that the 'house' is for sleeping in and the tube is for running up and down in, no sleeping in and blocking.

your's sound we cute,  i love ratty monsters


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## hilary bradshaw (Mar 9, 2008)

buy some vanilla essence from the supermarket and douse them all, behind the ears, the belly , the back ,just above the tail. when introducing them they all smell the same and it has always worked for me. good luck!


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## Cherene (Nov 4, 2008)

hilary bradshaw said:


> buy some vanilla essence from the supermarket and douse them all, behind the ears, the belly , the back ,just above the tail. when introducing them they all smell the same and it has always worked for me. good luck!


Ok sounds like a good idea- thankyou i will try that! ..

Aw ratties are o so cute... but the little ones are the little monsters...!
they do sumthing rong.. then give u that cute innocent look.. then i just end up cuddling them :


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## tj1980 (Apr 4, 2008)

awww good luck with ur ratties im sure they will get the hang of the litter tray, mine took a while but my females seemed 2 pick it up quicker than my boys, think my boys r typical males though just lazy lol


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