Is your rat aggressive?
Do your rats often start fights with other rats? Does it bite or scratch you or the other rats? If it does, maybe I can help you. Whether it’s aggressive towards you or towards other rats, it’s important to take steps to prevent someone from getting hurt.
Why is your rat aggressive?
There are a number of reasons why your rat may be aggressive. Could be due to hormones All rats go through an “adolescent” stage between 6 months and 1 year of age. At this stage, your rat’s hormones may be literally overwhelming and this can lead to aggression. You may also be stressed, perhaps you have lost a friend, or experienced a change in environment. It can also be caused by a disease. If your rat is in pain or unwell, it may become aggressive. It can also be caused by your rat’s past experiences. If he’s been abused by people before, or maybe you haven’t handled him enough to know we won’t hurt him, he may bite as a defense mechanism. Some rats are genetically more susceptible to aggression.
All rats release pheromones in their urine and these pheromones in males mark their territory and can cause aggression in other rats. Both male and female rats can experience aggression, but males tend to do so more frequently.
What can you do about it?
Fortunately, there are several things you can try to treat your rats’ aggression.
my secret weapon
Vanilla. If your rats are fighting or you are having trouble introducing them, this is the way to go. You can buy vanilla essence online or at your local grocery store. Simply rub a few drops at the base of both rats’ tails and along their backs. It won’t hurt them if they lick it, in fact, they’ll probably like the taste.
The smell of the vanilla essence (which is very pleasant) will cover up your own natural scent, which can be offensive to the other rat (since rats use scent as a way to communicate). The taste can encourage rats to lick each other and grooming will start the natural bonding process. This is all I need to do to stop any aggression in my rats.
If your rat is being aggressive towards you, rub the vanilla essence on your rat and a little on your wrist. This way they will both smell the same and it will be less scary and offensive to your rat.
secret weapon 2
The vanilla essence was a temporary fix to stop my kids from fighting, but when I finally figured out what was causing the fighting, it was easy to fix permanently:
I gave them 2 separate food bowls!
Yes, it really was as simple as that. I placed 2 food bowls at opposite ends of the rat cage and placed a rat next to each food bowl. They didn’t have to share anymore and all the fighting stopped after that. It was incredibly simple. They used to fight even when it wasn’t time to eat, but that all stopped.
Patience
When dealing with aggression or any other negative behavior in your pet, you must have a lot of patience and understanding. Changing behaviors takes time, and while the vanilla essence will help, you need to address the root of the problem. If your rat bites out of fear, your main job will be to build a trusting relationship. Sit by the open cage, relax or read a book, and let your rat come up to you and sniff you. Offer him a treat when he comes to your lap. Building a trusting relationship can take time, but it’s worth it in the end. To deal with fights between your rats, keep a vegetable water spray handy. Spray your rats if they fight and if this doesn’t work throw a towel over them.
Homeopathy:
Homeopathy is a wonderful tool when it comes to behavioral and health problems in rats. It’s all-natural, so there are no side effects, but it really works.
PetAlive’s aggression formula is best for use with rats. It comes in pellet form, so you can dissolve it in soy milk, yogurt, or your rat’s favorite beverage and it will gobble it up. The product is marketed for cats and dogs, but it worked wonders for rats.
The pellets have an immediate calming effect and will usually help to curb the aggression within a few days. The formula won’t change your pets’ personalities, but it could change their lives, if it means spending time outside of the cage, enjoying the company of other rats and people.
stop stress
Is your rat stressed or sick? Please check your rat for signs of poor health. Your rat could be aggressive because it feels sick. See my rat health checks page for more information, and take your rat to the vet if necessary.
If your rat has had a change of environment, or has lost a mate, this could be the cause of the aggression. Monitor your surroundings, check that you are not too hot or too cold. If your rat keeps to himself, find him a companion. Rats are very social animals and love to have another rat to snuggle, groom and play with. Human company is not enough. Female rats are easy to introduce, but male rats can be a bit more difficult. Look at the rat introduction page for tips to make things work better.
a last resort
If you’ve tried everything and nothing has worked, it may be time to consider neutering your pet. In males, aggression can simply be caused by hormones, and castration will stop the excess hormones raging around the rats’ small bodies. There have been many reports that neutering has completely stopped aggression in pets and made their lives much happier.
Of course, anesthesia is more serious for rats than, say, cats and dogs, so it’s something to consider carefully. You need to find a vet who cares for rats and who respects you and your rat. Just calling the office and asking a few questions will usually help you determine if they are the right vet for you.
After the surgery, your rat will need to be cared for for a few days and then you can start building a trusting relationship without the aggression.