Need advice on new rats
Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 2:55 am
Hi, I need some advice on my new pet rats. I've owned rats before, and I lost my last one last month, but I'm definitely not an expert on them.
Today I decided I was ready to buy new rats as I love owning them and it doesn't feel right not having any around.
I bought 3 that are 7 weeks old and 1 that is 9 weeks old, all Male. I was advised that they were fully integrated together and got on very well. but after around 8 hours of them being in their 'new home' the 9 week old rat started seriously attacking the 7 week old. This was not a play fight or a dominance fight, this was a 'I'm going to kill you' fight. He just tore chunks out of the 7 week olds within a matter of 10 minutes. I removed him immediately and am taking him back to where I got him, I've never seen such an aggressive behaviour before.
The 7 week olds were very shaken and bloody, I checked them over and cleaned the cuts with saline solution, I was surprised they let me due to how shaken they were.
I was wondering if anyone has had an experience like this and if it's going to affect our future relationship and how long it'll take them to trust me, as I was the one who put them in that situation.
I just feel so guilty that this happened but so lucky that I was there to stop it as I was just about to leave for work.
Any advice will be well recieved.
Sorry it's so long but thank you if you read it all.
Today I decided I was ready to buy new rats as I love owning them and it doesn't feel right not having any around.
I bought 3 that are 7 weeks old and 1 that is 9 weeks old, all Male. I was advised that they were fully integrated together and got on very well. but after around 8 hours of them being in their 'new home' the 9 week old rat started seriously attacking the 7 week old. This was not a play fight or a dominance fight, this was a 'I'm going to kill you' fight. He just tore chunks out of the 7 week olds within a matter of 10 minutes. I removed him immediately and am taking him back to where I got him, I've never seen such an aggressive behaviour before.
The 7 week olds were very shaken and bloody, I checked them over and cleaned the cuts with saline solution, I was surprised they let me due to how shaken they were.
I was wondering if anyone has had an experience like this and if it's going to affect our future relationship and how long it'll take them to trust me, as I was the one who put them in that situation.
I just feel so guilty that this happened but so lucky that I was there to stop it as I was just about to leave for work.
Any advice will be well recieved.
Sorry it's so long but thank you if you read it all.
I wouldn't necessarily take him back to where he came from either, if the source is as unscrupulous as I fear it might be.