Thank you for all your words of encouragement 💗 Also please trust that I know the difference between ‘establishing dominance’ and hormonal aggression. If a rat has too much testosterone and is experiencing increased aggression because of this it’s a medical condition that needs treating like any other, and will continue causing issues within a group no matter what way shape or method you try. Please know that I’m not making the decision to neuter him lightly, and that in the last two weeks I’ve tried everything possible to get him to live happily with the other boys, with the guidance of experienced breeders, we’ve gone back and forth too many times back into the carrier, the rats have had enough, and I can’t continue getting no sleep for two weeks because they’re squealing all night. As I mentioned in the video I stopped filming when things started getting bad and his aggression towards everyone got worse as it wasn’t something I felt like filming and wanted to focus on them, so you’re only able to see very limited short clips of the start of it all. I appreciate all of your tips but at this point having tried them all already, there’s only really one thing to do from here on that will be in the best interest of all of them ☺️ I encourage anyone who’s in a similar situation to considering neutering / spaying as an option, again not something I would be doing unless absolutely necessary so please trust me on that one!
@@writingratty can you tell me more about that? Is it common? What's it called, brand name? I have 4 boys total with 2 alpha boys. One is over 2 years old. I would like to house them together, but can't trust the alphas.
I think maybe you should neuter humbug, and see if there is a difference in his behavior... BTW I love your video! I'm hoping to get some rats at some point!😁
You know your animals best, Emi. Nobody else was in the room to see how things went down and I think you've had these guys long enough to be able tell what's a problem and what isn't. I can't believe anyone would say otherwise, honestly.
Emiology Neutering male rats due to aggressive behavior is not at all unusual, so please don’t feel you have to explain or apologize! It is actually much better for the rats because it allows them to “chill out” and establish close relationships with their male companions, and this bonding gives the formerly-aggressive male a much better quality of life. After all, the “equipment” causing the aggression is the drive to be the strongest male in order to mate with more females, but these male rats are not going to be with females, so all that energy and drive is turned onto their cage mates. I work with a rescue organization, and one of the more common surgeries (besides spaying females) that we have done before adoptions or recommend to folks after adoptions is neutering aggressive males. So many male rats are relinquished for being “unmanageable” or “bullies,” but once neutered they make wonderful pets and can even often be integrated with other previously-aggressive neutered males, and seem so much happier for having buddies. And honestly, is it kinder to keep a male rat “intact” with all that hormonal drive and no relief? We don’t think anything about advising people to spay and neuter their dogs and cats, and rats who will never mate should have the same relief from constant arousal and the unfortunate behavioral issues that follow. (Just my opinion, of course!)
Just as a possible suggestion, many rat owners have a hard time seeing serious aggression behaviors and differentiating them from types of non-worrying interactions. A video showing the cases where the boys crossed the line (if that moment was filmed, obviously) can be very illustrative. There are many texts explaining aggressive behaviors, which are not so simple to instruct. This can help inexperienced owners to differentiate "this is really an aggression, I need to separate and maybe neuter" from "this is just dominance interaction". I do not know videos (it may be my ignorance, sorry) showing cases where things TRULY got out of control. I only suggest this because of what has really happened in these phenomena. I hope everything works out well, you are very kindy with them.
OMG - don't apologize for it not being the video you expected. The failures made it SO MUCH more informational, educational, and helpful! I swear, every video I watch it goes perfectly and I can't help but think how nothing I ever do goes perfectly. Thank you for this WONDERFULLY helpful video!
The dynamics has definitely changed between the older boys because of the neutering. Have you tried the vanilla essence method? You put a drop on everyone’s rump and it confuses all the scents and creates a new ‘family’ scent.
Audrey P. 👍🏻. I have never have needed it in the past by using the other methods but always had a last resort kind of thing. My friend was a very experienced rat companion and only used it herself as a last resort.
When Humbug gets aggressive he probably thinks it’s Christmas time even thought it’s very much not and so he’s being aggressive and saying “BAH HUMBUG”
Just goes to show that rats are super clever and complicated mammals...well done again Emiology for your honest in showing that animals aren't toys and owners have to accept that things may not always go to plan! Good Luck...You're a great owner and respected of animals!
I've only been bitten with actual pressure once. She was excited about the food in my hand and latched on thinking I was food. Same girl also thought my thumb was a baby once and tried to take it lol
Thank you so much for making this video! I am currently in the midst of a pretty difficult introduction, and every time I have attempted to look to UA-cam videos to try to navigate the situation, I seem to only find videos of extremely chill, smooth rat introductions. It's really helpful to see videos that show more difficult cases, since not only does it help me feel like I'm not alone, but it's also helpful to learn how others are handling their difficult intros. Seeing only easy, successful intros on UA-cam thus far has made me feel jealous and confused why mine haven't been as successful! I appreciate this real, honest content very much :) looking forward to seeing how things unfold!
Hi emiology i just wanted to say thank you so much for helping me out with knowledge about rats even though i don’t have any ill be ready for the future
Wow- all your introduction videos have helped me so much!! I have a pair of 7 month old males who recently lost their brother at a very young age. I found a 4 month old male at a nearby rescue and was nervous to begin intros after their first introducing resulted in a rat ball and some blood. I waited a few days and took your advice to GO SLOW and things are going amazing :) thanks :)
Tldr: super aggressive and territorial older boy?introduce in the bathtub with vanilla essence for a couple of weeks then take rats to someone else’s house and put them in a small cage together overnight then in a brand new or thoroughly cleaned cage back home I’ve just introduced my very difficult territorial boy to my new babies (it took a month all up). They’re finally together and happily getting along. The older male was already neutered and still aggressive. I started in neutral territory in the same room as their cage. Bad attacks from the older male. Swapped to the bathtub with vanilla essence on both boys, introduced one at a time. The first baby was very scared of the older male at first for a few days. Each session was like 10-20, mins. After a couple of weeks in the tub every day they were getting along well in the tub. But still the older male was very aggressive in the same room as the cage. So I took them to my mate’s house and introduced them in total neutral territory with vanilla essence. They went straight In the same cage with only water and food added after a few hours. Slept the night there and put them in a brand new cage when we came back home. Not one fight, only slight tussles. Really would recommend this for anyone with a verrrry territorial rat like mine.
I know they're more active and such but I'm glad I have females. Male hormonal aggression is too risky for me, my fat lard pilgor (video actually on my profile) is skittish enough, good thing she has her sister.
It's good to see when things go awry even though it's stressful in the moment. I'm looking at getting babies soon to introduce to my 20 month old boy who lost his cage mate, so I'm trying to see as many examples of introductions as I can!
Just been watching this again and it's so helpful. I have two boys (Horace and Herbie...very sadly their other cage mate Henry passed away at only 7mths due to respiratory issues); I am thinking now of getting two more boys, however this vid reminds me to be prepared for these issues. Thanks Emiology!
Interesting! I introduced my older male to 2 baby boys and they all got along instantly. Maybe a bit nervous to share the cage the first visit but that's all. Now they cuddle up so sweetly
Just gone through the same exact thing! Had one rat neutered, then when introducing and bonding found another one was hormonally aggressive. He's now been neutered, but I think there's another one who needs it 😅 it never stops lol
I have two older girls and I got 3 little baby girls about 2 weeks ago. They are pretty small,no bigger than my hand so right now I just have their two separate cages close together so my older girls can sniff and get used to the babies more. They puff up sometimes but I think they are beginning to accept eachother more. Lol I'm not going to do the carrier method though until the babies get larger. I'm scared that my older girls could snap and seriously hurt them since the babies dont know any better. But anyways,I think you could get more little ones but just make sure you have a separate temporary cage to keep them in for a bit. ^^"
this is unfortunately pretty common with rats that are houses in the same room and nearby or split cages, ive had so many awful introductions because my rats were kept in the same space where they could smell/ see/hear one another but couldnt do anything about it, which caused pent up territorial issues (including my neutered boys) so i now keep new rats in a seperate room until theyre ready to be introduced and it works much better for me :) hope that helps!
Yep, sometimes thats the case. The younger boys were kept downstairs for as long as possible but unfortunately i don't physically have the luxury of a separate room I can use to keep them in, it usually works fine because I can intro as soon I get them but Crumbles neuter being delayed really threw a spanner in the works
My spayed adult female Violet had it out for the baby boys I introduced to their mischief. She was viscious with him. He would be asleep in a pocket hammock and she would reach inland terrain him for absolutely no reason. Seriously traveling with them during intros saved my ass. The stress of travel plus neutral small living quarters actually bonded them.
Hey! I struggled about a 2 years ago and instead i switched to a plastic deep container bin, still small but it was open so i could reach in a grab them! This worked for me...All my other times i do the carreir method, but this was a good back up.
So sorry I hope that everything gets better we all love your rats and your videos. I’m sure that crumble is going to be a great big brother and humbug too in time
I always do mine in the bath as well. I skipped it my first time and that went badly. I do have one that will jump out now, so I have to watch her closely.
THANK-YOU EMIOLOGY FOR YOUR HONESTY!!! It's a 'pecking order' soap opera! I've been through this will various beautiful Male rats! It's a bit heartbreaking cos Male ratties are SO adorable! Maybe when the older boys when back into lower part of cage (which WAS ALL THEIRS) it triggered some 'territorial memories'?
I'm sorry it's not gone to plan but I'm also glad it's not just me having these kinds of problems in my intros! I want to move them back into the half petplanet cage but I think they'll be cooped up until the babies are bigger now. My biggest rat is just so much bigger than the "babies" and she's pretty grumpy so most evenings she decides she's had enough of being humped.
reminds me a bit of my rats. Was busy introducing them they were in the first half of the big cage, when one of my older rats got a bladder infection. and because of the pain he lashed out at one of the babys wich caused a wound that needed stitches. So while waiting for the vet i put the babys in a seperate cage. but putting them back after one day didnt go to well. because the wounded one was very afraid. So i also need to begin again in a little while. Tried to wait till the bladder infection was gone, but with bladder dust, a bad appetite, weight los and no energy i think after a lot of struggle its time to let him go (the vet thinks his kidneys have taken to much damage)
Seeing this makes me feel lucky that my rats got along when they first met, I have four boys Im guessing they got along so easy because my first two are pretty old
I have a rat that had to be neutered. He was so amped up on hormones that he was ALWAYS nervous and antsy. It took 2 MONTHS for his hormones to settle down. I tried around 6 weeks and he was still attacking my alpha. I waited 2 more weeks and he's not only living peacefully with everyone but he's also happier in general. Getting him neutered was the right choice. *Edited to add: I tried EVERYTHING. Bathtub, in a blocked off hallway, carrier, vanilla ... Nothing worked. He was just aggressive towards other rats.
I Just Found Your Videos. I So Thank You For Your Loving Nature And I Learned Alot. I Wish You Lots Of Happiness And Success!!! Much Love To You Forever!
I took out my 2 litters of babies that are 2 weeks old (the litters are only 3 days apart) to watch this and found that I'm missing one. Sad day. He was fine yesterday.
I don’t have rats (yet) but I watch because I love them 😍 My parent already don’t like my hamster very much, but I pay and care for her so they said I could keep. But I don’t think my parents would let me have rats on their house.
You actually are doing soo much 💖💖 You're definetely an inspiration for all rat owner (especially those ones, who argue that rats can live alone 🤦♀️😩) 💖 P.s. I actually don't own rats, but just from your videos, I can tell some things to other rat owners that are not really taking good care of their rats 😂😂🙈
Oh gosh, I’m so sorry to hear this emi!! That sounds horrible, you and your poor boys must all be so stressed! Maybe after humbug has been neutered, would you consider introducing them in pairs? Like Wispa and Crumble / Humbug and Twix, then switch, before trying again as a group? It might be a tiny bit easier if there are less established “teams” and they’re all familiar with each other. Best of luck with everything, I hope humbug is ok!!
This sounds Exactly like my introduction with my four boys 😂 . Hot . Stressful . Terrifying My pet shop rat did the EXACT same as crumble and I waited like 2 days and then put them into the carrier but only with the 2 least agressive and the most agressive older rat. Thankfully it went well
Hello! I would suggest asking to be put on a waiting/cancellation list at your vet's office for the neuter surgery. When I worked in a medical office, we had a "waiting list" of patients who wanted to be seen ASAP if another pt cancelled their appointment. It happened quite often that we were able to move someone on the list into an earlier slot. Best wishes for you and your rattie bunch! 🤗
Hi! I haven’t watched the video but I hope nothing too bad happens and if it did I hope they recover. I’m going to be getting my 3 first rats next Friday!!! I’m so excited
I always call my rats my babies as well so I completely get you ;) Don't let other people's judgement make you feel like it's weird. We just love our rats so dearly they feel like they are our babies :) And I am a proud rat mama ;)
Hey I really need some help if you guys could help! So recently me and my husband came across two baby rats that needed a home and we decided to keep them and I did all my best to help him care for the rats ( me and my husband temporarily are living apart from each other) and he didn’t sex the rats soon enough because they were too shy when he got them and he was scared to hurt them trying to forcibly pick them up. So turns out they are the opposite sex and one is pregnant! He doesn’t have the space to separate and care for the babies and we have limited options where we live but luckily!! I found someone that can probably have her spayed before she gives birth so we won’t have to worry about what to do with these babies. But I need advice on how to help them during the healing process and if the two can be kept in the same cage after having her spayed or if they might fight and what to expect. Please help and I’ll keep you updated with what happens! Thanks guys 💕
Thats a really tricky situation! I’m sorry that it happened with your first ratties! If you can find it, I would recommend a medication called galastop, as this will cause the female to reabsorb the litter, which is less invasive and less stressful than a spay. Then I’d probably recommend either getting her a suprelorin implant to prevent pregnancy, as this will allow for her to live with the buck without having a spay, although it would be advisable to neuter the buck, as the implant does wear off. This is all quite a long and pricey process, but spays are very risky and invasive surgeries in rats and if you can avoid them, I would. Obviously if you have a vet that you are confident in to perform the spay well, go with that, as it would also mean that you could continue keeping bucks afterwards, as I know quite a few people prefer bucks to does! Hope this is helpful and let me know if you need anything answering, although I’m not the most experienced and there are probably people here with much better/easier suggestions!
True hormonal aggression is actually quite a rare thing but intros with males can still be very tough. Some methods to try before neutering: Take the carrier for a car ride, put some ambient noise near it or motion on it (Like setting it on a washer doing a wash cycle), move them under a ceiling fan so motion is above them, try rubbing treats on the fur for each other to groom off. Really anything that gives small amounts of mutual stress can help bond the rats together. I've had really easy intros and one very very bad one that ended in a 400$ ER vet bill. It really is rolling the dice on whether they'll like each other. I wish your boys luck.
I've tried all of those things, and they were fine in the carrier for a few days even before I did various methods of stress bonding, I wouldn't be neutering unless it was a last resort and absolutely necessary for everyone involved. Unfortunately they both showed signs of hormonal aggression, it's not common, but it is the case for Crumble and Humbug. They come from lines of big stud bucks that have a lot of testosterone and just want to be alpha and breed, and have too much testosterone in their bodies. Interestingly none of the weedy rescue rats that came from poor lines have had issues with hormonal aggression.
@@Emiology I'm glad you tried the other things, I'm active on some forums and I'm just always worried about some owners jumping to surgery too fast because I know surgery can be risky for the little guys. I do hope it helps calm down your boys and that everything turns out well, they are very cute little guys
I got 2 new rats almost a year ago, and I still havent been able to get a successful introduction because my one girl Penelope keeps starting fights for no reason. I would introduce them in the tub, and ive tried spreading treats around, putting some vanilla extract on them.....nothing has worked so I essentially gave up bc im so terrified of the sounds of them fighting omg. So they now share a double critter nation, but its blocked off so they cant get to each other :( I super wish they wouldve gotten along bc I think it couldve helped the 2 newer rats since theyre so skittish and scared of me but :/ sometimes rats dont get along, it b like that sometimes
I have a boy with some possible aggression issues living with his 2 brothers and this video and your other intro videos are providing some insight into things I will have to take into consideration when I plan on adding 3 babies to the mix. I've owned rats for over 10 years but intros always kind of get me anxious even still.
Ahh I hate introductions:( with my gliders I’ve always done it in a tent and my heart breaks every single time someone gets attacked and gets scared and tried to hide behind me. I’m too much of a wuss and I always stop early
Hi Emi! great video as always! I'm trying to convince my parents to let me have pet rats so I'm doing as much research as possible but I still do have 2 questions: 1. How many time a day to you feed your rats? 2. About what time each day do you give them their food? Thanks again your videos have helped me out so much
I feel your pain, 3 out of our 5 boys had to be neutered 😖 and now one of the neutered boys is starting to show aggression 😩😩 (he’s around 18 months and was neutered over 6 months ago, they’ve been living together as a group of 5 for a couple of months after successful intros) If anyone has any experience / ideas how to handle aggression after neutering this would be appreciated 😅
My super aggressive lone male is getting neutered soon so a rescue I volunteer for can hopefully pair him with a spayed female or two ❤️ I decided to do it since my other male lost his cage mate/brother so we were making plans to drive up to get him a buddy or two. Fingers crossed my aggressive guy (were 100% sure hormonal) Chowder gets that chance at companionship. Cos’ he hates being held and doesn’t care for me at all 😭😂
Hello! We got rats today, and i have been meaning to ask you how do i help them get used to the cage? They keep on hiding under a platform and occasionally come out
If you got them today, then do nothing. You should let them have at least the day to themselves in their cage. Once they're not terrified they'll settle down and explore. She had videos for first bringing home rats if you go to her channel
Thanks for sharing this video too!! Learn so much from this videos👍🏼👍🏼 and love how you take this "challenge" also great job👌🏼💖 love your knowledge about this beautiful lovely smart cute animals✌🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I have a pair of ladies and am really eager to introduce them to another pair or trio so there's no risk of having a single once one passes away. However, I'm also nervous as heck!! 😵😬
I'm sorry to hear you're having difficulties. I hope you can get everything sorted soon and have the boys get used to having 2 new little brothers. Maybe you'll get lucky and some vet will take pity on your situation and squeeze you in.
Im getting two more boys to introduce to the two boys I already have and I am quite nervous and your videos are helping me so much because now im prepared for every possible outcome so thank you! (this will be the first introduction ive ever done because the last rats I had were already bonded)
With my rats I rubbed the older ones in pure coconut oil so when the new on was introduced they were less bothered by the new presence. I think Humbug is acting aggressive because Crumble is now calmer so he can assert more dominance now than ever before. I would say keep trying slowly and maybe do crumble first with the babies then Humbug over the span of a couple weeks???
I just got 3 rats about 4 ish months ago and they were all very friendly at first and then I believe about a month and half into just them living they started to have very explosive fights just like yours. I was reading that rats fighting occasionally was normal but this type of fighting obviously wasnt. My trouble rat is the youngest and he turned on my other two which are father and son. It got so bad that the youngest bullied the other two in staying on the top floor all day to him hiding all the food and then fighting them for the food they actually had. I started separating them when i feed them and it helped. I thought originally I needed to get a 4th rat because it was an imbalance of power but got scared of more fighting. eventually I separated my youngest rat (Hank) into his own separate enclosure and there has been complete peace since. I am very upset as my second oldest that Hank turned on has a huge gash I hadn’t noticed on his back. Every time i tried to reintroduce them they start fighting immediately. Im working on getting a bigger enclosure and possibly getting Hank neutered in the future. Until then I fear that the youngest aggressive rat will get depressed and alone in the separate enclosure while trying to fix the aggression problem.
i’m so sorry about this. i have 2 rats, and they get along very well. i don’t know what i would do if this happened to me, i’m thinking about getting 2 more rats, so i’ve been watching and researching TONS of things about introducing them, i have girls, so i’d probably get 2 other girls because i don’t want baby ratties. but this is what scares me about introducing them because i don’t want to get a second cage. i would get a larger cage if i get more, not sure yet.
I really wanted a rat :( but my mom wouldn’t let me so I decided to get gerbils. Those little babies are so gorgeous. Hope this gets better in the future 😌
I've had a similar experience,i adopted some new boys and when they met my other boys one of the new ones attacked my biggest boy and actually ripped open his skin 😞my my original boys are so sweet and innocent ,now I'm scared for them to meet but ik I've just got to take it slow and hope for the best
Hi again Emi, I have a few more questions for you if you don’t mind about my little ratties told you about earlier today if you don’t mind, Thanks! (I’ll leave copy + paste my original comment I said on the other video for context) I gave them half of a small egg yesterday but one of them seems to have diarrhea I’m not sure if that’s from the stress or new food but I’ll keep an eye. The rescue didn’t give me any of the old food they were on should I worry about slowly introducing it? Do you have any recommendations for good dog food and should it be wet food or kibble? Thanks again :)
Hey Emi, i have some questions for you. I got 2 new rats recently from a rescue, they are around 6 weeks old (I know it’s a bit young) but they only weigh 30g. How much should a 6 week old rat weigh and how can I help them to gain more weight? Thanks x
It could be a combination of a different diet, stress, and babies tend to have quite stinky wet poops sometimes, I wouldn't worry too much unless it continues. If you're not vegetarian etc you can offer them bits of meat you're eating as well, the dog food I use in my mix is james well beloved, any high quality dog solid food that you can add into their mix just to boost the protein up until they're bigger. Once they get used to the new food their poop should settle down a bit, ideally it's good to transition them over but most of the rats I've had they've never given me the food they were on previous so they've just had a sudden change, but hopefully it doesn't last too long!
Thank you for all your words of encouragement 💗 Also please trust that I know the difference between ‘establishing dominance’ and hormonal aggression. If a rat has too much testosterone and is experiencing increased aggression because of this it’s a medical condition that needs treating like any other, and will continue causing issues within a group no matter what way shape or method you try. Please know that I’m not making the decision to neuter him lightly, and that in the last two weeks I’ve tried everything possible to get him to live happily with the other boys, with the guidance of experienced breeders, we’ve gone back and forth too many times back into the carrier, the rats have had enough, and I can’t continue getting no sleep for two weeks because they’re squealing all night. As I mentioned in the video I stopped filming when things started getting bad and his aggression towards everyone got worse as it wasn’t something I felt like filming and wanted to focus on them, so you’re only able to see very limited short clips of the start of it all. I appreciate all of your tips but at this point having tried them all already, there’s only really one thing to do from here on that will be in the best interest of all of them ☺️ I encourage anyone who’s in a similar situation to considering neutering / spaying as an option, again not something I would be doing unless absolutely necessary so please trust me on that one!
@@writingratty can you tell me more about that? Is it common? What's it called, brand name? I have 4 boys total with 2 alpha boys. One is over 2 years old. I would like to house them together, but can't trust the alphas.
I think maybe you should neuter humbug, and see if there is a difference in his behavior... BTW I love your video! I'm hoping to get some rats at some point!😁
You know your animals best, Emi. Nobody else was in the room to see how things went down and I think you've had these guys long enough to be able tell what's a problem and what isn't. I can't believe anyone would say otherwise, honestly.
Emiology Neutering male rats due to aggressive behavior is not at all unusual, so please don’t feel you have to explain or apologize! It is actually much better for the rats because it allows them to “chill out” and establish close relationships with their male companions, and this bonding gives the formerly-aggressive male a much better quality of life. After all, the “equipment” causing the aggression is the drive to be the strongest male in order to mate with more females, but these male rats are not going to be with females, so all that energy and drive is turned onto their cage mates. I work with a rescue organization, and one of the more common surgeries (besides spaying females) that we have done before adoptions or recommend to folks after adoptions is neutering aggressive males. So many male rats are relinquished for being “unmanageable” or “bullies,” but once neutered they make wonderful pets and can even often be integrated with other previously-aggressive neutered males, and seem so much happier for having buddies. And honestly, is it kinder to keep a male rat “intact” with all that hormonal drive and no relief? We don’t think anything about advising people to spay and neuter their dogs and cats, and rats who will never mate should have the same relief from constant arousal and the unfortunate behavioral issues that follow. (Just my opinion, of course!)
Just as a possible suggestion, many rat owners have a hard time seeing serious aggression behaviors and differentiating them from types of non-worrying interactions. A video showing the cases where the boys crossed the line (if that moment was filmed, obviously) can be very illustrative.
There are many texts explaining aggressive behaviors, which are not so simple to instruct. This can help inexperienced owners to differentiate "this is really an aggression, I need to separate and maybe neuter" from "this is just dominance interaction". I do not know videos (it may be my ignorance, sorry) showing cases where things TRULY got out of control.
I only suggest this because of what has really happened in these phenomena. I hope everything works out well, you are very kindy with them.
That sounds traumatic, i hope they will get along in the future, they are so adorable
Omg that made me jump when they started fighting 🙈 they look so innocent when they’re asleep ☺️
oh hey :D
OMG - don't apologize for it not being the video you expected. The failures made it SO MUCH more informational, educational, and helpful! I swear, every video I watch it goes perfectly and I can't help but think how nothing I ever do goes perfectly. Thank you for this WONDERFULLY helpful video!
Yes, I agree! Very helpful video, I'm currently trying to handle introductions amd it has been a very difficult process.
The dynamics has definitely changed between the older boys because of the neutering. Have you tried the vanilla essence method? You put a drop on everyone’s rump and it confuses all the scents and creates a new ‘family’ scent.
Lol thats a good idea but I won't deny it sounds really funny 😂
Audrey P. Lol apparently it works. My friend used to swear by it all the time.
@@GardinersPlot OK! I'll probably try it in addition to other methods when I get some more baby rats in like a couple years XD
Audrey P. 👍🏻. I have never have needed it in the past by using the other methods but always had a last resort kind of thing. My friend was a very experienced rat companion and only used it herself as a last resort.
@@GardinersPlot ok thanks for letting me know!
When Humbug gets aggressive he probably thinks it’s Christmas time even thought it’s very much not and so he’s being aggressive and saying “BAH HUMBUG”
He’s really living up to his name
Lmao
I love his name haha
This long stare at 3:10 like : "You betrayed me mother."
lmao right
Crumble has to be one of the cutest rats I have ever seen, such a sweetheart ❤️❤️❤️
It's stupid how cute he is! Ridiculously cute!
He’s so pretty
I’m on a short holiday at the moment and family are looking after my baby ratties. Can’t wait to get them back tomorrow 😆❤️
When I was on holiday I was like---- "I hope there ok" like every few hours 😂
@@iipastelpickle3080 same
iiPastelPickle yeah that is what I’m doing 😅
Just goes to show that rats are super clever and complicated mammals...well done again Emiology for your honest in showing that animals aren't toys and owners have to accept that things may not always go to plan!
Good Luck...You're a great owner and respected of animals!
8:40
Crumble: "Ight imma head out.."
Emi: "I don't think so."
😂
9:33 that rat has so much bedding on his head 😂
Yeah we gave up on the bathtub method too.... the two older boys spent the entire time launching themselves out 😅
Only time I had a bite was during an introduction, even after numerous calm face-to-faces through meshes the old guy panicked.
I also got bit during this lol, but I don't blame them and i'd rather it be my hand than each other
I've only been bitten with actual pressure once. She was excited about the food in my hand and latched on thinking I was food. Same girl also thought my thumb was a baby once and tried to take it lol
Thank you so much for making this video! I am currently in the midst of a pretty difficult introduction, and every time I have attempted to look to UA-cam videos to try to navigate the situation, I seem to only find videos of extremely chill, smooth rat introductions. It's really helpful to see videos that show more difficult cases, since not only does it help me feel like I'm not alone, but it's also helpful to learn how others are handling their difficult intros. Seeing only easy, successful intros on UA-cam thus far has made me feel jealous and confused why mine haven't been as successful! I appreciate this real, honest content very much :) looking forward to seeing how things unfold!
Hi emiology i just wanted to say thank you so much for helping me out with knowledge about rats even though i don’t have any ill be ready for the future
Wow- all your introduction videos have helped me so much!! I have a pair of 7 month old males who recently lost their brother at a very young age. I found a 4 month old male at a nearby rescue and was nervous to begin intros after their first introducing resulted in a rat ball and some blood. I waited a few days and took your advice to GO SLOW and things are going amazing :) thanks :)
Tldr: super aggressive and territorial older boy?introduce in the bathtub with vanilla essence for a couple of weeks then take rats to someone else’s house and put them in a small cage together overnight then in a brand new or thoroughly cleaned cage back home
I’ve just introduced my very difficult territorial boy to my new babies (it took a month all up). They’re finally together and happily getting along. The older male was already neutered and still aggressive. I started in neutral territory in the same room as their cage. Bad attacks from the older male. Swapped to the bathtub with vanilla essence on both boys, introduced one at a time. The first baby was very scared of the older male at first for a few days. Each session was like 10-20, mins. After a couple of weeks in the tub every day they were getting along well in the tub. But still the older male was very aggressive in the same room as the cage. So I took them to my mate’s house and introduced them in total neutral territory with vanilla essence. They went straight In the same cage with only water and food added after a few hours. Slept the night there and put them in a brand new cage when we came back home. Not one fight, only slight tussles. Really would recommend this for anyone with a verrrry territorial rat like mine.
I wish I could have rats but my mum wouldn’t let me so I have a hamster but I still love your rats 🐀 and mice 🐁
Willow the hamster my names willow as well😂
Same here!
Aw same I asked for rats but I'm getting a hamster soon instead I don't mind they are cute too
Chloe Piccinini aren’t there tailless rats? And ik their tails can be docked but that’s kinda cruel
Aubrey H I don’t think so, I haven’t heard of them. But I’m not an expert on breeds lol😂
I know they're more active and such but I'm glad I have females. Male hormonal aggression is too risky for me, my fat lard pilgor (video actually on my profile) is skittish enough, good thing she has her sister.
I'm getting my boys in three weeks and I can't wait!! You have helped me so much with learning about rats and how to care for them so thank you!😊
honestly, im just happy you cared more about your rats than youtube ❤️❤️ you obviously love them alot ❤️❤️❤️
This whole time I thought his name was Whisper because of your accent... but then I saw how you spelt it around 11:50. Wispa is so cute!
This came in the middle of Victoria’s video about you re package 📦
My rat vergil can clear the entire wall of the tub without even touching it lol, it's almost like rats are spring loaded
3:25 you can see in crumble's eyes, he looks sorry. I think he realised what he did. Bless him 💕
It's good to see when things go awry even though it's stressful in the moment. I'm looking at getting babies soon to introduce to my 20 month old boy who lost his cage mate, so I'm trying to see as many examples of introductions as I can!
Just been watching this again and it's so helpful. I have two boys (Horace and Herbie...very sadly their other cage mate Henry passed away at only 7mths due to respiratory issues); I am thinking now of getting two more boys, however this vid reminds me to be prepared for these issues.
Thanks Emiology!
Interesting! I introduced my older male to 2 baby boys and they all got along instantly. Maybe a bit nervous to share the cage the first visit but that's all. Now they cuddle up so sweetly
These little guys are so cute!
Aww! Bummer. Hopefully it all works out in the end. Wishing you the best of luck!
I hope you feel better soon! This was a very interesting video, and it's so nice that Crumble and Wispa have become friends ❤️
omg i never want to go trough this myself ... i am so happy all of my introductions went super well. Hope they will get along in the future
Hi I’m just curious. I’m getting a new rat very soon. How long did you keep the rats apart before you started to introduce them?
@@noelle3085 i kept mine apart until they were around 200-300 grams both of them!
Just gone through the same exact thing! Had one rat neutered, then when introducing and bonding found another one was hormonally aggressive. He's now been neutered, but I think there's another one who needs it 😅 it never stops lol
Ahh the joy of rats! I would love to get two more little babies but I'm not sure my girls would ever accept them 😭
I have two older girls and I got 3 little baby girls about 2 weeks ago. They are pretty small,no bigger than my hand so right now I just have their two separate cages close together so my older girls can sniff and get used to the babies more. They puff up sometimes but I think they are beginning to accept eachother more. Lol I'm not going to do the carrier method though until the babies get larger. I'm scared that my older girls could snap and seriously hurt them since the babies dont know any better. But anyways,I think you could get more little ones but just make sure you have a separate temporary cage to keep them in for a bit. ^^"
this is unfortunately pretty common with rats that are houses in the same room and nearby or split cages, ive had so many awful introductions because my rats were kept in the same space where they could smell/ see/hear one another but couldnt do anything about it, which caused pent up territorial issues (including my neutered boys) so i now keep new rats in a seperate room until theyre ready to be introduced and it works much better for me :) hope that helps!
Yep, sometimes thats the case. The younger boys were kept downstairs for as long as possible but unfortunately i don't physically have the luxury of a separate room I can use to keep them in, it usually works fine because I can intro as soon I get them but Crumbles neuter being delayed really threw a spanner in the works
My spayed adult female Violet had it out for the baby boys I introduced to their mischief. She was viscious with him. He would be asleep in a pocket hammock and she would reach inland terrain him for absolutely no reason. Seriously traveling with them during intros saved my ass. The stress of travel plus neutral small living quarters actually bonded them.
Hey! I struggled about a 2 years ago and instead i switched to a plastic deep container bin, still small but it was open so i could reach in a grab them! This worked for me...All my other times i do the carreir method, but this was a good back up.
I’m sure they will be besties in no time Xx
So sorry I hope that everything gets better we all love your rats and your videos. I’m sure that crumble is going to be a great big brother and humbug too in time
Ohh no I’m so sorry Em I wish it had gone smoother for you, but I guess it is what it is. It’s soooo cute that crumble Wispa have together.
I always do mine in the bath as well. I skipped it my first time and that went badly. I do have one that will jump out now, so I have to watch her closely.
THANK-YOU EMIOLOGY FOR YOUR HONESTY!!! It's a 'pecking order' soap opera! I've been through this will various beautiful Male rats! It's a bit heartbreaking cos Male ratties are SO adorable!
Maybe when the older boys when back into lower part of cage (which WAS ALL THEIRS) it triggered some 'territorial memories'?
I'm sorry it's not gone to plan but I'm also glad it's not just me having these kinds of problems in my intros! I want to move them back into the half petplanet cage but I think they'll be cooped up until the babies are bigger now. My biggest rat is just so much bigger than the "babies" and she's pretty grumpy so most evenings she decides she's had enough of being humped.
reminds me a bit of my rats. Was busy introducing them they were in the first half of the big cage, when one of my older rats got a bladder infection. and because of the pain he lashed out at one of the babys wich caused a wound that needed stitches. So while waiting for the vet i put the babys in a seperate cage. but putting them back after one day didnt go to well. because the wounded one was very afraid. So i also need to begin again in a little while.
Tried to wait till the bladder infection was gone, but with bladder dust, a bad appetite, weight los and no energy i think after a lot of struggle its time to let him go (the vet thinks his kidneys have taken to much damage)
Seeing this makes me feel lucky that my rats got along when they first met, I have four boys
Im guessing they got along so easy because my first two are pretty old
I have a rat that had to be neutered. He was so amped up on hormones that he was ALWAYS nervous and antsy.
It took 2 MONTHS for his hormones to settle down. I tried around 6 weeks and he was still attacking my alpha. I waited 2 more weeks and he's not only living peacefully with everyone but he's also happier in general.
Getting him neutered was the right choice.
*Edited to add: I tried EVERYTHING. Bathtub, in a blocked off hallway, carrier, vanilla ... Nothing worked. He was just aggressive towards other rats.
I'm getting 2 rats at the end of August! You're videos have been a great help xx
I Just Found Your Videos. I So Thank You For Your Loving Nature And I Learned Alot. I Wish You Lots Of Happiness And Success!!! Much Love To You Forever!
I took out my 2 litters of babies that are 2 weeks old (the litters are only 3 days apart) to watch this and found that I'm missing one. Sad day. He was fine yesterday.
spicy boi Humbug
(We still love him thou)
Very spicy 🥵
I don’t have rats (yet) but I watch because I love them 😍
My parent already don’t like my hamster very much, but I pay and care for her so they said I could keep. But I don’t think my parents would let me have rats on their house.
EVEN if I paid for them 😂
You actually are doing soo much 💖💖 You're definetely an inspiration for all rat owner (especially those ones, who argue that rats can live alone 🤦♀️😩) 💖
P.s. I actually don't own rats, but just from your videos, I can tell some things to other rat owners that are not really taking good care of their rats 😂😂🙈
That is very frustrating. Hopefully they all get along soon. They are all very very cute :)
Oh gosh, I’m so sorry to hear this emi!! That sounds horrible, you and your poor boys must all be so stressed! Maybe after humbug has been neutered, would you consider introducing them in pairs? Like Wispa and Crumble / Humbug and Twix, then switch, before trying again as a group? It might be a tiny bit easier if there are less established “teams” and they’re all familiar with each other. Best of luck with everything, I hope humbug is ok!!
Oh no!! Let's hope a second attempt goes more smoothly!!
A fellow gay😼💅🏳️🌈❤️✨
Had a very similar ordeal when we tried to introduce our does this month:( Hope all goes well for humbug and he can live in peace with the flock soon.
This sounds Exactly like my introduction with my four boys 😂
. Hot
. Stressful
. Terrifying
My pet shop rat did the EXACT same as crumble and I waited like 2 days and then put them into the carrier but only with the 2 least agressive and the most agressive older rat. Thankfully it went well
thank goodness my girls are already introduced! i hope your boys get along eventually
I got 2 new girls last week and am nervous about doing introductions to my older girls. thank you for sharing intro videos- the good and the bad
Hello! I would suggest asking to be put on a waiting/cancellation list at your vet's office for the neuter surgery. When I worked in a medical office, we had a "waiting list" of patients who wanted to be seen ASAP if another pt cancelled their appointment. It happened quite often that we were able to move someone on the list into an earlier slot. Best wishes for you and your rattie bunch! 🤗
Hi! I haven’t watched the video but I hope nothing too bad happens and if it did I hope they recover. I’m going to be getting my 3 first rats next Friday!!! I’m so excited
I’m getting my first 2 next Saturday! Good luck to both of us!
Kyah Wilhelm I hope everything goes well x
good luck!! I got my 2 boys yesterday and I'm already in love with them!
You too!
You should watch the video, it's very informative
I always call my rats my babies as well so I completely get you ;) Don't let other people's judgement make you feel like it's weird. We just love our rats so dearly they feel like they are our babies :) And I am a proud rat mama ;)
I hope they all get along soon, they r all super cute 😄🐁
I’ve been waiting all day for school to be over so that I could watch this video!!
HI i love your videos they help me get so much information on animals that I may be getting.
Hi whoever reads this
👋 Hello
Ello
Hi :’D
I
heyy
I’m sorry that you have had to go through that i hope everything goes ok with the neutering and I hope you can book him in some time soon.
Hey I really need some help if you guys could help! So recently me and my husband came across two baby rats that needed a home and we decided to keep them and I did all my best to help him care for the rats ( me and my husband temporarily are living apart from each other) and he didn’t sex the rats soon enough because they were too shy when he got them and he was scared to hurt them trying to forcibly pick them up. So turns out they are the opposite sex and one is pregnant! He doesn’t have the space to separate and care for the babies and we have limited options where we live but luckily!! I found someone that can probably have her spayed before she gives birth so we won’t have to worry about what to do with these babies. But I need advice on how to help them during the healing process and if the two can be kept in the same cage after having her spayed or if they might fight and what to expect. Please help and I’ll keep you updated with what happens! Thanks guys 💕
Thats a really tricky situation! I’m sorry that it happened with your first ratties! If you can find it, I would recommend a medication called galastop, as this will cause the female to reabsorb the litter, which is less invasive and less stressful than a spay. Then I’d probably recommend either getting her a suprelorin implant to prevent pregnancy, as this will allow for her to live with the buck without having a spay, although it would be advisable to neuter the buck, as the implant does wear off. This is all quite a long and pricey process, but spays are very risky and invasive surgeries in rats and if you can avoid them, I would. Obviously if you have a vet that you are confident in to perform the spay well, go with that, as it would also mean that you could continue keeping bucks afterwards, as I know quite a few people prefer bucks to does!
Hope this is helpful and let me know if you need anything answering, although I’m not the most experienced and there are probably people here with much better/easier suggestions!
Yo, thanks a lot for being honest and real about it.
Its cool of you. And very valuable
True hormonal aggression is actually quite a rare thing but intros with males can still be very tough. Some methods to try before neutering: Take the carrier for a car ride, put some ambient noise near it or motion on it (Like setting it on a washer doing a wash cycle), move them under a ceiling fan so motion is above them, try rubbing treats on the fur for each other to groom off. Really anything that gives small amounts of mutual stress can help bond the rats together.
I've had really easy intros and one very very bad one that ended in a 400$ ER vet bill. It really is rolling the dice on whether they'll like each other. I wish your boys luck.
I've tried all of those things, and they were fine in the carrier for a few days even before I did various methods of stress bonding, I wouldn't be neutering unless it was a last resort and absolutely necessary for everyone involved. Unfortunately they both showed signs of hormonal aggression, it's not common, but it is the case for Crumble and Humbug. They come from lines of big stud bucks that have a lot of testosterone and just want to be alpha and breed, and have too much testosterone in their bodies. Interestingly none of the weedy rescue rats that came from poor lines have had issues with hormonal aggression.
@@Emiology I'm glad you tried the other things, I'm active on some forums and I'm just always worried about some owners jumping to surgery too fast because I know surgery can be risky for the little guys. I do hope it helps calm down your boys and that everything turns out well, they are very cute little guys
I got 2 new rats almost a year ago, and I still havent been able to get a successful introduction because my one girl Penelope keeps starting fights for no reason. I would introduce them in the tub, and ive tried spreading treats around, putting some vanilla extract on them.....nothing has worked so I essentially gave up bc im so terrified of the sounds of them fighting omg. So they now share a double critter nation, but its blocked off so they cant get to each other :( I super wish they wouldve gotten along bc I think it couldve helped the 2 newer rats since theyre so skittish and scared of me but :/ sometimes rats dont get along, it b like that sometimes
Your hair looks so pretty in the sunlight 💗 I hope the babies get on better soon!!
I have a boy with some possible aggression issues living with his 2 brothers and this video and your other intro videos are providing some insight into things I will have to take into consideration when I plan on adding 3 babies to the mix. I've owned rats for over 10 years but intros always kind of get me anxious even still.
Aw hope everyone okay. ❤️😭
Ahh I hate introductions:( with my gliders I’ve always done it in a tent and my heart breaks every single time someone gets attacked and gets scared and tried to hide behind me. I’m too much of a wuss and I always stop early
Why do you hate on Lennon the bunny it is very irresponsible
She wasnt hating..she was just giving consturctive critism...just chill..
Leona Granger did I ask, and you need to mind you’re buisness
Hi Emi! great video as always! I'm trying to convince my parents to let me have pet rats so I'm doing as much research as possible but I still do have 2 questions:
1. How many time a day to you feed your rats?
2. About what time each day do you give them their food?
Thanks again your videos have helped me out so much
Once a day, about 15g per rat depending on the brand of food but i use my own mix :)
@@Emiology ty also I hope u feel better
I watched your other 2 videos on introducing your mice. Do you have any more tips?😀
I feel your pain, 3 out of our 5 boys had to be neutered 😖 and now one of the neutered boys is starting to show aggression 😩😩 (he’s around 18 months and was neutered over 6 months ago, they’ve been living together as a group of 5 for a couple of months after successful intros) If anyone has any experience / ideas how to handle aggression after neutering this would be appreciated 😅
It took me a few seconds to realize the towel in the tub was not sand. 🤦♀️😊😅
My super aggressive lone male is getting neutered soon so a rescue I volunteer for can hopefully pair him with a spayed female or two ❤️ I decided to do it since my other male lost his cage mate/brother so we were making plans to drive up to get him a buddy or two. Fingers crossed my aggressive guy (were 100% sure hormonal) Chowder gets that chance at companionship. Cos’ he hates being held and doesn’t care for me at all 😭😂
Oooh so cute!littel pink nose !!🙏💋❤️🙏
Hello! We got rats today, and i have been meaning to ask you how do i help them get used to the cage? They keep on hiding under a platform and occasionally come out
If you got them today, then do nothing. You should let them have at least the day to themselves in their cage. Once they're not terrified they'll settle down and explore. She had videos for first bringing home rats if you go to her channel
@@Peaceinloveandeath thank you! We know about some of that due to having hamsters and several other pets, but I didn't know it applied
Thanks!
Youre so brave and commited. I know how hard and stressful this is.. But it's worth it in the end 😊
Thanks for sharing this video too!! Learn so much from this videos👍🏼👍🏼 and love how you take this "challenge" also great job👌🏼💖 love your knowledge about this beautiful lovely smart cute animals✌🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I have a pair of ladies and am really eager to introduce them to another pair or trio so there's no risk of having a single once one passes away. However, I'm also nervous as heck!! 😵😬
Girls are usually easier to introduce.
I'm sorry to hear you're having difficulties. I hope you can get everything sorted soon and have the boys get used to having 2 new little brothers. Maybe you'll get lucky and some vet will take pity on your situation and squeeze you in.
I am getting my rats in a hour i am so exited!!!
I’m excited for you ~!!
@@Ih3artl Thx just got back from getting them and they are so sweet already trying to play with me XD
@@Ih3artl now they are cuddled up laying on top of eachother🤣
Bun Bun Gacha They sound so cute!! I bet you’ll all be a very happy family! X
Im getting two more boys to introduce to the two boys I already have and I am quite nervous and your videos are helping me so much because now im prepared for every possible outcome so thank you!
(this will be the first introduction ive ever done because the last rats I had were already bonded)
Shadow the Rat also has really good videos on introductions
@@claireshamgochian9509 thanks so much!
Early again! 10 days until I get my boys!
With my rats I rubbed the older ones in pure coconut oil so when the new on was introduced they were less bothered by the new presence. I think Humbug is acting aggressive because Crumble is now calmer so he can assert more dominance now than ever before. I would say keep trying slowly and maybe do crumble first with the babies then Humbug over the span of a couple weeks???
That’s what I did, it didn’t work. 2 weeks of slow introductions, I can’t carry on stressing everyone out like this he needs neutering.
I just got 3 rats about 4 ish months ago and they were all very friendly at first and then I believe about a month and half into just them living they started to have very explosive fights just like yours. I was reading that rats fighting occasionally was normal but this type of fighting obviously wasnt. My trouble rat is the youngest and he turned on my other two which are father and son. It got so bad that the youngest bullied the other two in staying on the top floor all day to him hiding all the food and then fighting them for the food they actually had. I started separating them when i feed them and it helped. I thought originally I needed to get a 4th rat because it was an imbalance of power but got scared of more fighting. eventually I separated my youngest rat (Hank) into his own separate enclosure and there has been complete peace since. I am very upset as my second oldest that Hank turned on has a huge gash I hadn’t noticed on his back. Every time i tried to reintroduce them they start fighting immediately. Im working on getting a bigger enclosure and possibly getting Hank neutered in the future. Until then I fear that the youngest aggressive rat will get depressed and alone in the separate enclosure while trying to fix the aggression problem.
Oh no I hope it gets better
Are you okay??Hope you feel better soon!
i’m so sorry about this. i have 2 rats, and they get along very well. i don’t know what i would do if this happened to me, i’m thinking about getting 2 more rats, so i’ve been watching and researching TONS of things about introducing them, i have girls, so i’d probably get 2 other girls because i don’t want baby ratties. but this is what scares me about introducing them because i don’t want to get a second cage. i would get a larger cage if i get more, not sure yet.
I really wanted a rat :( but my mom wouldn’t let me so I decided to get gerbils. Those little babies are so gorgeous. Hope this gets better in the future 😌
I've had a similar experience,i adopted some new boys and when they met my other boys one of the new ones attacked my biggest boy and actually ripped open his skin 😞my my original boys are so sweet and innocent ,now I'm scared for them to meet but ik I've just got to take it slow and hope for the best
Crumble is the cutest rat in the world
Hi again Emi, I have a few more questions for you if you don’t mind about my little ratties told you about earlier today if you don’t mind, Thanks! (I’ll leave copy + paste my original comment I said on the other video for context) I gave them half of a small egg yesterday but one of them seems to have diarrhea I’m not sure if that’s from the stress or new food but I’ll keep an eye. The rescue didn’t give me any of the old food they were on should I worry about slowly introducing it? Do you have any recommendations for good dog food and should it be wet food or kibble? Thanks again :)
Hey Emi, i have some questions for you. I got 2 new rats recently from a rescue, they are around 6 weeks old (I know it’s a bit young) but they only weigh 30g. How much should a 6 week old rat weigh and how can I help them to gain more weight? Thanks x
It could be a combination of a different diet, stress, and babies tend to have quite stinky wet poops sometimes, I wouldn't worry too much unless it continues. If you're not vegetarian etc you can offer them bits of meat you're eating as well, the dog food I use in my mix is james well beloved, any high quality dog solid food that you can add into their mix just to boost the protein up until they're bigger. Once they get used to the new food their poop should settle down a bit, ideally it's good to transition them over but most of the rats I've had they've never given me the food they were on previous so they've just had a sudden change, but hopefully it doesn't last too long!
Emiology Thank you so much! This has been so so useful. Thanks again ☺️
Four together today over here first time had them side by side caged for a week.