The carrier method is the method of introduction mostly encouraged by members of the UK rat fancy, I was surprised to see that it's a method that you use - most of the Americans who join the forums seem hostile toward UK rat husbandry! (which I think is a shame, we can all learn from each other and learn best through discussion) Great video - really like your care videos :)

I love watching the activity of the 4 rats in the 5 gallon cage before they fell asleep

This was very helpful, I am in the process of introducing two babies to my two adult males and it has been going well so far, at this point they are in the second level cage and snuggling like champs. My two adults were even boggling in the carrier after an hour with the babies. I did start off by switching bedding and blankets between the cages of the two groups before introductions to help them get used to each others smells, I think that helped a lot.

I've watched so many of your videos since getting my rats last week. I did get them separately so this video has helped me so much. Nothing was working for them to get along. My first girl would just go straight to fighting. This is the first time they've actually been in the same space without even attempting to fight. Thank you for all of your advice and tips. By far the most effective method, in my opinion.

this is probably the best video I've seen on this way of integrating I just resued 5 rats and need to integrate them with my current two and I'm definitely using this

Very useful video showing what each stage looks like. Thank you for creating.

I love how detailed this is, best one yet

What about leaving to work or sleeping? We leave them to be together or not? Thank you 😊

I learn so much from this channel.

I haven't tried this one yet. Thanks for the detailed video! It's extremely helpful. 😊

@ShadowTheRat

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Good luck with your intro :)

Thanks for sharing this method with a lot of detail! I have been doing bathtub introductions prior to this and each time there is biting and blood drawn and I get really upset about the whole process. I am currently in the process of doing this method instead and so far it is going well. Wish me luck.

Thank you for this!!!

So far I’ve only introduced babies with the carrier method so it really doesn’t take too long. I like to start off the first step for a day and a night and then the next day move to the bigger one if they are doing well and then from this point I move them based on how they are towards each other.

Thanks!

You gave me hope :) I thought I would have to get rid of my newest rat since she would not be nice to my others.

@ShadowTheRat

4 жыл бұрын

Its definitely worth a shot - my longest carrier method took 2 months, and I feel that I rushed it quite a bit at the end so it probably would have been closer to 3 months if I took it at a better pace. Sometimes rats just need that extra time to warm up and it can really help to remove them from their main area for days, weeks, or even months while they bond. Good luck with your intros!

Shadow from the rat forum? Anyway thanks so much for this video

@ShadowTheRat

6 жыл бұрын

Hehe, yup! I hope your intro goes well, they can be hard work but its awesome once everyone gets along :)

@wildtreasures2981

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks :) It went really well :) All together now in the large cage.

Awesome video, as always!

@georgiastrawberryport8202

6 жыл бұрын

Wolf_Gamez xX she uses imovie

@ShadowTheRat

6 жыл бұрын

Yup! Although I'm not so happy about this video, iMovie has lots of things but a "static reducer" is not one of them :/

Nice video. Quite informative. 🙂

@ShadowTheRat

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks :)

I'm introducing 2 older male rats (9 months old) to 2 younger male rats (2 months old) right now using this method. I'm on the first step, using their carrier. Rambo the Alpha is a bit of a bully, but he's doing ok with the babies, so far. My question is, how much time should they be in the carrier together? And... I see a bit of fear poop coming from the babies, it really smells, is it bad for them to be breathing that air for an hour? Should I clean and put them on the carrier again? Maybe this is a stupid question... But it really smells!! Thank you so much for your videos!!! ❤️

I have a chocolate berkshire rat and a blue dove rat. They are the most precious babies i have ever owned!

I would recommend using an open cage or even a cage tray and not a confined space (although I only had to introduce 2 rats twice in 2 stages and one pair that had a 6 week age difference). And to use the Glove Method. The carrier method might make the rats scared or might make them fight. Or make one just give up and submit. I did try the carrier method myself with my last 2 rats' introductions and it seemed to go very well. They even slept together. But when I later put them in the big cage together fighting slowly happened as time progressed. And even after a fight they still slept together. Less than 10 minutes after the fight. And the small one wasn't mortally afraid of the older one either. But he kept taunting him, and the older one sometimes just got fed up with that and showed his dismay by biting. I had to separate them again and start all over with renewed introductions. And even those intros started to look well after 6 weeks of daily supervised playtime with gradually more immersion, until the older rat started pulling hair from the young one (Snoopy). Make sure to take plenty of time to introduce rats, make sure that the new one is big enough to fight back if that might happen. And also be aware that some rats can never get used to living together with new rats. You then have 2 or more solo rats and still need 2 cages. My rats could play together supervised but would never be safe unsupervised in the same cage. Don't rush introductions. And when you're in America take at least 2 weeks of quarantaine, not inside the same house, as you might infect all your other rats. Yes, most introductions go fairly well, but be prepared that they will sometimes fail. And then you still have the duty to care for those 2 or more rats and not take them back to the store or give them away. I am speaking from personal experience and not trying to discredit your methods. Sometimes with male rats hormones start to kick in after a couple of months and then they could still end up fighting. Even with brothers. So I would recommend to always be prepared to have an extra cage ready for when the introductions fail. Sadly my older rat died 3.5 months into the introductions, but by then the 2 rats were already separated for a month. After a still successful introduction where they could be together after a week. My younger rat needed stitches for a slashwound in his groin area after some 2 months. You wouldn't want to see that happen to your rats. And it CAN happen. In the blink of an eye. Worst case scenario would be a rat with his guts or balls hanging out and in need of surgery. Sorry to be so seemingly belligerent, but I just wanted to share my experience. My rat was fairly lucky and 'only' needed 2 stitches. And he didn't have organs hanging out. Joinrats.com also has very good tips on introductions and behavioral issues. Thank you for reading this far. And amazing that you post new videos almost every day. Your channel is very interesting 💖 * small edits for more clarification *

@Ratcrafts

6 жыл бұрын

I don't think it's entirely fair to discredit an introduction method when it sounds like a lot could have been going on with your two boy rats; you mentioned the younger one was antagonising the older rat. Perhaps a same age and energy company would have let him have a play buddy and he may have been more inclined to to have left his older friend alone. Though it can't be helped, when adding rats to a group I've always encouraged and been encouraged to add same-age younger company to an older group (or older single rat) who are starting to slow down. Of course I'm only speculating and assuming based on one comment and what I've seen recommended in the fancy where I live.

@Eternatease

6 жыл бұрын

[Quote] I am speaking from personal experience and not trying to discredit your methods[/quote]. Yes, my situation was probably an exceptional one. I wasn't going to have 3 rats, being 2 new ones and the older one. And even with 2 same age additions it can go wrong. I had daily chats with a rat behavioralist for weeks about introducing the 2 rats again(also showing her live photos during the intros) after the first major fight where the young one got a slashwound. And what if the 2 new ones still wouldn't get accepted? Then I still needed 2 cages. Sadly the remaining rat is solo for almost a year now. Same age (older) rats don't grow on trees here. Unless you'd want to travel 200 miles. And even then only a couple of older rats a year. I have heard all the arguments about why rats shouldn't be solo. I am really doing my best to keep him entertained and I have also trained him to do tricks. According to the rat behavioralist Snoopy (my current rat) doesn't look or act unhappy or disturbed. This is an exceptional situation and yes, I still feel guilty about him being solo regularly. But introducing 2 younger rats or one same age rat to this one is out of the question. I am not willing to debate about why rats shouldn't be kept solo. But I am not going to have 3 rats, I can not manage that. Nor 2 cages (being a split-level Royal Suite 95 Double) and double playtime when the rats can't be together. After this rat I will take 2 same age males again. My rat(s) aren't allowed to free roam in my room but I do have an extended playarea for him/them that is connected to the cage and which he or they can access whenever they want. And he uses it even when he thinks I don't see him. You can see the playarea setup in my KZread profile. There will always be exceptions to situations, and you rarely hear about failed introductions online. You only see slashwound photos. But sometimes even brothers can't get along. In my situation the older rat Pingu lost his friend at an age of 19 months . You could see that he was mourning and so was I. We both refound each other and he suddenly changed and got cuddly and affectionate. And at first the introduction to new Snoopy went fine. I respect your opinion. And my current situation with a solo rat is an exception. The longest time I had a solo rat after a death was 3 months or so before this. In all my 15 years of having some 20 rats and one oops-litter (one of the two females was already pregnant when I got them). Take care and ratty hugs, Bart

@Ratcrafts

6 жыл бұрын

I understand your position, all the best for your future rats!

@Eternatease

6 жыл бұрын

And you 💖🐀

@sashachainsaw-baby58

6 жыл бұрын

Ive heard that the carrier method is good because it's a smaller space so the rats would have less territory to defend so they don't get into fights? It's so interesting finding out about people's different experiences with ratties

I know this videos a little old but im hoping youll be able to answer my question 😊 if they introductions take a couple days do you leave all rats together over night in the tiny space or do you separate them into their respective cages and put them back together in the morning? I worry about not being able to watch them while I sleep

dumb question, do they stay on the carrier the entire day if needed or is it separate sessions?

I’m getting one of these pet holders they are 2 3 or 4 dollars so they don’t have to stay in a box. When I get them this summer

Using this for mice

What should I do if one of my rats bite and draws blood on another rat in the carrier? Is that game over for good or should I go at it again after stopping the bleeding, or maybe the next day?

Would you reccomend this method for introducing 2 1yr old males to my 1yr old lone male? I am debating which method is best for adult bucks

What do i do if they fight and theres blood? I was intruducing mine and my new rat scratched or bit, im not sure and hurt my old rats toe, what do i do? I seperated them but i dont know if i should put them back together now or what

Help - I'm having problems introducing two female baby rats (6 wks&9 weeks: Pippa and Gigi) to two older female rats (approx 10 months: Ivy and Emmy). The older girls have been aggressive and huffing/hissing at them, puffing fur up and trying to get at them through the bars of the cage the newbies are in. I have tried daily introductions (in the bathroom etc) which haven't lasted long as the older girls get aggressive (today Ivy chased the girls and ended up in a rat roll fight and Pippa ended up bleeding). The new girls seem to be a bit traumatised, but when they are safely in their cage and the older girls come sniffing and dancing around the cage bars trying to get in, the little ones go for sniffs through the bars and follow them around. I've never tried the carrier method and am not sure about putting in together since what has been going on. I have never had much of a problem introducing rats before so I am at a bit of a loss- it has been 5 days so far. Have you ever used the carrier method for aggressive rat introductions? Any advice would be much appreciated :). Thanks Bonnie

I've adopted two newbies vwry friendly rats to human but the carrier method is not working for me as they are very defensive. They have even started fighting with themselves and they've lived together before i got them. Not sure how to help this situation they just squeel and squeel even if one of my rats looks at them or brushes by them. One has a nasty lip cut from his brother. As soon as I up the carrier its disastrous. I've now got them out on the couch with me and they are so happy

I have a very nervous boy.. he doesnt fit iy with my misschief as he gets bullied a lot. I seperated him with his brother and i want to introduce a younger rat to them. I have a small hamster cage but i usually also put it down for playtime.. do you think its better to buy something new to make it more neuteral?? Thanks for this video it helped alot.

@knotsoangelic

6 ай бұрын

If it’s cleaned well enough it can work as a neutral cage! Rarely do cleanings not reset the smell factor of a cage.

What’s the white wire thing attached to the cage door? Looks awesome 😀

@ShadowTheRat

6 жыл бұрын

White thing? I'm a bit confused... I'm guessing your referring to the top of my CN. If so, the story goes that I ordered the wrong CN (the add-on as opposed to the single). It was near Christmas, and I had to go on a trip in 2 days. No time to send back the cage, and my rats other cage had broken down to the point that I had them living in a bin cage. My trip was going to last ~3 weeks, and no way did I want them in a bin cage for all that time. So I took apart an old petstore "guinea pig" cage that I had, and to my surprise, the wires nearly matched perfectly with the CN! I hot glued them on, and that was that. Come this year, Shadow passed away and I got two baby rats. They could easily slip through the 1x1 wire bar spacing, yet I still wanted them to live with my older girls. So I went out and bought wire mesh from Lowes, zip tied it on, and covered the sharp edges with gorilla tape. Unfortunately it seems that Cookie will always be small enough to slip through the 1x1 bars, so I just decided to leave the wire mesh on the cage indefinitely.

@animalobsessed1

6 жыл бұрын

I think Sarah Holley meant the things that are attached to the cage door, which the rats are sitting on at 5:46

@sarah62137

6 жыл бұрын

Shadow The Rat yes I meant the one I the cage door that the rats are sitting in

@ShadowTheRat

6 жыл бұрын

Oh, whoops :P That's a bathroom shelf from Target. I zip tie it to the cage door/side and cover it with felt to make awesome (and cheap) mini-levels!

@ikkuranus

6 жыл бұрын

You should remove that and make a CritterNation triple

Hi, I know this is an old vid but I was wondering when you said it may take a few days, are you supposed to just seep the rats in the same carrier for the whole time even for like 3 days?? or do you separate them for free range and things

@knotsoangelic

6 ай бұрын

Usually these are done in increments, the time varying depending on how well it’s going. I know this comment is a year old but hopefully this’ll help others. When day one of the carrier method is done you return the rats to their respective cages, then continue the next day. Hope this helps!

So do they stay in the set ups the whole time(1st,2nd and 3rd step cages).....like they don't leave the cage and they eat pee poop and drink in there. Also do u take them out or they just stay in there. And how long do they stay in the introducing cages.

@ShadowTheRat

6 жыл бұрын

During the initial carrier and any subsequent intermediate cages, you don't handle or free-range the rats. You can give them treats to share and eat inside the cage, but otherwise you leave them alone to bond. Once you reach the main cage step and can fill it with any toys without causing serious fights to break out, you can resume handling and free-ranging the rats. You'll probably still see some scuffles the first time the rats free-range together, but it shouldn't be anything serious. As for how long each step takes, it depends entirely on the rats. Some rats click immediately, and you can jump to the final step. Some rats require a few hours at each step, but can be put in the main cage in under a day. Some rats need days at each step and require one to backup to previous steps whenever they fight. It really just depends on the rats. My main advise is to go at a pace that both you and your rats feel comfortable with. You should only be moving on to a larger cage/more toys when you see clear signs that the rats get along, such as when you see them grooming and sleeping together.

@sabrinaknights3665

6 жыл бұрын

Shadow The Rat thank u so much....and I love ur vid

Can I ask some think can we tarn a mice like a rat or not

@ShadowTheRat

6 жыл бұрын

Yes you can train mice just like rats, they are just as intelligent training wise. However, they retain more prey-like behaviors and thus may startle/loose attention easier than rats, who are generally more confident and human responsive. But it can be done if you have patients, as seen by this amazing video: kzread.info/dash/bejne/gpZrudGaZJDXdLQ.html

Thank you for this video, I'm going to try it with my newest ratty and two other younger rats. Question for you: I tried integrating my new rat with an older one (2 years old) that just lost his brother and other cage mate a few weeks ago, and the older rat, Sheldon, didn't want any parts of it. He instigated a fight, and then holed up in his igloo and wouldn't eat. Should I keep trying, or should I just leave him alone? He seems to be fine on his own, he's eating, drinking, comes out for free range time, and doesn't exhibit any self-harming behaviors. I would appreciate your input.

@ShadowTheRat

6 жыл бұрын

It sounds like you were doing introductions in his cage, in which case things are bound to go sour. Rats are super territorial, to the point that they'll maul or even kill strange rats who enter their cage (and believe me, I had a human territorial girl who reacted this way to me in the cage. She was vicious!) That's why people always recommend either neutral territory intros or intros involving a thoroughly cleaned empty cage. Something like an igloo gives the residential rat something to defend and fight over, and being in a familiar smelling area will make them much more defensive and vicious. Personally, I'd try again to make things work. In my experience, older rats can be this way at first, yet later on love their new companions. Take my previous girl Shadow for example. Shadow lost her cagemate at a little over 18 months old, and after that seemed fine. She became even more bonded to me, more cuddly than before, more responsive to people, more willing to be/sleep on me. I decided that I wanted to get more rats though, and bought Latte and her sister Blackberry at 12 weeks old to introduce to Shadow and become her new cagemates. Well, Shadow took one sniff and decided they weren't for her! She bristled up, scent marked furiously, and generally got super stressed when near the new rats. My first intro (in neutral territory), she jumped on a baby and ripped out mouthfuls of fur before I could get to her. The second intro, I covered them all in meat baby food as a distraction. Shadow enjoyed her feast (and ate off the babies backs), then went right back to beating them up. That's when I decided to do the carrier method. At first, all 3 rats were uncomfortable in the carrier. It was small, they were strangers, and they had absolutely no hides. After a few hours, things settled down (they never actually fought in the initial carrier, just acted stressed) and I decided to move to the next step. It turns out I moved a bit too early, as Shadow tried attacking the newbie's in the larger cage and they nicked her in self-defense (I also made a rookie mistake of leaving the room during the first hour). But after seeing no other aggression, I stuck it out for the rest of the day. The next day, they were much friendlier, grooming each other and even curling up together. I took a leap and added a hammock and house to the 10 gallon cage, and that went amazingly well! After that, I let them live in that small cage for a few more days, then finally placed them into the big cage. They had no issues here, and after that, they got along amazingly well! Shadow became almost motherly towards them, constantly grooming them and making sure the babies got along. They never challenged/played rough with her, doing that with each other and only coming to her when they wanted to cuddle. In the end, it did make a huge difference for my Shadow. She became less obsessed with being out of the cage, instead enjoying to cuddle with her friends. She got them to cuddly with me by curling up in my lap, and we spent many sleepy times that way. She taught them come when called, and to be confident and bold around people. But mostly, she showed me how essential companions are for rats. I know there are a few rat-aggressive rats out there, but considering your boy lived with a cagemate for his whole life (and assuming that he's in good health), I'd personally think it'd be worth a few more attempts before you give up. My Shadow ended up living a year and a month more with her new companions, and after that rocky start, she grew to love them completely. I've even heard of some people taking weeks to introduce new rats, and it all working out smoothly. So if your up to it, I'd give a different method or two a try and expect some resistance from your old guy. Older rats in general don't accept change as well as younger rats, so you may need to be more persistent. In any case, I'd love to hear how it goes! Good luck :)

@endlessmtnwildlife

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your detailed reply! I did the initial introduction in neutral territory, and things were going really well so I guess I ended up rushing the process. Reading about how Shadow reacted to Blackberry and Latte initially gives me encouragement to try again, because you can see how attached she was to them in your videos. Thanks again.

@Ratcrafts

6 жыл бұрын

Sorry to step in, but one of the most common feedback I've seen given by experienced Carrier Method users to people trying it for the first time is that rushing it can cause more harm than good - even when things look like they're going well! Even though my rats were doing very well in a small space together, I was still encouraged to spend at least 24 hours in a stage.

@endlessmtnwildlife

6 жыл бұрын

I tried this method again, this time with my newer rat and two established cage mates who are all about the same age. It took 6 days (I didn't rush it this time!) and they are now settled in a double critter nation, getting along very well. I didn't try introducing any of the rats to Sheldon, my oldest (26 months) because he has developed a tumor that is growing pretty fast, and I feel it best to leave him be. I have another question--I just got 5 more rats, already bonded, and would eventually like to have all 8 in the same cage. Do I just put them all together in a carrier, or is that too many? Thanks again for this video, it helped me a lot.

@Ratcrafts

6 жыл бұрын

Your goal is to get them all into a small space. I've seen people use show tanks or those teeny tiny starter "hamster cages" at this stage.

Hey, I've tried this method to introduce my current buck (he lost his cagemate) to 2 adopted bucks, they're in a small carrier where they're always touching but they will not stop fighting and drawing blood, we have to keep intervening as the aggression from 1 of the adoptees is very worrying, it's been over a week at stage 1 and they don't seem to get along, does anyone have any tips or advice? Me and my partner have looked everywhere but to no avail outside of neutering the bully

@ShadowTheRat

2 жыл бұрын

I like the carrier method, but I don’t think It's right every rat. In your case it might work as a second step, but since you are seeing fighting to the point of blood, I would hold off on it for now. Instead, I’d consider trying a neutral/glove method intro, where you basically moderate how the rats interact. Bring them to a neutral area (such as a table, bed, or couch they’ve never been to before), then let them interact. The second you see anyone getting riled up, use your hand to gently separate them (inside a sturdy glove to prevent bites - try not to let interactions escalate to biting, but use the glove regardless to keep yourself safe). Once you’ve pushed them apart, redirect them to some liquid food on a spoon, leading them away from each other and letting them eat separately. You can repeat this as much as needed, and also practice having them walk around each other following food, and eating progressively closer and closer together. Keep sessions short but sweet, and try to let them meet at least once or twice a day. Separate them after each session, always ending on a good note (also make sure the cages aren’t too close together, as this can cause them to get frustrated and cause them to act more aggressive when they actually do meet face to face). Once they can interact without freaking out, then you can get a bit more lax and let them interact a bit more physically. Usually at this point I I'd try to do some long sessions, so that they can end up cuddled together by the end. Once you have a few sessions with them doing well, at that point you can pop them into a small empty cage (I’d skip the carrier and just go to a small cage). Keep them there for a few days, making sure they bond fully, then gradually work to some flat toys, and then to some enclosed toys. After that, you can move to the large cage, and again start empty and work to toys over several days. I’ve had some rats regress at this point, in which case I’ve found doing another few days to a week in a small to medium neutral cage helps them bond more and then allows for an easy transition to the large cage. I’ve had a lot of luck with this sort of glove/neutral territory intros, and as of recently it's been how I do all my intros. I find it leaves a lot less room for a rat to sensitize to the other and become more aggressive, plus if you have an especially terrified rat, then this prevents them from triggering the other rat to go after them. I most recently did a version of this with my current group, where I was doing a 3 way intro between a group of 3, a pair of 2 babies, and another adult rat. The solo adult was being a bully to the babies, to the point that they would scream when she turned to look at them (and this in turn caused her to try and seriously fight and bite them, so it wasn’t something I could just let play out). Anyways, using the glove to prevent these negative interactions helped to slowly ease the babies into being more confident and less of a trigger for the other rats, and also helped to ease the bully into more friendly behavior (at first just toleration, but after several weeks it became more of a mutual friendship. Now its been months and they adore each other, same with their other 3 cagemates). This sort of intro can take a while depending on the rats, and all in all I’d say my last one took a little over a month for the group to settle in fully. So you may be in for the long haul, but at least going this route you can usually prevent any fighting, and that helps to ease them into being in the same space and then bonding as a group. Now if you don’t see any progress, or if the fights escalate even more, then I would strongly consider neutering the aggressor. I’ve had a neutered boy myself, and known several others, and it really does wonders for calming them a bit and making intros easier. In that case the neutered one would need to be kept separate for a few weeks post neuter, but after that intros could resume as normal. In any case I wish you luck with intros - I have to say they are definitely one of the most stressful parts about having pet rats, and I’m always happiest when they’re over!

I know it's an older video but hopefully someone will see this and help me with my question. My rats (my first pair and the new pair) are doing pretty well so far with there being no fighting at all. However, when they snuggle they still always touch their original cage mate. Like it's not a mix up but rather a pile with clear separation if that makes sense. Example: say AB is my first pair and CD is the new one a pile looks like this ABCD or BADC and never something like DBCA where each rat is touching an unfamiliar. My question is even though they are snuggling and grooming does the fact that they continue to pair up mean they aren't ready to move on to the next stage? Sorry if i made it confusing 😅

@ShadowTheRat

3 жыл бұрын

As long as they are comfortable around each other than its fine. Sometimes rats do have preferred snuggle buddies, but more often you will see them mix and match more as the group gets more adjusted.

@yvettelopez300

3 жыл бұрын

@@ShadowTheRat Thanks for taking the time to answer! Great video! 😊

Can I use a cardboard boxes. Tall so they can't get out And use a wired cover on top?

@ShadowTheRat

3 жыл бұрын

You can, but they may chew out so you'd have to watch them closely.

@stevieausten1456

3 жыл бұрын

@@ShadowTheRat yeah I would. How long would you keep them in the small plastic tubs and I'm guessing you swap the rats out. So a new rat and and old one together and then swap them over?

@ShadowTheRat

3 жыл бұрын

@@stevieausten1456 You start by adding the new rats, then you gentlest current rat, then when that goes well add another of your rats, then another, and so forth. By the end they should all be together in the travel cage. As for how long they stay in it that depends on the rats - if they do well you can go to the next stage after just an hour or so, but if they don’t do well then you’ll have to stay at this step longer. If you stay at it longer you need to add water and food of course

But when they ar win there what do we do when we sleep

@ShadowTheRat

2 жыл бұрын

Take the carrier to your room so you'll wake up if something happens, or if need be you could separate when you can't watch. But the point here is 24/7 contact, so if you can't keep them together at all times then I'd recommend doing a neutral area intro instead. And by the time you get to the small cage, they should be doing well enough together that you don't need to watch them if they've already done well for a few hours.

Can you please do one of these videos about blind girls?XXX

@ShadowTheRat

6 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately I don't have any personal experience with blind rats, and my pink eyed girl Sonic passed away long ago. But essentially, blind rats aren't lacking anything. Rats primarily move around using scent and touch, so being blind isn't nearly as hard on them (in fact, most of the people I've talked to with blind rats report that they behave almost exactly like the seeing ones) as it is on us. And even blind rats can learn tricks, just look at this video of Famous, a blind rat who was trained to perform complicated tricks for commercials: kzread.info/dash/bejne/lI6o1a97dK_HgLw.html A good place to check out if you have questions about your rats is www.ratforum.com/ I'm part of that forum, and they have lots of experienced rat owners who have dealt with just about every rat issue out there.

PLEASE HELP! My rats (males) used to be very close with one another. I bought them together and was told they were a bonded pair. Unfortunately, after a few months of having them one of them has suddenly gotten extremely aggressive and will bite the other. His fur will spike up and no matter how much a spray him with water he will rush at the other rat and bite him so hard that he shrieks in pain and pulls out tuffs of his fur. I've had to keep them in separate cages but my sweeter rat misses his companion terribly and is getting lonely. I don't know what to do. I'm a first-time rat owner. I love my boys a lot, but this particular rat is also aggressive to me sometimes. Out of the blue, he will run across the room and bite my feet so hard it draws blood. He will continue to pursue my feet and even if I am only sitting minding my own business he will run up and bite my ears or my hands. Sometimes though he can be sweet with me and will lick my hands. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Please please if anyone has any advice I would love to hear it!

@ShadowTheRat

6 жыл бұрын

That’s probably due to hormonal aggression. Some males (usually from less reputable sources as this aggression is genetic) will develope hormonal aggression between 4-8 months of age. This is NOT their fault - it’s totally due to testosterone issues and can ONLY be fixed by neutering the affected rat. This hormonal aggression manifests as rat on at aggression, human aggression, or both. I STRONGLY suggest you disscus neutering with your rat vet - it will make your aggressive boy feel much better (if hormonal aggression is indeed the problem) and it’s the safest sort of rat surgery. It takes 2 weeks after the neuter for hormone levels to fall, but after that he should be back to his normal sweet self. I have to repeat, this is NOT something the rat can control and NOT behavior that you can modifie with either positive or negative punishment. I really hope you discuss a neuter with your vet, and I encourage you to research hormonal aggression in male rats.

@albasarria6481

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I will get in contact with my vet and discuss neutering him. Again, thank you so so much. I love all the videos that you have up, they've been such a blessing. You explain everything clearly and have​ wonderful tips.

@amys.3401

6 жыл бұрын

Rattie Mom please don't squirt then with water. They do not like this and will start associating each other with a bad thing, which may cause more aggression.

How often should we be repeating these steps?

@ShadowTheRat

5 жыл бұрын

They stay together from the start and you only move to the next stage once they show signs of getting along (cuddling, grooming, sleeping in a pile, etc.)

@Kotori174

5 жыл бұрын

@@ShadowTheRat so they stay together unless they need to be separated, until they are ready for the main cage?

@ShadowTheRat

5 жыл бұрын

Faylenn Yup, the whole point of this method is for them to be stuck in this small area until they get along, then to gradually increase the area as their bond strengthens. That’s why to start you want to do this when you can keep the smallest carrier with you at all times, as that’s the step which you really need to solidify as in any future step when you aren’t there to supervise new steps you’ll be putting the rats back into the carrier or cage levels they last did well with. Once they do well with supervision in a new step then that becomes your new default place to leave them when you can’t supervise the next step. And once you finish with the largest cage and they do well there then that’s it!

@stephaniewieczorek8420

Жыл бұрын

@@ShadowTheRat what about cleaning and hygiene? Do you remove them to that or are they not supposed to be in the carrier that long?

rats like human and everythings e=mc2

Excelent video but this technique did not work for me, my newest boy just immediately attacked my older boys in the small space. I'm going to keep trying the neutral territory method but I'm starting to lose hope for these rats being compatible.

@knotsoangelic

6 ай бұрын

It’s possible if your rat is unneutered that he may have had hormonal aggression. I know this comment is old so forgive my very very late response. I hope you’re doing better mentally and emotionally, having intros not work out can be taxing!

So I had 2 mice be for but my cats got to them when I wasn't home and I want to get 2 rats but I don't want them to die any tips

@Hannah-pn1bx

5 жыл бұрын

Put them in a room your cats cant get in. Watch a lot of shadow the rat and the rat guru .

I was curious about why you use the spray bottle? I’m assuming it’s for if they start fighting? I’ve seen only bad things about people spraying their rats with water though, due to it being quite cruel. Just wondering why you use this method?

@ShadowTheRat

6 жыл бұрын

Yes, its for if they start seriously fighting (I'm talking trying to draw blood - not little scuffles which are totally normal and necessary to develop a hierarchy). It's not something they like per-say, but its not cruel either. I mean, given the option between being gutted or getting a little wet, I think anyone would choose getting wet as the lesser evil. Besides, its not even to deter them from fighting each other. Instead, its just to stop the fighting momentarily so you can remove the rats from each other. Basically, when a rat gets wet, their first instinct is to groom. So when you spray fighting rats, theres a good chance that they'll stop fighting momentarily to groom the water off, allowing you to separate them without any danger of further injury to each other (or you). In a normal intro, you'll see scuffles ranging from boxing to force grooming to chasing and other forms of physical interaction. This is all normal and you need to allow it to happen. But if a rat is physically latched on to another rat and they're tumbling around in a rat ball? That's serious aggression and you need to separate the rats ASAP. And the quickest and safest way to do so is to spray each rat. (So to recap, you only use it when things go south to separate the rats)

We have rattie playdates here in Cali. These " methods" are nonsense. We've had NO problems greeting and playing

@ShadowTheRat

2 жыл бұрын

So just because you’ve never had rats injured when doing intros means that it can’t happen? Seriously that logic is like saying just because I haven’t been in a car crash yet means it’s impossible for me to be on a car crash. Just because you’ve been lucky with intros doesn’t mean everyone will be, and if you continue to disregard intros you yourself may one day end up with a hurt or dead rat. I’ve certainly had rats hurt during intros and I know people who have had rats killed during intros - so it’s very much a possibility and the chance goes up if your working with rats from unknown genetics and disregarding proper intros. It’s also important to realize that introduce strange rats in a park or other purely neutral area is VERY different than having the rats live together. A completely neutral area like a park is going to have other distractions and lack anything to be territorial over - you will also be supervising which allows you to head off any fights. But if your end goal is the rats living together then they’ll have to accept each other into their territory, and they’ll have to be able to resolve their own squabbles without your intervention. Too often people rush intros because the rats seem fine in a purely neutral area, only to find that living in the same cage is a whole different ball game. At the end of the day there is no downside to following proper intro procedures and the potential upside is preventing injuries or even death. Even though I’ve only spoken to 3 people to lost rats due to injuries during intros that’s 3 rats too many - and in 2 of those cases it was due to just “sticking the rats together” with the idea that they’ll work it out. So I will always advice people to follow proper intros because it makes for a safer situation that works with more rats (rats have their own personalities after all, and some will be more accepting of strange rats than others).