Moon's Graden

>>I just discovered your group today, while looking for ideas for
>> introducing 2 new rats with 2 existing ones.  My girls have
>> one rat each, Tim and Elvis.  Timmy and Elvis have each lost
>> their best friend and cagemates in the past months, so have been
>> alone in their cages.  They do not get along at all, so putting
>> them together has never been an option.  ( All the
>> rats in question are males)
>> My girls each got a new rat yesterday, and when they
>> put the rats in a neutral place for the initial get to know
>> you, Timmy bit one of the little rats pretty good.
>> Timmy has always been rather antisocial, and must be
>> kind of odd, because he bobs his head side to side all the time.
>> Anyway, the girls are scared to put any of the new rats with Timmy,
>> what  can we do to get Timmy to accept a friend?
>> He has always only barely got along with his cagemate, and tends
>> to be very domineering and fight.
>> Thanks very much for your help!
>> Katie, Rosie and Erin

> Hi Katie, Rosie and Erin

> Timmy must have red or pink eyes for his head to sway back and forth. This
> is very typical of pink or red eyed rats. They do this to focus an/or
> measure depth.
> How big are the cages in which the pet rats live in? Habitat size is
> always important. Each rat should have enough room to be comfortable if he
> wishes to be by himself.
> You will need to be very patient with the intro with Timmy. First of all,
> have the two rats, in the different cage live side by side so Timmy can
> get used to a new rat smell near him. The best place to intro your guys
> would be the bathtub. The bathtub can be a scary place and this may deter
> Timmy from wanting to fight and more wanting to bond for safety. You can
> also rub some vanilla extract on both rats so they both smell the same.
> Also, have some yummy yogurt out for both of them to share. Keep doing
> this until you see that Timmy no longer is threatened by the new guy.
> Remember though, rats should have big cages, hamster or mice cages are not
> suitable for these adventurous critters.
> --
> Joanne
> Mom to 10 rats
> http://community.webshots.com/user/joanneb70