Expert: Sandra Todd - 6/19/2008

Question
I have a female albino rat that I've had for 7 months now and just today I got a younger rat that is the same sex but is not albino. I played with them together on my bed and they were fine, but when I put them in the cage Pinky(the older one) was nibbling on the other one.
What should I do?
I made shure that there was enough food.

Answer
Hi Melissa

First of all, they should be introduced very slowly and not be put in the same cage for at least 3 weeks because the new rat should have gone through quarantine. This should be done in case the new rat is harboring any viruses that they are prone to carry from rat to rat, esp if it was a pet store rat. The new rat should have been in a different room and nowhere near Pinky.

Please see this info:

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/thequarantinepage.htm

Since its too late to quarantine and they were already together, lets see where they are now as far as getting along.
Normally proper introductions are after quarantine, you put the new rat in her cage next to the cage of the existing rat, which is Miss Pinky.
They will become aware of each other through the cage bars but cannot touch each other. The next day or later on the same day, you would take Pinky out and take the new rat out and put them in each others cages letting them sniff around, but again not letting them meet each other.
I suggest not letting them come face to face for a few days so they can learn through scent about each other first.

On the third or fourth day, this is when you would take them both out, holding one rat while the other rat is free, and let them see each other that way.  Eventually you can put her down and they will sniff like crazy, tumble and wrestle and maybe even squeak or nibble on each other a bit. NEVER should they stand up on their hind legs and circle each other, shove each other while standing, showing their teeth, hiss spit or growl because this means they are about to break out into a nasty fight that you want to avoid.

How are they getting along since you wrote?