[Christina86]

Does anyone here own rats? At the present time, or in the past? I need advice, badly. Or maybe just support. I dunno.

I own three rats:
Miles (oldest, over a year and a half, black rat and a whopping 700-800grams!)
Allan ("middle child" about a year and a half old and two-three months younger than Miles, white rat and normal weight)
James (youngest, about 8 months old, black hooded rat, small but growing)

Miles has scabs. Lots of scabs. I can feel quite a few, and he flinches and doesn't like me touching him. I thought in the beginning that it might be mites/lice, but I'm thinking not. I was just woken up by the most horrible screeching. Get to the cage, and Miles is a prickly porcupine (rats can make themselves look huge when they're stressed/mad) but I can't see who started anything.

But the only one I've seen beating up Miles is James... and I think he may be causing the scabs. Which sucks because if it's an aggression issue, I CANNOT afford to neuter James. He's a perfectly lovely rat otherwise, but it seems that whenever food gets involved in some way that the rats go a bit crazy.

What am I supposed to do here? I don't want to separate them, but I'm wondering how Miles is going to heal if the scabs keep reopening.

To top it all off, I have a vet appointment later on Monday. I think they all have varying degrees of an upper respiratory infection.

God give me strength... I love those boys.

[gimmeice]

(((((((((((( Christina ))))))))))))))))

I had rats for a short time and they did get a little frisky when it came to food time, what I did to resolve the issue was put more then one food bowl in the cage. I don't know maybe you tried that but I thought I would mention just in case you haven't. I am sorry that they are sick and I hope they get better soon. Sending you and the ratties lots of hugs.

[Rmdctc]

I had rats at one point. I did the more then one food bowl thing and on different levels of the cage as well. Rats seem to get that upper respiratory infection all the time. Good luck at the vets. I hope they all get better soon.

[Christina86]

It's bad, but I totally forgot about two bowl thing. I used to do that in my old cage, but I forgot about that option in the current one! Thanks you two for the reminder

[Rmdctc]

Your welcome. Hope it helps.

[SilverNeurotic]

My brother had rats and I don't think they ever had problems with aggression. I don't know about more than one bowl though, I'll have to ask him later.