Introduction Techniques


Most of the content of this leaflet is as follows:



Rats are very sociable creatures, enjoying the company of other rats. Because rats are complicated and intelligent animals it is important to introduce unfamiliar rats to one another carefully. This leaflet outlines two techniques that can be used for introductions, and explains a few facts that will help. It is advisable to use one or other of the techniques, not to mix them.

Usually older rats enjoy the company of younger rats. Young rats learn from the older rats, while the older rats often display a new lease of life.
Every group of rats has a complicated hierarchy. In any group you will find that there is an alpha or ‘dominant’ rat. There may then be one or a number of beta rats. In larger groups it becomes complicated, because each individual rat has their own hierarchy built with the other rats in the group. So, for example, Rat-B may perceive Rat-A as being above him in the hierarchy, and Rat-C as below him, whereas Rat-C may think of Rat-A as being lower in the hierarchy to himself.
Each group of rats has it’s own scent, made up of the individual scents of the members of the group. It is by this scent that they recognise members of their group. Rats also recognise one another by their individual scent. They rely on their sense of smell a lot more than their eye sight.

Quarantine
It is always advisable to quarantine new rats before commencing on introductions. Quarantine should be for three weeks, to eliminate the possibility of the new rats carrying the most common illnesses. The new rats need to be in a separate air supply from the established rats, due to the air born nature of some infections.
If any infection becomes apparent, it will need to be treated, then the quarantine period re-started for another three weeks.
You can expect new rats to sneeze or be a little sniffly for a few days after taking them home, while they become familiar with the unfamiliar aromas and chemicals in their new environment. If sniffles or sneezing continue for more than a few days though, the rat may need veterinary treatment.
The quarantine period is a convenient opportunity to get to know the new rats while they are not stressed. By bonding with them yourself before introducing them to your established rats, they will be more likely to see you as safe territory during the introduction phase.



Bonding on Neutral Territory
Bonding rats on neutral territory is one of the most commonly practiced methods of introducing rats to one another. It is very simple in theory, but often not so simple in practice.
1) The two sets of rats that are to be introduced to one another must be kept in separate cages, until the introduction period is over, preferably not within sniffing distance of one another.
2) Identify an area that is safe for the rats to play in, that they are unfamiliar with, for example a bath, or on top of a bed.
3) Place all of the rats in this area together. The first time only place them together for a few minutes. Increase each play time by a few minutes. Do this over a period of days.
4) Throughout these days, switch bedding from one cage to the other, so that each group of rats becomes familiar with the scent of the other group.
5) After a week of playing together, introduce the new rats to the cage they will live in, but only for a few minutes, in the absence of the established rats. Continue the play time together.
6) Increase the time the new rats spend in the cage for a few days, so that they become familiar with the cage.
7) Once you are happy that the group are familiar with one another, with no signs of aggression, start to place all of them in the cage they are to live in, together; again starting with a few minutes, increasing it slowly over a period of days.
The description of the process above, is if everything goes without a hitch. The reality is, however, that during these bonding sessions, the established rats are likely to try and scare the new rats away from their territory. At any sign of aggression, the time they spend together in the bonding area needs to be reduced, then built up again. For this reason, it can often take several weeks. It is important to recognise, therefore, that sniffing one another enthusiastically, and flipping one another upside down to have a sniff, are not necessarily aggressive behaviours. 

 


Bonding in a Carrier
Carrier bonding is the quicker and easier method of bonding rats. It’s also very simple.
1) Pick a carrier that is just big enough to hold the rats that are to be introduced to one another, without room for them to move around much.
2) Make the carrier comfortable. For example, line the base with a blanket.
3) Place the rats that are to be introduced to one another, together in the carrier. When doing this, try to keep the time between placing them in there as short as possible, so that no rat’s scent is more prominent than the others.
4) Take the carrier to somewhere the rats are unfamiliar with. Some people believe that taking them for a walk, or car ride will help, but simply leaving the carrier in another room has proved to be successful repeatedly.
5) Leave them in the carrier together for at least twenty minutes.
6) While they are in the carrier prepare the cage which they are to go into.
7) Simply place them into the prepared cage after the bonding period is over.
This method relies heavily on scent. It is basically tricking the rats into believing that they are already part of the same group. Confining them to a space in which they cannot move around eliminates the likelihood that they will fight. Taking them to an unfamiliar location causes them to become a little stressed. When rats are stressed they release more scent than usual. As such the rats become covered in one another’s scent very quickly, so once they are placed in the cage together, they believe they are familiar with one another.
It is imperative however, that the cage they are placed into is as free from scent as possible. The time in which the rats are in the carrier bonding, is therefore a useful time to thoroughly clean the cage, replacing all the cage furniture with items that have been cleaned previously.
Once the rats are introduced to the cage you can expect them to sniff each other a lot. They may flip one another on to their backs to sniff each other thoroughly; usually the result will be that they conclude that they know one another. Unless you see the rats attack one another, do not separate them. Doing so will cause confusion and make it harder to re-introduce them at another time.