Introduced my Rat with the newbie....?

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Sketch0053

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Hey guys, SO tonight I got my 5 month old rat, Pierre, a cage mate. The newbies name is Mason ( another male, he is a little smaller than Pierre). I've done my research on rat introductions, so they are NOT in the same cage yet. I have them near each other, but not close enough to where they can touch. After I got the newbie settled in, I decided to attempt an intro tonight, being as i'm really excited, knowing it may be too soon. i put them in an unfamiliar territory, and my boys sniffed around a lot. They were interested in each other. Then the dominance battle began. It wasn't vicious, but I wan a little unsettled. My Pierre is so sweet, and the new guy- well lets just say he wasn't socialized properly and is very timid. I know it will take a lot of time and affection to bring him around, but i'm confident I can bring him up to par with my Pierre.

My question... After about how many introductions will they begin to stop fighting. I know every rat is different, but just a round about would be helpful. Like I said, it wasn't a vicious fight, but the new guy did squeak a whole lot, and they were "boxing" for a lack of a better word. I'm just being protective and concerned, so any advice would be great.

Thanks :)
 
I can't say how many times, but you are doing it right. Keep at it, make sure to reward both for behaving when they do, keep a towel nearby to throw over them if they start to get too assertive. Also, switch out nesting materials from one cage to the other, it will help them get used to each others' scent.
 
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