I'm not sure how old he is, but suddenly he's gotten a lot more energetic and bold. He now refuses to sit on my shoulder like he used to, instead running up and down my back or arm. When I play with him, he turns as if he's going to bite me (he hasn't yet, but still). I've noticed this kind of behavior in dogs when they're in relative puberty years. Is my rat going through the same thing?
Answers:
Most of us are aware that rats of both sexes are ready to breed by the time they are 6 weeks of age. This is called Sexual Maturity. However, the boys have another stage of life and I'm guessing this is what your boy is going through because of the hyper behavior he is displaying.
Some people refer to it as puberty or adolesence. The Rat Fancy refers to this time in a male rat's life as Social Maturity when the boys are around 4 to 5 month of age. This is when the testosterone level is at it's peak. If he is dominant you might see your boy in a frenzy of territorial marking. And it truly is a frenzy, as they rub their bodies on the baseboards and other objects within their play area.
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It sounds like you have a single male so I don't believe this will get out of hand for you. He has no other competition for the territory so it's only his own scent he will be laying down and he won't be trying to cover another male rat's scent.
When young rats play fight you will notice that they go for the nape of the neck. At social maturity a serious fight is when one male goes for the rump of the other male. If you are playing with your boy and you touch his rump during one of his testosterone-hightened periods, he may take your hand as an aggressive attack and turn to bite. During these wild periods it is best not to antagonize him and wait for him to calm down.
http://www.ratbehavior.org/ratplay.htm...
Rat Maturity:
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This is just a stage for the males that may last for a few months and then they do eventually calm down and get back to their gentle, sweet selves. Many male rats never show a single sign of this "change of life", they're not the Macho type, they're lovers not fighters, but a few, around 5%, become so aggressive towards their owners and other males that these are the rats that the owners consider neutering in the hope of curbing the aggresiveness.
It is at this age that we advize caution (or don't do it), when wanting to introduce male rats to other male rats of the same age.
spazrats
"my life has gone to the rats"
I think he is. Measure his weight than you should get an approximate idea of if he reaches puberty. If he's well over 400g I bet it is at puberty.
If not than I think he became "bored" at the normal routine and he wants new stuff and explore more, like what they do in nature.
My male rat goes through stages. For instance yesterday morning all he wanted to do was be stroked and cuddled when I held him. I got him out later on, and I couldn't keep him still! Then not long ago I got him out, ahdn he just sat on my lap. It was a bit like having a tiny puppy, complete with the licking and nibbling.
Other than that, a week ago I couldn't open the cage without him trying to come out. Last couple of days I've had to pick him up.
As for the biting thing, say "No" firmly when he goes to do it, and push him away (not too hard, don't wanna hurt him). My rat responds to No now. Well 50% of the time, anyway. I have found that often he tends to nibble me though, I don't think they mean to hurt at all, but if you watch male rats playing together they sometimes seem to "play-fight", i think that's all your rat is doing.
Good luck with him, and hope you don't get bitten!
I am not sure. If he as been doing that just today maybe its not his lucky day. But Im pretty sure he will come back the way he was. You can call your local PetShop to ask about it.
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