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Why has my pet rat become vicious towards other animals2007-11-24 22:19:56

We've had my rat for a while, but recently he began to attack my other pets, a guinea pig and a dog.

Answers:

Rats are known to be aggressive towards other animals...

It's their nature, they have to protect themselves from the bigger animals...

I have known rats to kill guinea pigs because people think it's safe to house them together...

My rats chase my roommates dog around the house, she stuck her nose in the cage and they attacked her...

If you have had him for a while (more than a few months ) and he just started, then he's getting older and less tolerable of the other animals...this is very common also...

Exspecially with males, as they get older, they like to be alone, they still love human companionship, but generally do not tolerate other animals...

They will even turn on their brothers who have lived with them their entire life...

It's just the way they are...

All you can do is give him his own play time, where he is the only animal getting your attention...the only one in the room...

I hope this helps...GOOD LUCK!

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That's pretty odd...considering hes only 1/2 the size of the guinea pig and puny compared to the dog. He might have something wrong with his brain. Rats can get distemper, but thats what happened to my dog. He started randomly attacking people and it turned out it was distemper. Distemper is a disease that effects the brain. I would get him to a vet as it can be quite serious.