So, we brought Artemis home and introduced them all two days ago. At first we thought that maybe it would be okay, we got them used to each other and Algernon seemed fine. But as it turns out, she wasn't. As soon as we put them in any environment she begins to go hyper territorial, to the point of it being dangerous to have them in the same cage. We tried a neutral environment in addition to the normal cage.
What I did was take an old trunk, one that had a securing lid that none of the babies had ever played in before and modified it, removing the lid with a wood burning tool (don't worry, the rats were nowhere near the trunk while this was going on) and then securing a wheel and water bottle for them. None of them had been in the trunk before, all of the bedding was fresh. Yet, by the end of the night when I was getting ready to close off the top with some fabric, Algernon began attacking Artemis again. This was when Ben and I made the decision to get another baby girl so that Persephone and Algernon could have the cage and then Artemis and her new sister could have the trunk.
It's worked out beautifully. We now have our little Athena (if you noticed the naming trend, then spot on for you) and she has been welcomed very warmly by our baby Artemis.
But on a side note, last night was the second night we had Artemis. Algernon was attacking her the very first night, so we had to separate her and she was, unfortunately, alone for than night. Well, when Ben went to check on her the following morning, the middle drawer was open completely, but she was sitting in the bottom. Last night I looked over toward the rockband drum set and saw something kind of odd, rat foot prints! Algernon had not only pushed the drawers open, but she had wandered out to try and find a way into the cage because she was lonely. She must have climbed all over and realized she could not get in. Well, upon this realization, she then proceeds to climb back down in the drawers and sleep!
It was just so funny and for a moment I literally could not believe that she had done such a thing. But when I thought about who this was I was talking about, I quickly got rid of my denial and commended her for being a clever and obedient girlie.
So far Athena and Artemis are the best of buds, even sharing a ketchup bottle/pants leg nest! I'll be taking pictures of them tonight for sure, and maybe some more tomorrow. We shall see.
G'mornin, g'night or g'day
Afterthought: How does wiggling your ears let a male rat know you're ready to mate, girlies?
