Aggression in Rats 

It is very rare that a rat becomes nasty. Bucks can start to show aggression at around 3- 12 months old. It is usually because the male hormone levels are too high. It can actually turn your rat mad. We have seen this in older rats too. They usually scent mark excessively and turn on their cage mates. Eventually they will turn their aggression on to you. We had one lone rat who constantly squeaked and tried to bite us every time we picked him up. He eventually tried to mount me and bit me down to the bone. Unfortunately the only way forward is to have them castrated. The average price is £40 - £60. It's well worth the money to see your rat happy again. It's not the rats fault and it's cruel to let him suffer in that way. 
Does can become a bit nippy when they are pregnant but it is very unusual. Rats can be nasty through bad handling or pure fright. With time and trust they usually get over this.
However we have two girls which were just born nasty. This does occur from time to time, usually due to bad breeding. If the mum or dad were aggressive and bred, the babies then would inherit the same tendencies. Unfortunately it is down to irresponsible breeding. Males can be neutered but it doesn't always work.

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