So how exactly do you tell who's the alpha?

[Panda Phil]

 Just curious. I read a lot about any groups of rats having a dominant member, but how exactly do you tell who's boss? My three 7 month old boys spend a lot of their time (when they're not curled up together sleeping) racing around, sqeaking, boxing, and taking turns pinning each other. There doesn't seem to be one consistant winner in these scraps who the others seem subservient to. Is there always an Alpha rat?

[fay]

Pepper one of my youngest rats will take on anyone who dares rub him up the wrong way No matter how big they are

[BranwenR]

Maybe you are their alpha--you are the big rat who brings the food and keeps everyone in line, afterall.

[Anna]

Lick them, whoever cleans the longest is the alpha

[SilverFuzzRattery]

Mahgian is my alpha girl because she huffs up, does the side-stepping butt-bump, etc.  I dunno how you could tell otherwise.

[Cait]

When I got my three boys I couldn't tell who was the alpha either (which proved a bit of a problem because they all are white albino's so I was hoping that I'd be able to pick out the alpha and help me tell them apart).
It took ages for Thyme to come out and show he was the boss so maybe if you give them some time they'll show you, unless like BranwenR said, they see you as the alpha.

[Ingwall]

I am definitely the alpha. I dish out food, water, toys and love. I power-groom them all and not one of them dares to power-groom me. Take that, you ratties!  

[angelratgirl]

in a fight, the looser is the one who stops moving first.  it is not always the one on top.  and usually it is a fight to see who gets to groom who.  but there is not always a clear winner.

what is fun though, is after a fight and the winner has groomed the other one to their content, they will usually move off after they lose interest.  they you can usually sneak in and move your ratty this way or that way.  or even see how long you can make grooming motions with your fingers before the rat notices that you arent the one who won.