Rat lovers! i need your advice.


DarkNeko23's avatar
i got a pet rat a few weeks before christmas and i was wondering if it would be ok to get him a friend even though hes been an only child since i bought him? would they fight forever or jsut at first or is it not a good idea at all?
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sirloth's avatar
Check out fancy rats forum for good info.

Rats -need- companionship. Your rat is likely being cold because s/he's lonely. Look up the carrier method for a really good way to introduce rats.
DarkNeko23's avatar
AnaigNoswal's avatar
Typically, rats crave companions. However, it's usually the wiser to get them one as long as both are female.
DarkNeko23's avatar
Mercury-Crowe's avatar
Maybe.

I'd suggest starting out with the new one in a smaller cage so they can sniff through the bars and stuff, then introduce them for supervised play, if they are OK then let them stay together longer.

Rats are pretty social, so they probably will get along. You just need to give them time to get used to eachother.
DarkNeko23's avatar
shininginthedarkness's avatar
You NEED to get him a friend. It's not optional. But make sure you have enough space, they're not hamsters.
Euterpe-The-Egret's avatar
They have had multiple rats and are only now getting one a partner. I feel bad for this person's pets.
shininginthedarkness's avatar
>_< Geez o' pete, this is like Rat 101.

It's pretty obvious how lonely they get. I also have a sinking feeling that this rat is living in a small aquarium. I just.. have that feeling.
SadistSkunk's avatar
I agree.. I can't believe that some people keep them alone and genuinely think that they're happy. =/
A human just can't replace the company of other rats..

My rats clearly loved being around each other. When four of them died and only one was left, she was very lonely and unhappy..
I tried to find her a new home as soon as the others died, but she got a tumour and I had to put her down instead.
Euterpe-The-Egret's avatar
I said as much but then got blocked because I wasn't being nice and pointed out that this person doesn't know much about rats.

I have the same feeling about the aquarium.
shininginthedarkness's avatar
I'm careful with these threads because I feel like the main thing is to help the rat going forward. Making the person feel bad doesn't go back in time and help the animal, and I think that being nice is the best chance of getting the basic concept into the person's head.

But shit, I do more research than this person did when I buy a pair of shoes.
Euterpe-The-Egret's avatar
You have a good point. I will keep that in mind for the future.

Amen to your research. I seriously can't buy anything, living or otherwise, that I want to have around for awhile without doing research. i really want a greyhound one day and already I'm reading books on their behavior, diet, etc. I can't understand how people can just buy things on a whim.
shininginthedarkness's avatar
Greyhounds are the best because you have an excuse to dress them up!

(I've got an Italian greyhound. They have a bit different personalities from the full-size version).
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DarkNeko23's avatar
Svataben's avatar
Google 'rat forum'.
Find one with lots of serious breeders.

Ask them. LISTEN to them.
Do not get insulted when they tell you you do things wrong, just listen.
Euterpe-The-Egret's avatar
Didn't you just write a thread about this?
Svataben's avatar
Not too long ago, yeah. Some girl with a dog inspired it.

I can't for the life of me understand these people.
How can you claim to know lots about rats, if you don't know the most basic things? And why would you search for info here? It just makes no sense.
Euterpe-The-Egret's avatar
I was wondering the exact same questions. Just because you have had pets in the past doesn't mean you know how to properly care for them.
Svataben's avatar
We had guinea pigs, when I was a kid. Mum had the overall responsibility, obviously.

When I was about 23, I decided to get g-pigs again. I had forgotten so much. I got really into a few forum and learned what I needed to.
Just seems right.
Svataben's avatar
Seriously though, it's the only really clever thing to do.

With the smaller pets like rats, guinea pigs, and so on, the specific forums often have more collected knowledge than many vets, and most certainly than any pet store.

Serious breeders tend to sound snobby, but they know their stuff. It doesn't take much lurking to see which forum members everyone listens to.
DarkNeko23's avatar
Chelliusbee's avatar
It's better to get him a friend as rats are sociable creatures. I wouldn't advise you put them straight together however. Keep them in separate cages side by side for a week first, exchange bedding between the two cages so that they can smell each other and then introduce them in a neutral setting, i.e. an empty bath. See how they go. And make sure they're the same sex ^^