One of my pair of rats has died, and I am wondering whether to get another rat so my remaining rat, Jack, is not alone. He is a male rat and about a year old. Please help! Thank you.
2006-11-25 03:32:22 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
If I do get another rat, does anyone have any tips on how to introduce them? How long will it take? Should I get another cage to begin with?
2006-11-25 03:47:47 · update #1
It really depends on the individual rat. When one of my pairs died, I got another female to keep Samson (neutered) company. But he wanted nothing to do with her. He was in deep mourning of losing Delilah.
He ended up being caged by himself for the rest of his life, his choice.
Just be prepared to cage the new rat seperately, if that's what Jack would prefer.
Introduce them outside of cages, in a play pen or something neutral. Then, if they are acting nice, CLEAN the cage, before putting both of them in it. Rats are pretty easy to introduce. Just keep an eye on them, to make sure neither is getting too stressed, or biting.
2006-11-25 03:38:23 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
U should be 2 male baby rats, its more likely that the older male will take to babies dont ever get 2 adults and put them together its not a good idea and its really hard to get them to like each other. If you get 2 babies then when the adult dies in about1-2 years you will have another to keep him company.
If you live in Australia beware of BLUE rats. They are nothing but problems dont even listen to anyone that says different a DECENT breeder wont breed blue rats. (keep in mind this in only in Australia) american blues are fine.
Rats generally live to 2-3 years most is usually 2.5years lucky if u get 3 or more. Oldest rat i had was 3.4years so that is a great old age. Something that does come in handy is the Rat health care book has heaps of info for any rat person. And is available on www.dapper.com.au soon i will have more info on my webpage which im still building but is up and running now not to much info on it tho. THere is info about the Auzzie Rat club the RFS on there just click the links www.geocities.com/sweet_rattys.
If you want more info please email me and i will give u my hotmail addy (that goes for anyone with questions about rats) i will help as much as i can. IF your looking for a breeder be careful email me and i'll tell you why. Hope i helped
2006-11-25 17:53:13 · answer #2 · answered by Darkrose86 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES! Get the poor little guy a friend. Rats are pack animals and need other rat companionship! It could extend his life also. Winters coming and its getting cold, and them rats need eachother for warmth in the cage.
As of for introducing DO NOT introduce them in Jacks cage. He may become territorial and hurt the new rat. Put them in an area that will keep them near eachother but won't cause any hard feelings. Try placing them both in the bathtub together. That way they both have nothing to be aggressive over.
2006-11-25 03:40:29 · answer #3 · answered by Brauna x3 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Definitely. Rats are social animals and love living in groups. Female rats rarely fight. Its the males that are the fighters. Just be sure to get a big cage. Some tricks for your rat could be to go through tubes, use a litter box-though its not really a trick, climb ladders, go down slides
2016-05-23 01:21:55 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get another male. Put them in cages next to each other so they can see, smell and hear each other. After a couple of days you should be able to put them together. I used to have rats. I started with 2 and introduced 2 other males this way. I never had a problem.
2006-11-25 04:37:17 · answer #5 · answered by msnite1969 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah. If your rattie is used to company then he should probably have a playmate. However, sometimes they just do not take to each other, so you should be prepared to keep them in separate cages if necessary. You will need to get a rat that is used to being with other rats and is also not too much different in size to your boy. Introductions are generally fairly easy - it's usually very clear whether they will get on or not within the first 30 minutes.
2006-11-25 04:09:34 · answer #6 · answered by stienbabe 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I agree with the first person, but instead of getting one rat, get 2 baby rats (make sure they are male!) and a new cage, intro in neutral territory, it could take a while, but in the end will be worth it.
2006-11-28 15:11:46 · answer #7 · answered by Sapphire 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. Your rat will pine away for company if you don't. If your rat was the aggressor get a rat around the same size. If he was the submissive get a smaller rat and his parenting instincts will propmt him to take care of the smaller rat.
2006-11-26 06:02:57 · answer #8 · answered by frontdeskwaitress 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes one of my two rats died so i brought another rat and they was fine :) - Unless you can spend most of your time with him you should get another one
2006-11-25 03:51:34 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sure if it makes you feel better.
2006-11-25 03:45:43 · answer #10 · answered by Amanda A 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋