Raising two male rats???

Question

Hi there!

I just adopted two baby male rats and I am very excited about it! I have never owned rats before and I was wondering what the best way to raise them is. I want to make sure they grow to love me and that they are very happy and healthy.

Thank you =)

Answer 1

congrats on your new friends....
its important that you bond with your rats, make sure to take them out of the cage and play with them everyday for at least an hour.

a good sized cage is a must for rats, they need to have levels and a toys in their cage, wheels, hammocks, (you can make hammocks out of old rags) there probably small enough they'd probably enjoy paper towel rolls. (i have never owned boys and know there a little bigger)
i have a guinea pig cage for 2 of my girls and made the level that is in there myself with an old wire basket and i covered it with an old place mat so there little feet don't get hurt. they also have a wheel, a hammock, house and room to run around.
rats LOVE treats, fresh fruits and veggies and even some cooked meat is good for them. my girls LOVE cooked chicken bones, and they have been known to get a piece of steak when i've cooked it for dinner.
male rats CAN NOT have oranges, it can cause serious health problems for them.
also i noticed that you haven't had rats before and its important to do your research being a first time owner.
rats can't use pine or cedar bedding its bad for them. aspen is ok, i use a mix of aspen and carefresh right now, although its a little dusty and i'm looking into trying something else.
i have given you some important links so that you can do some research on your new friends.
enjoy them and love them and the love you get back will amaze you!!!
there are many yahoo groups that you can join that are for owners of pet rats, you might wanna look into these groups as they are EXTREMELY helpful!

Answer 2

Yeah, two males will get along. Although it is better if you get two males that are NOT from the same litter. If one is a little bigger/older, it makes the smaller one less likely to challenge dominance. Two rats of the same age/size will be equally matched, so there may be a constant struggle to see who is alpha. I have 4 males living together and they are just fine. With males, just do not introduce two that are both over 3 months old. One can be over 3 months, but the other should be a baby. Two babies work as well.

Answer 3

2 male rats is a great choice to have, i started out with that too.

- Play with them for at least an hour everyday, baby rats are very, very engergtic and love to be held and played with

- Try finding out their favorite foods, over the course of a week. Enter different foods into their cage and see if they enjoy it.

- Once you've figured out their favorite food, try teaching them their name. This trick is very helpful in cases where you loose your rat, place your rat a few inches in front of you and call his name with his favorite food in your hands. once he comes prasize him and place he back a few more steps.

- Once their older you can be able to "Rat proof" your room so they'll be able to roam. (e-mail me about that if your intested) My rats love the freedom and it also connects you more to them.

- If they roam, try to litter train them. Many rats already come littler trained but as babies just try to place some of their wastes in a small box that's easy to reach. Sometimes they even make their own littler box like a coner.

*** be careful if they roam to not step on them and also clean any rugs you might have because males mark their territory.

if you want any more advice i would be so happy to help. Hope everything goes well

Answer 4

Cong-rat-ulations on your boys! Rats are fantastic companions & I'm sure yours will be showing you how much they love you in no time.
Please don't give them cedar or pine shavings, which can cause health problems for small animals. Use aspen, or one of the many beddings like Carefresh or Total Comfort.
Rats enjoy have things to chew on. We give ours vegetarian dog biscuits & chew toys from the pet store. We also give them nuts with the shell once in a while-- it's really entertaining to watch them play with them. They also like hammocks & carbboard boxes to hide, nap & play in. One of our girls has the plastic cap from a cooking spray can as her special toy-- during quarantine I was using it for a food dish but she kept dumping the food out to play with the cap.
You'll probably get lots of great advice & links from others here.

Answer 5

i have had rats to i was so exited but i just dont like how they only live up to 1-2years but they are worth every minute i got two white ones so since you got to i would say get a big cage foe them to wonder around in rats are very courios creaters and love there space and rats have very large teeth that never stop grows so i advise you to get alot of woodin chew toy for them and remember never EVER get wood or stuff from outside for them to chew on it my have little mits in them and may be fatal to your rats and remeber two get two bowl for ur rats and put it in one courner rats like to go to the bathroom away from there food so naturally they will go on the other side of the cage and get a good sised water bottle that dosent leak i got one i put it in the cage and i came home andthe cage was flooded but the rats were ok and get the right beeding some beddind rats could have a reaction to it so ask a pet store for the right kind and get a hide away for them big enough for both to fit k. now u and ur pet when u first get them try not to hold them till 24 hours so they are used to there new home and dont worry rats do not bite and never try to stop them from a fight with ur hands us a loud noise and not with ur vosie you always want to have a nice low voice so they feel good around you play with ur rat daliy let him out of his cage somtimes but ALWAYS keep a eye on them let them feel safe with you when holding them do not move really fast and try not to talk lound be peace full with thwm do this every day they will never br scard with you.
h0pe this help=]
go0d luck!!!

Answer 6

I you want them to really love you get a nice sized cage wit at least 4 levels and is wire... feed them, give plenty of water, make fun toys like a pinata(toilet roll jam packed wit treats...stuff both ends wit toilet paper.