Is it better to get one rat, or several? (i.e., if I only get one rat, will it be lonely?)?

Question

I have no idea how social rats are... is it better to have one, two, or even three? Also, any advice pertaining to rats would be greatly appreciated...
(Yeah I was sitting in my biopsych lecture today and there was this really cute picture of some lab rats and now I want a pet rat.)

Also, I would be keeping it/them in my room, which is kind of dark. I have plants in here as well and they do okay, but would it be a bad idea to keep rats in an environment where there's not a lot of sunlight? (I also have cats so it's necessary to keep any rats in my room where I can shut the door and the cats can't get in)

Also, males or females?

Answer 1

I would get 3 female rats!
Had 2 sister rats and when one died before the other it was heartbreaking,.. both for the lone rat and me.
They are very social family pack animals and clean each other, sleep together, etc.
Although nocturnal animals, they do need some day/sunlight for vitamin absorption.
Just make sure they have lots of activity in a large cage (although my cats and dogs got along well with all my rats).
Cardboard boxes, paper rolls, etc., they like to explore and are smart as heck.

Answer 2

Rats definitely do better in pairs or groups. Sometimes solitary rats can develop mental problems. They may self mutilate and never be fully social. When they have friends, they groom each other and the interaction is very beneficial.

Do tons of research before committing to getting rats just because you think they're cute. Don't get me wrong, they are the cutest and I wouldn't trade in my girls. However they are not like hamsters where you can toss food and water in the cage and forget about them. They need lots of attention, a big cage, as well as time running around outside of their cage. They crave your attention, so be prepared to give it at least an hour a day.

Darkness shouldn't be a problem, but I would try to keep them on some type of light schedule if possible. 24/7 light is worse than mostly dark.

I have cats and rats and have very few problems. My girls' cage is on top of a dresser that leaves no room for the cats to jump up. They like to look from the floor or the bed, but cannot touch it. My rats and cats can also play together when they are out of their cage. The cats know that if they get too close, Star and Luna will bite their paws. A few nips from the rats will keep them at a distance, but this takes time and constant supervision. The cats are going to be curious. The worst thing is to keep them shut off from the rats. Like children, they want what they can't have. As long as the rats are not stressed by their presence, (their health is the most important) let the cats watch them. BE CAREFUL though, if the cats can reach the cage they may be able to bite off the tip of the rats' tails. (This happened to our gerbil) =(

I'm glad you decided to join the rat owner club. Hope you spoil your ratties!

Answer 3

Usually two are better as they are a social animal and love the companionship...then when your not around to play they always have someone to groom and play with. Females are less smelly than males by far, males have a strong urine they love to mark all over the place including you, females don't do this. Some say males are more laid back but I never found that to be the case, both the females and the males were always up to explore and run around. They generally have a life expectancy of 2 years, most die of cancerous tumors as well so just so you expect that. They are a very friendly and smart rodent, you can teach them their name and they will enjoy interacting with you and coming out for play time often. They can eat pretty much anything, they love getting fed little bits of human foods along with their rat diet. As for the darkness of the room I don't think that would matter too much since they are generally a nocturnal animal and like to sleep more during the day anyways...they also like having something they can burrow into or hide in to sleep in, I give mine a old sock with the ankle cut off and they drag it around their cage and snuggle into it together. Also pipe from your hardware store is a cheap way to put some tubes in the cage to climb through, branches are good too for climbing and chewing, they love to chew so keep anything you don't want chewed away from the sides of the cage.

Answer 4

Two, they are social and its been shown that they're better pets when kept together, as opposed to being alone. My personal preference is females. Females tend to be more active than males and want to zip around and explore things and are constantly on the go. Males...have very, very large testicles (which is the thing that bothers me for some juvenile reason) but they also scent mark more than females, which is pretty much just peeing as they walk. The males also can develop a grease along their back, which apparently is fantastic to female ratties, but nasty to everyone else. Males also have a high rate of hind end paralysis towards the end of their life. They are calmer and more of a 'pet me all the time' type than females though. And being a male animal...they smell more. (not being sexist...its a nature thing)

http://www.dapper.com.au/index.htm

is a site that i'm constantly on, A because i'm obsessed with rats and cute stories about rats, and B it has great ideas for toys and games and stuff like that with rats.

also, www.ratsrule.com and www.rmca.org are good sites with good info on do's and don'ts of care and feeding and housing and everything like that.

Also the light thing, they do need some sort of light from what I read somewhere, I just can't remember the consequences of them not getting light. =/

Answer 5

Well i own two rats. They live is the same cage together. My family bought them at differnent times too. We figured that the first one would be lonely and we were right! Turns out when we got the second rat (both male) he just loved it. They work great together and will even sleep on each other. Getting two rats is really fun, but if you only want one go for it i am sure it will be just fine.
I dont think that rats like the sun much, but dont keep them in total darkness because they are nocturnal and sleep during the day and are awake during the night. If you have them in your room, i warn you that they do make lots of noise at night, so you may not get much sleep.... anyways good luck

Answer 6

Please get 2 or 3 rats of the same sex. They're social creatures & are *much* happier in pairs or groups. Also, you'll really enjoy watching them interact & they'll love you just as much (they won't ignore you in favor of their own species).
It shouldn't be a problem to keep them in a room with subdued lighting. Just make sure they have a well-built cage that's big enough to play in & don't use cedar or pine as bedding. You can use aspen, Carefresh or something like that.
We have cats as well as rats (other pets too) & we love them all. The cats, for the most part, are mildly curious about the rats & the rats either ignore the cats or want to play with them. To be safe, the rats are never out of their cages except when they're closely supervised & someone's either holding them or the cats are enclosed in another part of the house. Some cats like stretching out on top of a cage, which is fine as long as it can't be tipped over & the rats don't mind.

Answer 7

totally get two or more. rats are very social and studies have shown that single rats tend to get "rat depression".

males tend to be less hyper than females, so if you want a lap-rat, get boys, if you want to play with them, get girls. but bear in mind that some boys don't let you pet them because they want to play, or some girls will lay there and let you cuddle with them. so, it depends on the rat.

i would think that they would be fine in a darkish room.

Answer 8

Rats are VERY social! You may want to get at least 2.

Females are more inquisitive. Males are more laid back.

I find that males smell worse becuase of the testosterone, marking scents, and such in their urine.

Because they're social, they really prefer to be in rooms where they can see you.

You may want to read up. Here are a few articles.

Housing:
http://hubpages.com/_reptilehelp/hub/Housing_Pet_Rats

Games/Toys
http://hubpages.com/_whitney05/hub/Games_and_Toys_for_Your_Pet_Rats

Treats:
http://hubpages.com/_whitney05/hub/Rat_Munchies

Signs of Illness:
http://hubpages.com/_whitney05/hub/Signs_of_Illness_In_Your_Rat

Answer 9

well yes 2 or more is best but it depends on how active you want them to be as to if you want males or females ...females tend to be more energetic and not as loving with their human pac mates, where as males may smell a bit (vanilla extract in the water helps) but they are big lovers and will be very lazy once they become adults.