I'm getting a rat as my first pet.. should i get 1 or 2?

Question

i decided i want a rat for christmas.. will the rat get depressed alone? its my first pet so i dont know what to do

Answer 1

Rats must NEVER be alone. Both males and females get along very vell in same sexed groups as long as they are introduced and not just put together having never met.

There is a lot more to rats. You will need to familiarize you're self with proper care, which does mean some reading. I added some sites to get you started. The more you know, the less you don't.

I personally wouldn't get a live animal for Christmas. People tend to easily get caught up with all the exitement and look at the pet as just another gift (although maybe a really good one). Animals need the commitment. They will not only last for the few months you will be exited to have them. In the case of rats, they live around 3-4 years. So just think about it before you get into something you don't want to have and keep cleaning and playing with in a year. It will spare neglect and abuse should you actually lose interest. Rats need the cage cleaned weekly, fed daily, and let out for mental stimulation for at least an hour each day. Do not use cedar or aspen bedding, these are toxic. Don't use 'rat' balls, they aren't suitable fro rats. Watch out for your belongings and wires as ratties like to chew.

Otherwise, they are terrific pets! I've had experienced an array or rodents, and rats are by far the most intereactive I found.

Also, one thing you can do in respect to Christmas, is get all of the supplies you need during, and then after you set it up or whatever, go out and pick out your ratties.

And another crucial thing: NEVER buy animals from pet stores. They are severly misbred. Rats especially are prone to a huge amount of medical complications (tumors, cancer, aggression, mental distortion, etc.) There are hundreds of rats in shelters facing euthanasia for no good reason. You can find both babies and adults in shelters (though both can be great pets, I got my first rats as adults). There are also people who have litters they cannot keep and try to rehome them through classifieds. They should charge a small fee, but not expect you to pay a lot. If you are looking for quality, there are very many breeders which produce high health and personality rats with some of the lesser seen colours and varieties.

Answer 2

Yes rats get lonely and depressed when alone. I know because once I had one male rat and he was always lonely. So from then on I always got buddies for my rats. I have a pair of boys and a pair of girls. You'll be happier with 2 rats anyways. Rats love to sleep with each other, play with each other and sometimes even drink together(lol its funny when they do this). And on those days your just to busy to take them out you wont feel so bad because they have a friend to interact with and not always alone.The more the marrier(sp?). I love rats! They are great pets! You've chosen the perfect pet. You should try to get rats from your local shelter or breeder because usually in pet stores they dont handle the rats and the rats are usually ver skiddish. But I have gotten 3 rats from pet stores over the years and once they were with me for a few weeks they got used to humans and became the sweetest rats... Just to let you know male rats tend to be more lazy and the snuggle type and females tend to be more hyper and playful type. The males get larger then the females(my males are about twice the size of my females lol). And males tend to pee a lot more often. Like when I let my males on my bed I always put down another sheet because they pee all over my bed if I dont. But honeslty I love all my rats the same. Good luck with your ratties! Merry Christmas

Answer 3

TWO! If you're looking into buying a pet rat, you MUST be willing to buy it a same sex friend. Rats are extremely social and need to be with it's own kind. Your rat can become very neurotic without a friend.
Try researching the animal before you get it.

Oh and...
You must be willing to buy the rats a decent size cage, I suggest http://martinscages.com/products/cages/rat/ for good rat cages, bigger is always better.

(Do you know how many people do not know you can't put rats in a hamster cage or fish tank?!)

Answer 4

rats MUST be kept in SAME SEX pairs or groups.

they get very depressed alone, rats are extreemly social creatures and need alot of time and attention from you as well as another rat.

and PLEASE buy a large cage NOT a tank or aquarium or plastic thing, rats need space and lots of air circulation.

female rats tend to be more active and inquisitive, they stay smaller
males get much bigger and are usually quieter than females, they tend to be cuddle hounds but arnt quite as active.

both need the BIGGEST cage you can find and afford. however baby rats and some adult females can fit throuhg too large a bar spacing so look for 1/4-1/2 inch bar spacing anything more than 1/2" is too big and they WILL squeeze right on out.

Answer 5

Rats are very social creatures and it is a good idea to keep two or three together in a cage than one by itself. I had two male pet rats and they got along really well. However, my dog got a hold of one of them and my rat died and I noticed that my other rat became sad. So I purchased another male rat and it made things worse. The new rat I purchased asserted his dominance by sexually attacking the other one... It really depends if he is used to being alone I would just leave him alone. By him a play toy mouse or something just so he can snuggle up with when you are not there.

Answer 6

Rats are by far the best rodent you can possibly get. They are as smart as a cat or dog, and just as social, if not more. They love people, but you need to get at least 2 at a time, for they are so smart they get bored quickly and solitary rats would require A LOT of attention. If you have them in pairs, 1-2 hours a day of playing is all they will need. Rats are also very inexpensive. The food would be $5-8 once or twice a month, a cage would be $60 when they're babies, and you will want to make it bigger when they're older so it can be up to $90 for a GIGANTO cage. I got my rats "The Rat Mansion" and they're going in there tonight. It was $90. It was 12''X24''X43'' and it looks awesome. An ABSOLUTE MINIMUM size for ONE rat is a 12''X24''X12'' for a cage. You will need a water bottle, as you would know from your guinea pigs (I have 2 guinea pigs and 2 rats and i'm as happy as a clam =D ) which will be another $5. Both my pets, the guinea pigs and rats, take up a huge amount of bedding, for their cages are huge, so I go through a bag of bedding in about 2 weeks. So, you will need about one bag of bedding a month, about $5-8. Also, I forgot to say, in the cage, the bars must be 1/2'' apart or less, or else your ratty may want to squeeze through. Rats also need chew toys, preferably 2, for my rats have 2 chew toys and they love it. I recommend "Snak Shak" brand edible logs and huts- rats love them. Also, try getting a big wheel so your rat can "work out". I just got my rats a wheel and I regret it- they're scared of it and they have to get used to it. Also, you will need a food dish, another $5. Also, of course you will need rats. You can choose male or female. Males are much larger- bigger than a guinea pig maybe if you get a big one, and they have big nuts. Females don't get much bigger than 8'' long excluding the tail. Males are more of "lap pets" and females are hyper and hardly stay still to be pet- they just want to play. To pick a rat properly, before you but, put your hand in the cage with the rats in a pet store. The rats that come up to you and start licking you or liking you, you should pick. Get at least 2. The price of a rat ranges from $2-3 to $6, so they're very cheap.

Also, I forgot to say, but its important, the rat bedding should NOT be pine wood or cedar wood shavings, for it can poison your rats. You should get paper pulp/ stuff like that instead. I prefer Carefresh brand bedding- its very good.

If I missed anything, if you like to know more, etc... email me at [e-mail]

(Please best answer me if you like!)

Answer 7

I bought my first rat from a pet shop in 2005. He was housed with 2 other rats. They were all males. I took him home and after a few months he learnt his name. He came when i called him, He ran under my bed and then i called hm and he ran back and jumped on my leg!

He used to sit on my shoulder for a bit with his tail wrapped round my face.. it went in my mouth a few times-yuck!
Then he got bored and climbed down to my hands. I have a lovely picture of him and my mother. She was sleeping on the couch with a zip up jacket on, he was lying under her face on the top of the jacket curled up and asleep :D
He hated baths and avoided them as much as he could..
(Not that he had any choice in the matter)

I went on a 3 week holiday in april this year, my cousin (age 30) was looking after him. When i came back, His eye had swollen up twice its size and the 7 days a week vet was shut? We took him the next day and.. He was let to rest.

A few months back, I bought 2 female girl rats, They are very active and dont come when called.. They try to bite a bit which is annoying..They are only young but i should try to train them to come when called (i dont know how i managed it with scabbers)

Good luck!

And its up to you, The bad thing with 2 is if one dies all of a sudden, the other may become very depressed and be sad. If its on its own, Theres no one for it to become sad about

Answer 8

Yes! You must get two rats! They can get lonely and psyctic if left alone, rather like criminals in solitary confinement. They are not harder to take care of, they will keep each other clean and entertained when they aren't with you, and Now you'll have TWO! YAY!

Answer 9

Two, definately. Rats are so much happier if they have other rats to play with & they'll also be more fun for you b/c you'll love watching them interact. They'll still enjoy playing with you & won't ignore you to play with each other (unlike some cats I could name, lol).

Answer 10

Two of course! They are very social animals and if you can, get more than 2 if you have a big enough cage.