I've heard that rattie pairs tend to do better than single rats, and I've been trying to convince my parents to get her a friend, but I'm worried about possible aggression.
She's not too old yet and hasn't grown to full size, although I'm not sure -exactly- how old she is. She already has a strong bond with me, but I can't play with her constantly, and I'd like to get her a cage-mate. I'm just worried that she'll become territorial or aggressive to the new rat.
So, what do you think--should I get a second rat? And if so, how should I go about introducing them?
Answers:
Yes, absolutely get a second rat ... maybe a third, too. A lot more rat keepers are finding it best to have rats in threes, especially if there is one resident rat already.
Remember, rats are a very social animal and thrive with other rats. Although I strongly do not recommend single rats as pets, it is still possible but requires a great deal of time to keep your pet rat company.
I would recommend younger rats than your current girl, and of course the new rats should also be females. Mixing males and females makes for a lot more rats than most pet owners are prepared to care for. Make sure you have a proper quarantine cage and area for the new rats. They should be kept separate at first.
As far as care and cost, you are already tending to one rat, taking care of one or two more will be very little additional time if they are all living together. The cost of feeding one or two more little mouths is not much more than feeding the first one.
Start with your quarantine. After you are satisfied with your quarantine period. You can start with neutral ground introductions. If that goes well put the cages near each other and try a few more neutral ground visits. If all continues smoothly try putting all the rats together in the same home.
Keep an eye on the rats the first little while (sometimes up to a day), to make sure that there are no territorial cage issues ... there may still be squabbles but that is normal
i think the one that been there first will fight with the second do to territory.
Getting her a same sex cage mate is a good idea. The way to prevent agression is to quarentine for a month in a separate cage and then introduce in a neutral area. Once they have adjusted to each other there clean out the cage that they are going to be in and make sure that there is no smell from either rat in it. If they start to rough house keep an eye on it. There should be no blood being drawn and no screaming.
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