Should I get another rat

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FattoRatto

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When my rat's sister died I decided at the time that I really couldn't take in another rat. I think her death was really painful for me and I thought if I got another rat the cycle of death and grief would never end. Eventually someone's going to end up alone again, you know? Also I am worried about the process of introducing another rat to the one I have left. What if it doesn't go well and I am now stuck with two rats who have to live separately? Will I even have the time it takes to properly introduce two rats? (I don't know anything about the process as I've never done it before)

My rat is almost 2 years old, she's 1 year and 8 months. Her sister died when she was 1 year and 6 months so she's been living alone 2 months now....she took it really hard at first and would not come out of her cage at all, was incredibly timid and acted like how they were when I first brought them home (they were rescued from a lab and poorly socialized). But after that first month she's been acting totally normal again except that she is not very good at grooming herself (usually her sister groomed her like all the time forcibly) and she's actually gained weight because her sister used to eat all the food lol, but what if she lives until 3 years?? Will that be really hard on her to live alone that long? I don't know what to do :(
 
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If you are going to keep her alone
(and she is likely depressed, lonely & grieving, lone rats may be more frightened of people and less social)
- then she needs a small stuffed animal (with no small parts or small stuffing as she will chew it) for her to snuggle with
- you will need to spend many hours with her daily, and keep her cage in a room where there is a lot of activity and interaction
These thing will not replace living with other rats but will help

If you decide to get her a new friend, you could get an older girl, a neutered boy, or a couple of babies. You could also volunteer to foster an older rat from a rescue

For info on intros see http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32368 joinrats.com also has info on introing rats
Rats do need to live with other rats but you can only do the best you can for her, and if getting a friend for her is not an option then you can do a lot to improve the quality of her life
 
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I agree with SQ, but it's also very important that you are able to dedicate the time and effort for intros and such if you choose to get another rat. Spending as much time as possible with your lone rat now will be very important.
 
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