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BoBa

BoBa

New Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2018
Messages
2
Location
UK
Hello,
Today, I had to put my rat to sleep because he had a cancerous tumour and it was only going to get worse. I am devastated but I know it was the right thing to do. Now I have one rat who is by himself and as a student, I can not spend 12 hours each day with him. I have searched for rats up for adoption near me, but there are very few and a lot of them include a cage as well and I've already got a cage. I am undecided on baby rats since I am not sure whether I can cope with their fast metabolisms and thought that there are rats needing a home more. I have heard of fostering but I doubt there are rats around that need foster homes and I don't know how this works. Do you have the rats until they find a home? How soon should I find Bodger a friend-or what's the longest amount of time? If I can wait a few weeks, rats for adoption might come up. Does anyone have suggestions on what I could do? I would appreciate any advice. Thank you.
 
With regards to fostering, that is something you would need to discus with the rescue or shelter or person.

When you get another rat, you will need a second cage for a short time because intros are gradual and take time
(See https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/introducing-new-rats.34842/#post-491257 and joinrats.com)

as for your boy, you will need to spend as much time as possible with him until you can get him a friend or two. A small stuffed animal to snuggle with may help but it can not have any small parts or stuffing tha could harm him if swallowed because he will chew it

I am very sorry for your loss {hugs}
 
Thank you. Is it possible to introduce a baby rat and 1.5 year old rat? Or does that make complications?
 
Also usually do you have the rats until someone adopts them when fostering? If they don't get along with your rat, do you still have to provide a home for them? Sorry for asking again but does anyone have experience doing this?
 
I am so sorry for your loss. *hugs*
I have male unaltered rats and I have done intros between 1.5 years-old rats and babies twice now. When my older rats turn 1.5 years old, that is when I do intros because my rats are getting old and I'd like to have buddies for surviving rats and then by the time the older ones have passed on, I have a solid relationship with the babies (which makes grief easier to cope with in my opinion).
From the guides I've read, people always almost recommend only introducing baby male rats to adult male rats to prevent any sort of serious territorial or dominance issues. Introducing two adult male rats to each other can be extremely difficult. The babies just need to be old and large enough to defend themselves because adult male rats can be bullies, especially when not neutered.
I live in a weird part of the country, so there isn't a local (as in less than 100 miles away) rat rescue. I do have one sort around me, but it's about 100 miles away, one way.
As mentioned before, intros take time. And there's always that fear that they may never adjust or get along. Don't be afraid to research a lot, there are a lot of knowledgeable and experienced rat keepers who have made amazing guides.

While I've never fostered rats, I would suspect rescue policies may vary from one rescue to another. Ultimately, ask the rescue you're looking at. I suspect they'll recommend you have a second, appropriate cage on hand in case it doesn't work.
 
an adult rat can be introduced to babies over 8 weeks old (10 weeks is safer)
but you will need to intro a pair of babies because babies need another baby to play with, otherwise they can irritate adults. Going to a new home with a sibling is also less stressful for a baby

Please check out the links I shared about how to do gradual intros

Edit: people sometimes rush intros or skip steps and that has resulted in injured or dead rats
 
Last edited:
SQ said:
an adult rat can be introduced to babies over 8 weeks old (10 weeks is safer)
but you will need to intro a pair of babies because babies need another baby to play with, otherwise they can irritate adults. Going to a new home with a sibling is also less stressful for a baby

Please check out the links I shared
Click to expand...

What SQ said. I meant to put ages in there.
Make sure that when babies do meet/get moved in with adult(s) have hides only babies can access. Large enough for the babies, but small enough that adults can't get in.
 
Thank you,
Ideally I would like to find a spayed female but that is quite difficult. Then maybe a single male rat however I know it can be risky. I don't know what to do right now but I am going to ask the rescues near me about fostering. Have you had experience introducing two male rats?
 
I've done intros between two adults successfully. The two groups were a year old and the two rescues were about seven months. It takes longer and as SQ said, will need to be neutered sometimes.
Depending on what you find as well, if funds aren't too tight, you could look for a lone female and see about getting her spayed? I've never had female rats, so I don't know too much about a spayed rat other than rats heal very quickly.
 

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