Lonely rat

[Rodentsaregreat]

One of my rats passed away today I’ve still got one rat left and I don’t want him to become depressed or lonely by himself I spoke to a vet who suggested because of his age ( year and a half ) it would be best to see how he adapts in the next couple days is this the right thing to do ?
thansk

 

[Coffee Babies]

I would get another rat, for older rats it's normally advisable to get a baby rat so that they are less likely to fight.

 

[Rodentsaregreat]

I would get another rat, for older rats it's normally advisable to get a baby rat so that they are less likely to fight.

Thank you for the advice I’ll start searching for some younger rats to potentially house him with

 

[Dena]

For babies under 12 weeks, you need to get two, since they have a lot of energy, and need a playmate. It would actually be best to get two babies, or adopt another older rat, and do proper intros both ways.

 

[Rodentsaregreat]

If anyone has any tips for introducing rats to each other that would also be appreciated

 

[Dena]

Www.joinrats.com has lots of good info on intros and socializing rats!

 

[Coffee Babies]

Yeah, I love their method for introducing rats.

 

[Rodentsaregreat]

Thanks for the help I’ll check out that site

 

[Lolypop]

Rodents are great, I also lost my rat this morning my rat is lonely too I just don’t know if I will be able to get a new rat I will have to talk to my parents but how long will my rat last if she is lonely I don’t want her to go out on me too

 

[Coffee Babies]

She might not pass but she may become depressed, the best you can do for now is spend a lot of time with her and interact, but it would be much better if you got her some companions.

 

[Rodentsaregreat]

Rodents are great, I also lost my rat this morning my rat is lonely too I just don’t know if I will be able to get a new rat I will have to talk to my parents but how long will my rat last if she is lonely I don’t want her to go out on me too

I’m so sorry you lost your rat I found it helps to give your other rat lots of hugs and attention to help take your mind off things a bit

 

[Lolypop]

Yep I agree I will need to find my other rat a buddy so I will have to figure that out soon because I know they are social

 

[Lolypop]

Coffee Babies how many do you think I should get I would like to only get one or two more and all be female but young or older idk where I would get them I heard Petco is not the best place to get them.

 

[Coffee Babies]

For females I don't think the age really matters, if i'm wrong someone can say something, in my experience at least all my girls that I've gotten have got a long no matter what age. For the where to get them, the reason why it's not so good to get from Petco or Petsmart is because you don't really know what the parents are like, I'm pretty sure they keep them in tanks, and people have just had bad experiences from there. You can look into rescues or ratteries near you, look into rescue or breeder red flags before doing that.

I just want to say that some people are totally against pet shops but for me I've used two smaller, local pet shops and I had a great experience. If you want to do this you need to look out for a lot of factors, such as how their homed, what they're bred for (some breed for snakes), and the type of advice they give, the red flags are really the same.

*If anyone feels differently feel free to disagree

 

[Kermit&Pickles.Mom]

One of my rats passed away today I’ve still got one rat left and I don’t want him to become depressed or lonely by himself I spoke to a vet who suggested because of his age ( year and a half ) it would be best to see how he adapts in the next couple days is this the right thing to do ?
thansk

You'll read and hear mixed reviews. My boys were buddies and brothers. One died, they were under 6mo old. It was a sad time. But his brother is alive and happy. He may sleep more because his friend and playmate is gone. I encourage you give him more free time out of the cage with you and help him feel loved. Extra treats and a bigger cage (if u don't have a larger one already). He'll come around. Lots of play time for him with u!
I wound up buying three more, but my older solo dude was so used to be alone, he didn't even take notice of his new friends
Now I have two large huge cages

Sorry for you guys' loss

 

[Kermit&Pickles.Mom]

You'll read and hear mixed reviews. My boys were buddies and brothers. One died, they were under 6mo old. It was a sad time. But his brother is alive and happy. He may sleep more because his friend and playmate is gone. I encourage you give him more free time out of the cage with you and help him feel loved. Extra treats and a bigger cage (if u don't have a larger one already). He'll come around. Lots of play time for him with u!
I wound up buying three more, but my older solo dude was so used to be alone, he didn't even take notice of his new friends
Now I have two large huge cages

Sorry for you guys' loss

Also, if you decide to buy ratty a new friend, may I suggest getting two new friends(a sibling pair), that way if it fails - the new rats still have each other and u won't be left with two rats that aren't mingling.

 

[Rodentsaregreat]

Also, if you decide to buy ratty a new friend, may I suggest getting two new friends(a sibling pair), that way if it fails - the new rats still have each other and u won't be left with two rats that aren't mingling.

Thanks for the advice I was planning on getting two just in case he has been getting lots of free roam time at the moment as We’re in lockdown my only concern for him is when I have to go back to collage I’m only there three days a week however my days are very long there and i don’t want him to get to lonely he’s still active when he’s out of his cage and still eating and drinking which is a good sign

 

[Kermit&Pickles.Mom]

Thanks for the advice I was planning on getting two just in case he has been getting lots of free roam time at the moment as We’re in lockdown my only concern for him is when I have to go back to collage I’m only there three days a week however my days are very long there and i don’t want him to get to lonely he’s still active when he’s out of his cage and still eating and drinking which is a good sign

Yes, eating and drinking is a good sign. Remember, they are usually nocturnal. So if you're away in the day, it's no biggie - as ratty will likley be asleep. Trust me, if his health is other wise in good standing, he'll come around. When u get home, make noises and talk to him and give him a treat. That way he has something to look forward to

 

[Rodentsaregreat]

Yes, eating and drinking is a good sign. Remember, they are usually nocturnal. So if you're away in the day, it's no biggie - as ratty will likley be asleep. Trust me, if his health is other wise in good standing, he'll come around. When u get home, make noises and talk to him and give him a treat. That way he has something to look forward to

Thank you for all the help it’s all been really helpful he’s doing well at the moment and still pretty active so I’ll see how he is for a few more days and go from there

 

[mwp051699]

I would NOT get him a young pair of males, they will be too energetic and he will likely get fed up with them. But... This is not always the case and some old males enjoy young cagemates, even bringing back some of their youthfulness. But personally, I would get him a neutered female. He will likely be happy with that arrangement. Your best bet is always to get 2 or more and let him decide who he wants to be with, then you can have 2 still when his time comes to cross over.