Need to get another cage mate, need advice

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simonsmom

simonsmom

Junior Member
Joined
May 28, 2014
Messages
193
Location
Barrie, Ontario
I am down to just 2 boys now. One is around 12 months, the other is almost 3. So I need to get more boys so my younger guy isn't alone.

His backstory (very important)...

I got him with 7 of his litter mates. For the first 6 months all he did was sit in the corner of his cage. He didn't react with other rats and was terrified of people. I decided to start the process of moving him in with 3 of my other males. I did it properly and went nice and slow but he acted the same. So I took a chance and put him right in the cage with my (at the time) 4 oldies - 2 years old - and didn't have any problems. They instantly took to each other and for the first time I saw him interact (cuddle, groom, play) with other rats. He's been much better with me as well, I can pick him up, he comes to me, crawls on me, and takes food from me.

I think the difference was the oldies weren't dominant at all. They never fought and got along with any rat they had play time with, they also never marked. This guy is the same way. He never wrestles or fights with the others. So when he was living with dominant males I assume he was uncomfortable or scared. He's also significantly smaller (310g) than any male I've ever had (all 450g+), I don't know if that means anything.

The problem is I need to make sure he isn't alone but don't want to create problems or make him unhappy. I don't have the space to have separate male cages permanently so they have to get along. There are virtually no older males that need homes in my area so I'm pretty much forced to get a baby (always like 5-6 weeks) from a pet store.

Any advice on this? I have no clue what to do. I also don't know if I should get 1 or 2. I honestly didn't want more rats after these ones, right now at least, but can't leave him alone for like 2 years. I'd neuter him and put him with my girls but I have a few girls who are very aggressive to newbies (serious bite wounds) and it's not worth the risk.
 
What if you got him neutered and then took a couple of the more mellow girls to live with him? That way your numbers wouldn't increase and he would still have company.
 
I would get a baby over 6 weeks old and try to pick the most calm one. Then your boy will probably feel like hes the dominant one and won't feel threatened by the baby. I think if intros are done right and you pick a calm sweet baby there should'nt be a problem. :)
 
I'm confused. Why must the baby come from the pet store? Sometimes rescues have babies or people have accidental litters. But yeah personality comes into play too. At least it sounds like you know how to do intros properly. That will definitely be helpful for you.
 
trihkal said:
I'm confused. Why must the baby come from the pet store? Sometimes rescues have babies or people have accidental litters. But yeah personality comes into play too. At least it sounds like you know how to do intros properly. That will definitely be helpful for you.
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Because there is no where else to get one. There are no rescues in my city and there are none listed on local online ads that are male. I can't wait around for a boy to come up somewhere since the older boy is almost 3. I don't want the younger one to be left alone. So a pet store is the only place to get one. I'd much rather start the introduction process while he still has a cage mate.
 
simonsmom said:
Because there is no where else to get one. There are no rescues in my city and there are none listed on local online ads that are male. I can't wait around for a boy to come up somewhere since the older boy is almost 3. I don't want the younger one to be left alone. So a pet store is the only place to get one. I'd much rather start the introduction process while he still has a cage mate.
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Oh okay. That's understandable. If you can shop around and try to find your best match. Look for any signs of poor health or aggression. Look for a baby that is calmly confident. Fear can bring out aggression too so shy isn't necessarily best.
 
Check on the internet for people who had an accidental litter and are looking for homes, or SPCAs etc.
Many rescues will transport rats over long distances in order to get them to good homes. No idea where you are since you have not included the country or prov/state in your profine (please put that it, it helps greatly).
If you are in the USA, there have been a few recent rescues of hundreds of ratties needing good homes .... many babies and pregnant girls .... I imagine that rat trains are being set up to get them into good homes all across the USA.

If you decide to get babies, you will need 2 so they have each other to play with. Babies need to be about 9 to10 weeks old before starting physical intros but there are things you can do prior to that stage.
You could also get to girls and spay them ... girls are often easier to intro to an unneutered boy then another unneutered boy.

If you get a rat or rats that have not already been quarantined - rescues do this, etc or a rat with a low possibility of risk (ie a rat that has lived with someone for months and not been exposed to other rats) then you need to do a min 4 to 6 week quarantine in a separate airspace (different building) and follow quarantine procedures for disinfecting yourself. (Even entering a pet store can allow you to bring airborn terminal illnesses home to your rats.)
There are established gradual intro steps to follow so that no one is hurt during intros
 
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I am halfway between Midland/Penetang and Barrie Ontario. There are no rescues close to me and I can't travel to get any rats. I don't have a car at the moment. I found a breeder (I don't know if they are bad or not yet) in Midland, but that's about it. There are rats listed on Kijiji but when I ask if they are still available I get no response or they aren't available.

The problem I have separating my girls (and neutering him so he can live with some of them) is that I won't be able to put them back together later. They are all litter mates and have never been separated (17 months old) for more than a few days. Even just being apart for a few days caused some major fights.
 
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trihkal said:
Who's the breeder you have found? I understand not wanting to split up the girls.
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They go by "Vivid Rats". I couldn't find anything on them. Here is their Kijiji ad: http://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-pets/b...ts/1006199139?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

There is another breeder in the area but he has postings for cute (dumbo, rex, etc) rats and frozen feeder rats. So he's obviously killing the "ugly" rats and selling them for food. I don't want to support that if I don't have to.
 
I'll second the breeder red flags list. Sadly there are very few ethical breeders, especially in Canada.

If you keep an eye out, you should eventually be able to find some being rehomed.

I may have missed it (if I did, sorry) but why can't this guy be neutered to live with the girls? If you got a new rat, that rat would have to be separated and quarantined before the intro process would start.

Good luck!
 
Dazzle87 said:
I'll second the breeder red flags list. Sadly there are very few ethical breeders, especially in Canada.

If you keep an eye out, you should eventually be able to find some being rehomed.

I may have missed it (if I did, sorry) but why can't this guy be neutered to live with the girls? If you got a new rat, that rat would have to be separated and quarantined before the intro process would start.

Good luck!
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Some of my girls, half of them actually, are very aggressive to new rats. The attack rats that go near their cage, and other animals. They always try and grab the dogs fur if he walks by. I've tried introducing other girls to them in the past and it doesn't work. A girl almost died because of it. They will not accept newbies. I tried for 8 months to get 2 new girls into the group and they ended up living together for 3 weeks, then a major fight broke out. Young or old, some of the girls do not want new group members. Two of the girls are fine with any newbie, but I don't want to break the group up as they've never been apart and I'd never be able to get them back together if something happened to the boy and a girl was left alone.

I'll read up on the breeder red flags. Usually I can tell if someone is sketchy. But I've always rescued, never bought from a breeder.
 
I sent you a PM on Monday, since you sent me one expressing interest in adopting some rats that need homes in Guelph. Just wondering if you got that message, and if you are still interested. Thanks!
 

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