questions concerning my new little rat

[Dahlas]

Well yesterday I became the proud momma of a new little rat. She is about 6 months old (guess) and is alone. She was brought into the vet to be put to sleep.......no reason. The person just said they didn't want her.
Anyway my vet asked them if they could find a home for her and the person said yes....so now she is mine.
I have an older girl, Sydney, who is alone now to. So hopefully Piper (new girl) and Sydney will eventually live together.

I haven't introduced the two girls yet because Piper is being isolated for a few weeks just to make sure she is healthy....even though the vet did give her an examine and said she seemed fine.

How long should it be before I start introducing them?

Plus how often would you take Piper out of her cage she seems happy when I take her out but in her cage she tends to just stay hidden......I don't want to stress her out....would you guys take her out ofter or give her a few days to adjust?

Plus I put in her cage a few of my older rats favorite sleeve hammocks ( nice soft ones that you can crawl into) but Piper seems to prefer sleeping in the paper bag on the FLOOR. Sydney would never leave a soft cuddly hammock for a paper bag.
I am just being a worried new mother.......

 

[SQ]

Give her time as she is adjusting to big changes in her life.
It is possible that many of the items you have provided, including a hammock, are new and unfamiliar to her.

Lone rats need one on one out time at least 4 hours a day.

Quarantines last for 4 weeks and there are strict measures that need to be taken. For a quarantine to be effective, it needs to be done in a diff environment as most diseases are airborne.

Since you are unable to do a proper quarantine, it is a good idea to keep her in a separate room for a few days (some suggest two weeks) just to make sure she is healthy prior to starting intros. Washing hands and changing clothes after handling her is a good idea. Cleaning out your nose too. It is suggested that you handle new rats after you have finished handling your other rats to min. other rats catching anything.

 

[jorats]

Like SQ already mentioned, 2 weeks should be good. Keep her in a different room if you can and wash your hands before interacting with your rats. I would socialize the little girl several times a day, in fact, I just can't leave new rats alone. lol

I'm sure once she's settled and feeling more secure, she should start to check up all the cuddly things in the cage.

 

[Dahlas]

Thanks for the help........ I have had her snuggled in my shirt all afternoon. She loves to cuddle
I was just wondering, why do you think I am unable to do a proper quarantine?

Since you are unable to do a proper quarantine, it is a good idea to keep her in a separate room for a few days (some suggest two weeks) just to make sure she is healthy prior to starting intros.

I have her in my dog grooming room.....in my garage.

I certainly don't like seeing her all alone......but I have to think of my older girl.......

 

[Dahlas]

Thanks t....2 weeks sound good.......I just want to see her act as happy as my other girl.....

 

[SQ]

For a proper quarantine, she needs to be in a separate airspace.
You need to wait two or more hours before going home, then shower, change your clothes, & clean out your nose.
I assumed that either this isn't possible as it isn't for most people, or else that it is too late.

 

[Dahlas]

When we have upper respiratory infections in our cats at the shelter we use pretty strict isolation methods........would it be very different then this?

We have a foot bath before leaving the room..(so you don't carry it from the room)....wear smocks and pull on pants that is left outside the room........we wash hands ,nails and arms good when leaving the room and when we get home all cloths go in the washer and we take a shower......Why would you need to wait two hours before going home?......

I realize that many of the diseases that affects rats are air born but in cats it is only up to a certain distance...so if one cat was in one room and another cat was in another room they couldn't affect each other unless there was something to carry it back and forth ....it can't just float through the air......
and it can be transmitted from contact of effected clothing, hair, hands under nails etc.
Are rats diseases very different?
I don't really know much about diseases in rats....need to do some reading up on that.

 

[Moon]

My girl Emma is about 2 years old, and only learned the wonders of hammocks this summer. But, if there's a paper bag in the cage, she almost always takes that over the hammock. My other two girls will ONLY sleep in their hammock. So I wouldn't worry about that too much if I were you

 

[Dahlas]

Thanks Moon.......new mamma jitters I guess :lol:

 

[jorats]

Dahlas, that's very interesting... I didn't know that about the cats. I wonder if it could be similar with rats? Sure would make things easier.

 

[SQ]

It would be great if that was also true with ratties .. quarantining would be soooo much easier.