splitting a cage in half for different genders?

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WiildSunflowers

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hello everyone! quick question that i'm pretty sure i know the answer too, but i want to be extra safe before i do anything, since i'm relatively new to owning rats still.

i have a feisty ferret cage (wrapped entirely in hardware cloth), and the two floors are connected via a hole in the floor that has a removable wire piece that clips into place, this is important later. i have 2 boys myself, who currently have run of the entire cage, although i've yet to actually see them explore the bottom half (they're only 1 month old, and have only been home a few days)

my friend knows a guy who has a single female rat, around 1 year old (big yikes) that he apparently just doesn't want anymore, and i was informed he planned on setting it free in his downtown city (the capital of my state, no less) which is why she contacted me. she comes with a cage, but from the pictures i've seen it looks much too small for a rat to live in period.

i know i cannot house these rats together, as it would quickly lead to an unwanted pregnancy, i'm sure! i was curious if i put this divider in place, if the three rats could be successfully separated from each other while i find a new home for this gal, where she won't be released into the wild.

i've been told this rat doesn't show any signs of illness also, but i don't exactly have the pocket change to run a random rat off to the vet. i'm assuming it would be best for me to keep her separated from their cage entirely for a day or two and see if she shows any signs of illness (sneezing and coughing) before popping her in the new cage, if it's even truly safe for her to be in there.

advice very much appreciated. i want to help this girl out if i can to make sure she gets into a real home ASAP where she can have actual friends to hang out with. i currently don't know if he's EVER housed her with another rat or not, all i've been told thus far is that she came from petland (a pet store down here, similar to petsmart and whatnot) and is supposed to be healthy.

if my current cage isn't a viable option or is potentially too dangerous without knowing she has a clean bill of health (or fighting, or pregnancy, or ANYTHING) do you guys have any alternatives? can rats be kept in bin cages like hamsters, and if so do you know the min. size requirement? we always have spare totes in the house.

thanks in advance! sorry for a wordy (but hopefully eligible) post, it's rather late for me right now but i wanted to get this out here so i could check back in the morning.
 
Gad you want to help this poor girl!
Please get her,
and if at all possible see if a good rat rescue will take her as soon as you pick her up.
Or try to find a friend you can trust that will allow you to keep her at their place for several weeks.

A full quarantine would require 6 weeks in a different airspace, a change of clothes, shower and blow your nose before seeing your rats after visiting her. - most people can not do this. Bringing in a new rat is always a risk.

Some people keep new rats in a different room …. but I don't understand the reason since diseases are usually airborne so if in the same house they can be spread. As a precaution I would keep her in a separate room for one day and treat her with revolution to get rid of any possible parasites http://ratguide.com/meds/anti-infectives/selamectin_revolution.php

As for bin cages, a large one can make a temporary cage and a small one can be used as a carrier
https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/homemade-bin-carrier-and-temporary-bin-cage.35893/

I not familiar with the cage (edit just looked it up) but if you can put the divider in securely so that it is impossible for a rat to remove it or get through it - rats can squeeze through small spaces - if their head can get through then their body can as well …… And you cut a piece of coroplast, or thick linoleum to fit the entire level so that it is a solid floor over top of the entire wire floor and closed hole, then she could likely go on the top - rats will bite the tails and feet of unfamiliar rats through cage bars and wire floors (btw all wire floors must be covered as mentioned above because rats need solid floors)

If you end up keeping her, if she is in good health and if you have access to a good vet with the knowledge and experience to safely spay rats, then you will want to get her spayed - this is important for health reasons. https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/why-spay-or-neuter-rats.35402/
It will also prevent pregnancy and allow you to intro all 3 rats so they can live together - because rats need to live with at least one other rat. If you do not get her spayed, then if you have access to a good vet with the knowledge and experience to safely neuter rats then you will want to have both boys neutered when they are large enough. Rats must not be given anything by injection until after the surgery and only given gas anesthetic as injectable will kill them https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/why-spay-or-neuter-rats.35402/
Once one sex has been fixed, and the boys are at least 8 to 10 weeks old, they you can slowly and carefully introduce them so they can live together. https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/introducing-new-rats.34842/#post-491257
Two intact sexes in the same household is an accident waiting to happen because rats are very smart and very motivated …. and people are not perfect 100% of the time. Living in the same home as an intact girl can stress intact boys and they may fight - once they are teens or adults - so months from now …. now they wrestle etc because they are babies playing

btw the Reference Thread has a lot of good info https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/

Hope you post pictures of her :)
 
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