W
WiildSunflowers
Guest
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.
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.