Princess Ruby is 6 months old, only been with me for about one week, and has alrdy grown very attached to me. I am very worried that if I introduce another female she will be aggressive or jealous of the other rat. Are female rats similar to female mice? I always had groups of female mice who loved eachother very much... Do you think the sooner I intro a new rat, the better? Or should I just give Ruby lotsa love and attention as I have been and forget about another rat? I know rats like to have rat buddies but she has shown some signs of dominance and I don't want her to injure any other rat. Let me know your thoughts and opinions (and where you learned your info if possible.) Thanks.
Worried female rat will show dominance
- Thread starter missnikki
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jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
I truly beleive that keeping only one rat is cruel.
If your rat is showing dominance over you, that is not healthy. And I highly recommend you get her a buddy as soon as possible.
A human could never give a rat what they really need like grooming with your teeth or communicating using sounds and body language. Rats play and learn good social skills from each other.
If your rat is showing dominance over you, that is not healthy. And I highly recommend you get her a buddy as soon as possible.
A human could never give a rat what they really need like grooming with your teeth or communicating using sounds and body language. Rats play and learn good social skills from each other.
Guest
I agree, keeping a lone rat is crule, she needs a friend or two ..she also needs a big cage.
MissGuardian
Well-Known Member
I´d also get her a buddy as soon as possible.
For me it´s also cruel to keep only one rat(unless there is a VERY good reason for it)
For me it´s also cruel to keep only one rat(unless there is a VERY good reason for it)
smilez_n_hugs
Senior Member
As everyone else has said she needs a buddy. Some girls are complete b****es but generally girls are easier to intro than boys. If you are really worried I would suggest getting a younger rat if possible (maybe 3 months-ish). And usually even if they don't get along great at first there are a few tricks that you might be able to use to get them intro'd.
The other option is that if you are adopting from Little Mischief they might consider adopting on a trial basis so that if the girl you adopt doesn't work out you could try a different one of their adoptable girls.
A third option might be to get 2 younger rats to keep your girl company but because they have each other they won't be constantly in her face bugging her but if she wants to be included then she can join in.
The other option is that if you are adopting from Little Mischief they might consider adopting on a trial basis so that if the girl you adopt doesn't work out you could try a different one of their adoptable girls.
A third option might be to get 2 younger rats to keep your girl company but because they have each other they won't be constantly in her face bugging her but if she wants to be included then she can join in.
Rachael
Well-Known Member
I think girls are much easier with introductions. She'd probably love a friend, she's still young and healthy so I would definitely get her a friend/friends....
M0onkist
Well-Known Member
I had a similar situation with Princess - I was given her by the pet store because she had an umbilical hernia, and had to keep her alone for a few months until that was fixed.
About a month after the surgery (once she was fully recovered) I got her a companion, a wee 5 week old rattie named Plumeria. She actually took to her very well. I think one thing that helped was that she was so young (Princess at that point was 4-5 months), so Princess viewed her almost as her baby, and honestly didn't mind when Plumeria first greeted her by jumping on her head and peeing!
About a month after the surgery (once she was fully recovered) I got her a companion, a wee 5 week old rattie named Plumeria. She actually took to her very well. I think one thing that helped was that she was so young (Princess at that point was 4-5 months), so Princess viewed her almost as her baby, and honestly didn't mind when Plumeria first greeted her by jumping on her head and peeing!
I am hoping to rescue a young female from Little Mischief this weekend but if that doesn't go through then I am going to another place where I got Ruby. It's an aquatic supply store but people bring them mice and rats that they don't want or cannot take care of ...
I'm kind of wary of introducing babies to adults. They should at least be two-three months old; old enough to defend themselves in a dominance scuffle.
What I'm doing right now to introduce my resident rats to my baby rats is have two cages with bars and putting them within inches of each other so they can smell, but can't touch. Alice is fairly aggressive and has scratched poor Dei-baby's nose through the bars, like she's defending her territory. I'm going to introduce them on neutral ground before I even think of putting them in cages together, and make sure they're friends and look forward to seeing the other rat.
I'd worry though about your resident rat seeing you as 'hers' and getting jealous and defensive (especially since she hasn't been around other rats much). You'd have to show them both lots of love and attention, as well as introduce them to each other slowly and safely. But she definitely needs a buddy to love and groom and play with
What I'm doing right now to introduce my resident rats to my baby rats is have two cages with bars and putting them within inches of each other so they can smell, but can't touch. Alice is fairly aggressive and has scratched poor Dei-baby's nose through the bars, like she's defending her territory. I'm going to introduce them on neutral ground before I even think of putting them in cages together, and make sure they're friends and look forward to seeing the other rat.
I'd worry though about your resident rat seeing you as 'hers' and getting jealous and defensive (especially since she hasn't been around other rats much). You'd have to show them both lots of love and attention, as well as introduce them to each other slowly and safely. But she definitely needs a buddy to love and groom and play with
jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
It sounds like Ruby is young still herself so I'm guessing intros will go quite smoothly.
jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
Oh I've seen those...cute. A little small but for a couple small girls it would be fine.
mamarat
Well-Known Member
That's a cute cage. I would wait until both girls are intro'ed before using it. Then the cage would be new territory to both of them.
Roo
Well-Known Member
Too late, I think I see a rat in there :wink2:
