Can i get 3 rats insted of 2

Question

ive posted this but need more answers cuz wwernt verry clear they are 3 girls and i have a large rat cage what could hold atleast 5 rats but my mum wont let me cuz theirs 2 i have orderd but one i adore so i need like a really good answer lol well and is it harder like alot harder to care for 3?

Answer 1

It is hardly different having 3 than 2.

Just make sure they get along.

B=•B

Answer 2

As long as you have room and time for them it is not much more then 2 rats. Just make sure to love them all equally. SO I guess the answer to your question would be that it is not any harder to take care of 3 rats then it is to take care of 2.

Answer 3

Rats live and thrive in packs so three would be better for them. It would allow them to develop more of their natural pack behavior. Over the past 20 years I have always had at least three so that when one passes on, one is not left without a companion that she is familiar with.

You will need to clean the cage more - both spot cleaning and general cleaning - the more rats you have. If your cage is adequate for 5 rats, getting a third should not create much of an additional issue however.

The biggest consideration as to whether you should have three is veterinarian expenses. While rats do not need vaccinations or regular medications for fleas or heartworm, they are prone to mammary tumors and respiratory infections. In getting three you need to be aware that the cost for removing a tumor on a rat averages $150 (and could be more, depending on the vet and how complicated the surgery). Respiratory issues would require a regular vet visit and antibiotics which are usually not very expensive. If a rat does not respond to an antibiotic, however, your vet may want to do a lab culture. In some cases, rats with chronic respiratory issues may need an x-ray of their lungs etc. At the end of their lifespan you may also experience a surge in vet expenses dealing with age-related illnesses.

You will want to put a certain amount of money aside every month (possibly in a savings account where it can accrue interest) to cover future vet bills. That way, you will not be facing a financial decision down the road when you need to be making a medical decision, and you won't get socked if two get sick at the same time.

If you attend to all of those things, three is a great number to have.

On a side note, your haste in writing creates more work for the people answering. Your writing is extremely hard to read because of missing punctuation and weird spellings. Take a little time in writing your questions and write them well - you will get more responses and probably better thought out responses if you do.

Answer 4

You can absolutely get 3 instead of 2. The care won't be anything drastically different.

Answer 5

Your question is sort of hard to understand, but I'll try to answer. 3 rats are not much more difficult to care for than one. You do still have to pay equal attention to all three, and there will likely be a bit more mess and you'll need more food, but it's not significant. 3 isn't much harder than 2.

EDIT: Okay, that makes it clearer. My answer is still the same. ;P Three are not much more difficult than two. If you're getting them all from the same place, as in they were already housed together (which I assume you are) they should be just fine. Try not to get any that do not know each other. You'll just need to spot clean a bit more often and have more money for them.

Answer 6

Edit;

I'm sorry, but your question was painful to read and understand. Needs more periods ;)

For your question, in no way is taking care of 3 rats a lot harder than taking care of 2 rats. It is more expensive for food, and you should have more money saved up in case they need a vet. They would also p**p 1 third more, so you probably would need to clean out the cage a little bit more often. You can litter train them, and only change the litter box daily to make it easier. And that is all... When you take them out though, you might like to spend a little extra time taking them one at a time so they get used to you. So this will take 15 minutes, rather than 10 minutes.

Edit2: Oh, alright. But just make sure that the rats know eachother. Since you are getting them from a pet store anyway, be sure to get three sisters only. It is a lot easier this way, and keeps the stress down. If you were to get unaquainted rats, you would need to spend a week introducing them from two seperate cages.

Edit3: If they have not been housed together, then introducing them is necessary. I'm not quite sure what your asked last, but you need to have a second cage. If you toss them all together, they will fight because they do not know eachother. The point of an introduction process is that within a week of them living seperately, you bring them out together on a neutral surface (that they will not want to protect, like bathtub) and get them to get to knwo eachother without the need to fight. After a week of these meetings, you scrub out their cage so it is like new, and only then put them together, since now they know eachother and will not fight. Have a read through this site, it will explain in detail : http://www.curiosityrats.com/ (go to "info" and then "new rat")

Answer 7

How old are the rats? If they're all youngsters, then they should have no problem being introduced to each other & live in the same cage, especially one made for 5 rats, and very roomy.

I have 4 rats (2 females, 2 males, 2 cages), and it's really little to no difference caring for 2 or more rats.

Just make sure to do a bunch of research to insure the best of pet care for the little gals. Join Yahoo groups such as the Ratlist, because there are many experienced & knowledgeable rat owners who are willing to answer any questions you may have, and give you pet care advice based on experience. :)