Get another rat? and how long till i play just got new rats

Question

ok this should be my last question i bought 3 rats todai and ones bigg well 11 weeks others are 6 weeks but one of them snuggles with big one other one gets pushed off and is a litle vshy should i get another one from same place tomoorow so he has a freind and 4 must be better so ones not left out also how long till i can play and pick them up? could you give a good answer so i can show to my mum =] tHANKS JOE oh and should i get a baby one what are 6 weeks or the one who is 11 weeks and spent all its life with big one?

Answer 1

I would leave them for a while and they may grow to like each other - getting another rat will probably just cause more problems. If the one rat continues to be left out, then maybe consider getting another young one.

If you let the rats sniff your hand often, they should become used to you and hopefully you will be able to pick them up in about 2 days.

Good Luck! :D

Answer 2

right.. i have 3 rats myself. don't get a 4th as they like to be in small groups and it can be over crowded. i got 2 rats then 3 months later i got a baby one. however. when i first got my two rats the big one always you to boast the other about and when my baby rat came on to the scene my other rat started to stick up for him. and you can pick them up after 2 days. whatever you do DONT get a 4th rat. hope this helps (=

Answer 3

You could get a fourth rat, but make sure it's the same s*x as the others and preferably around the 6 weeks age so that it mixes well with the younger one - however, it's not necessary as rats have a social hierarchy and the larger rat is not being mean - it's probably just that the younger rat is the lowest ranking in the mischief- you may find that if you introduce a fourth rat, the larger rat will still ignore your current rat or it may be excepted and the new rat now ignored! That's just how rat politics work! They'll still live happily together and clean each other though- however if the ignoring/exclusion turns into violence (this is different from play-fighting, which is perfectly normal - if there is lots of blood or they bite each other on the RUMP then its aggression) you will have to take out the bullied rat and house him sepereately - preferably with a new friend if you can. If the problems then still carry on, you'll have to isolate the aggressive rat that's causing the problems instead - he may be extremely territorial and have to live on his own or have a castration operation which often helps.

You say that you bought two 6 week old rats, and only one of the 11 week olds? The 11 week old may be missing his sibling so it may make more sense to adopt the 11 week as well - then you can either house them all together in a suitably sized, large cage (2 cubic feet per rat) or if you're having difficulty finding a large cage, get two average sized cages and keep the two 11 weeks and two 6 weeks in separate pairs.

About handling them - your rats won't just magically accept you, you have to build up their confidence first :) When you've finally decided on your total amount of rats, which you should sort out in the next day or two, (I would recommend getting the 11 week old, then either housing them each pair seperarely or getting a large cage for the four of them - a Ferplast Jenny cage is the ideal size - you don't want four rats in anything smaller) leave them all alone in their cage for day so that they can settle down and get used to their new home. After that initial day of isolation, spend lots of time during the next  day just talking to them softly so that they get to know your voice. You should do this for all of the second day. On the third day, whilst talking to them, open the cage door and offer a little titbit. You must wait until one of them comes to retrieve it - this can take a while so you'll need patience. Keep trying them with the titbit throughout the day until all of them have approached you to take it - they may run away, but they will begin to associate your smell and voice with food rewards which will soon build their confidence. Keep on with the titbit exercise until they're all taking food from your hand easily - even better if they're happy to sit in your hand and eat at the same time! as soon as this has been achieved you will be ready to start handling them. When you pick up your rats, pick them up individually, using both hands to support them and make them feel safe - when they're in your hands, immediately give them something to eat to reassure them that handling is good - they may not like being picked up to start with but they'll soon calm down and accept it - if the first time you pick them up they squeal, they may just be scared and you'll have to treat them very gently. If after days of handling, they're still squealing, they're probably in pain and you should check them out by a vet. You must never grab a rat or pick them up by the tail - grabbing them can terrify them and may prompt them to bite. A rat should be happy to be picked up without fuss.

This whole process should take up around a week, less if they're very confident, but more time if they're still a little shy. Rats are naturally curious and friendly animals, so once they understand you mean them no harm they'll love handling and will be begging for it all the time! I find the best place to play with them is on a sofa covered in towels and a shower curtain in case of accidents, or the same covering on a rat-proofed room floor or a specially play-penned in area.

Just be gentle with yuor rats and you'll soon have friends for life!