Help!!! more than one rat!?

Question

i currently have one rat. she is about 2 months old so she is still young enough to get her a buddy. but my cage can only hold one rat. so i am going to buy a playpen that is 4 feet in diameter, fill it with toys and it can hook up to her cage so she has a play area with 24/7 access and she cant escape. would that be a good idea so i can get more that one rat? that way they have more room and aren't crammed in the cage and they also have a large play area.

but the one problem is that my parents don't like the idea of the playpen. they haven't decided yes or no yet. so i need some ideas of how to convince them to say yes. i am already saying that only when I'm gone the playpen will be up (my parents are divorced so on some days I'm with the parents that houses my rat). and that i will pay for everything. i am already saving my money. i also take great care of my rats. and my parents know that. but for some reason they don't like the idea of two. i don't know what they think right now. oh well.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

[to the answer above..]

you're rude.

Answer 2

Why did you get one rat in the first place? If you did your research, then you know that you should have gotten 2. The playpen idea will not work because they will just climb on the side and hop out. Why dont you just buy a bigger cage? It's that easy. And please get her a friend and next time you get a pet. Do your research so these problams dont pop up in the future.

Well then if your parents wouldnt let you get 2 rats then why did you get a rat at all??!! Why didnt you get an animal that lives alone like a hamster? Besides, it doesnt matter how much time you spend with your rat, she needs a friend and thats what you should have done in the first place. I'm sorry if I sound harsh but I'm just thinking of the poor ratties feelings. Obviously you are not...or did not in the first place considering you got one.

So dont tell me "well my parents wouldnt let me get 2" or "I spend a lot of time with it so shes fine". Those are all c**p exuses so why dont you think of your babies feelings and get her a bigger cage and a friend. Oh, and dont tell me your dads house is small. If you can put a huge playpen beside the cage, then I'm sure you can get a bigger cage to replace the space of your current cage and your future playpen.

Answer 3

tell them you'll make sure theyre both female or male and assure them that nothing will go wrong and 2 isnt any more care than 1, and theres nothing to worry about. i also think its a great idea for the 2 rats with a playpen

Answer 4

Hi Micky.

You're right to want to give her a female friend. Have you looked into how to do introductions properly? It's not that difficult with females actually. Anyway, in my opinion, the best answer to any rat question is almost always to join the forums at http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk

It's got people from all over the world on it so it's not just for UK rat-lovers. There are loads of younger people too who might be good at helping you with negotiating with parents!