How many rats is it best to have

Question

im getting rats defanatly 2 in one shop but one in other shope i like i have jenny rat cage can hold 5 would it be good or bad to get 3 rats? will they pick on one females btw cheers joe

Answer 1

Zero.

Answer 2

Well... i had 4 rats 2 boys 2 girls.. so that was enough for me but i would suggest getting 2 to start!

~hope I helped~ :D

Answer 3

a jenny rat cage can hold 3-4 rats and yes 2 of them might bully one of them so i think you should maybe get 4 rats? all of the same s*x of course and similar in size and age.

Answer 4

i would get 3 just in case one doesnt live too long, the other wont get depressed. i keep mine in 3s.

Answer 5

More than one - the more the merrier. Rats are social. I had 4 rats, and they slept and played together. I've only kept females, but I hear that males get along well, too (unlike male mice).

More rats isn't "harder", the only problem will be the smell; they do have a distinct odor, so the more rats you have the more "smelly" they will be.

Answer 6

the only harder part is bonding with them individually. i have 2 and will sometimes take them out separately so they feel they get the attention they deserve. it will cost more for bedding and food and all that good stuff but if you have the money then go for. as i say...the more the merrier!  and they should all get along great if they have already been together... rats tend to have the personality that they can get along really easy with eachother...and i mean wild rats are in huge groups so having more then 2 should b great! as long as you can handle it.

Answer 7

I already answered your other question so I'll just answer this one as well without any of the info I already discussed with you. =)

I always prefer three or more.  This is quite simply because you should never house a rat alone and although two work quite well together, when one passes away it can be devastating to the remaining rat.  To get the rat a new friend it will take a while to get another rat and three weeks of time will need to be spent quarantining it.  While all this is happening both your rat that lost it's buddy as well as the new rat will be alone for a month.  With three, there is a "built-in" buddy and you can always get two more to quarantine later (again, this is just me, but I don't like having any rat alone for any length of time so I only adopt in pairs) and introduce to your current two.  Although the two rats out of the three will mourn the loss of their companion at some point, they will have each other which is a comfort to them.  

=) Good luck with the three girlies!

Answer 8

Although the Ferplast Jenny says it holds 5 rats. Theres no way 5 fully grown rats could live in there comfortably.

I have 2, 6 month old male dumbos and I wouldnt put anymore than those two in there.

So I would recommend 2, especially as the 3rd is from a different place. It is not 100% certain they will get on.

I say go for 2. Especially as they are females, they will be a real handful. Rats are cheeky! :D

Answer 9

rats love to live together but if you get a regular size cage i would adivise you to get two rats,the same gender if you get a very very large cage then gt a few more.

Answer 10

if 3 is to hard and u cant deside witch one to get rid of the get a rat trap

easy solution

Answer 11

Yes, I would definitely start off with two, get them settled and then gradually introduce from there to be honest, especially if you are a first-time rat owner.

I have two male dumbos and they are lovely, although it took a lot of time and patience to train them.  Giving myself the task of 2+ rats would have been difficult.  Oh, and they live very happily as a twosome by the way.

Answer 12

I have a Jenny rat cage with 3 rats in it, 2 babies and one older rat, we got the two babies to keep the older one company and got two of them so that when the older one dies there won't be one lonely one!  Three aren't harder to look after than two although if they come from different sources you have to introduce them slowly, don't just throw them in a cage together, let them meet a few times on mutual territory (like a bed or a sofa). Females should be easier to introduce as they aren't as territorial as males.  There is a risk that two may pick on one but it also means if one doesn't want to play the others still can have their fun together!

Answer 13

i would definitely just start with 2

and then if you feel you can handle more

go ahead!

Answer 14

2 because if you have 3 or any odd number the smallest will get out numbered by the other rats.

Answer 15

well if you get 3 and then 1 dies, you will still have 2 to care and play with