How many rats should i get?

Question

i only want one rat and it would be easier if i only had one but is it ok for the rat to only get one?

Answer 1

To whoever posted that one is alright, they are wrong.

Rats live best in groups. They can get very lonely by themselves. I have a group of rat lovers backing me up on this. Two rats would be fine, but one is a no-no.

Answer 2

Don't just get 1 rat, they are very social and need at LEAST 1 companion. Males are also fine with other males, by the way.

Answer 3

One is great, but make sure you pay a lot of attention to it, or if you have a job or something where it will be alone, get a second because they are very social. But make sure you get two of the same s*x, females get along better than males

Answer 4

You should always get more than one rat.  Rats are very sociable creatures and require a friend to hang out with.  Even if you play with him/her all the time you're still going to be at school/work or sleeping part of the day.

I don't know why you think having 1 rat will be so much easier.  Having two vs one is not a big difference in care.  You'll need a bigger cage and a little bit more food, but that's about it.  They'll both play with the same toys, use the same water bottle, pee in the same litter, etc.  The time you spend with them can be same, if not less than if you had one rat.  One rat would require far more attention to make up for the lack of a buddy.

Make sure you really do your research before adopting rats.  They have been known to live up to 5 years; be sure you're willing to make that kind of commitment.

Here's some great sites to check out:

http://www.ratguide.com

http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/home/

http://www.quite.co.uk/rats/

If you do decide to adopt, consider first your local humane society.  When they do have rodents, they are usually there for many months before getting adopted.  The cost is usually similar to a pet store, and your money will go towards saving other animals.  Plus you'll give rats a new home!

Hope that helps!

Answer 5

Two rats is the bare minimum.

Rats are like humans in needing interaction from their own kind. If the are alone they will develop mental and social problems. Rats alone are likely to become: aggressive, depressed, destructive, self harm, lazy, and sick.

Rats in pairs bond with you more, are energetic and playful, live longer and happier, and are just over all better off. Seriously, two rats is no harder than one. I have five females and I only had to clean their cage 2 a week after I got the 4th one. If anything one rat is harder because of all the attention it needs and the health risk it has.

Answer 6

yes. 1 is fine.