I have 10 rats... 5 males and 5 females. They currently live in 5 cages (a pair per cage).?

Question

What I am wondering, is if there is any way that I can combine my rats so that everyone will get along and I can minimize the number of cages I have? I have a pair of Pink Eyed Whites (they get along with nobody) and I have 4 PEW females and my 4 young males are 1 agouti, 1 beige, 1 russian blue and 1 hooded. I would like to keep males and females together, but will that cause the males to fight if I have 2 males and 2 females in each cage??

Anyone have any experience with this??

Answer 1

Not unless you want baby ratties every where or you want to neuter your boys and get your females spayed.

Try slowly socializing them all (Same s*x only)

Try combining same s*x pairs and then putting them in cages together after they have been socialized.

Put the cages on opposite sides of the room. You know they can mate through the bars, right?

Answer 2

I had the same problem but all you have to do is buy the Ferret Nation cage 142 (2 levels) Then you can separate the 2 levels and each level can hold up to 9 rats! So you only have one cage. If you are confused at what I'm telling you or have any questions, please feel free to email me ok?

Answer 3

Unless your boys are neutered, big no no. (unless you want baby rats everywhere)

I have a boy with 5 girls but he is neutered, i think it would be fine for you in this case to combine (neutered).

But that is alot of cages you have there and i think its a better idea to put boys with boys and girls with girls, in a seperate cage each. More socialising for them also.

Answer 4

with proper introductions, and cages big enough, you should be able to house each s*x in one cage. if you're boys aren't fixed and you don't want babies, do NOT mix the sexes. they will breed, and then you'll have many little babies to take care of.

it shouldn't matter what color they are, but personality. if that pair of PEWs don't get along with anyone else, don't force them.

also keep in mind males will fight more with females around, so if you had 2 of each s*x in a cage the males would fight. each competeing for the females. try introducing them in nuetral territory...but only one s*x at a time. see who might get along and who might not. and go from there. if you don't want babies, don't mix the sexes =)

add- haha, i'd like to add that i have 2 big cages next to each and the ONLY way a rat might be able to breed through the bars would be if the cage bars were touching. no projectile breeding =P