Introducing a new rat?

Question

I want to get a new rat to keep with my current rat. When I buy from the pet store will I need to get a new cage for her for a few days until she can go in with my other rat, or would it be possible to put her in the cage the same day? It would be great not to have to buy a new cage. Also, any tips for introducing two female rats?

Answer 1

you should probably buy another just in case then put each cage right next to each other then after a week put them both in one

Answer 2

get another cage.

introductions should be made on nuetral ground, like the bathtub. let them sniff and play and establish dominance. you should be able to tell if they're actually fighting. females get along better than males do, most times. do this maybe once a day, increasing the length of time, and see how they get along. if you feel they're ready to live together then scrub the main cage. scrub it good! the less it smells like one rat the better, or there might be territory fights.

another thing to help them get used to the other's scent is to swap some bedding from each cage. it should make introductions easier.

most people say to quarantine  new rats to make sure they're not sick...as many things could be passed between the rats and they'd both wind up sick. just keep an eye out and don't move then in on the same day or they Will fight.

Answer 3

You MUST quarantine your new rat!!!

I killed my older rat by not following my husbands advice and quarantining the baby. The baby introduced a cold to my older rat and the older rat died.

Talk to the salesperson at the pet store; I think you're supposed to keep them separated for 2 weeks.

My older rat (a female) carried the baby around with her teeth when first introduced. I was worried about the baby, but big rat was just being a surrogate mother. They got along really well until the big rat got sick :(

Good luck!

Answer 4

Ask the people at the pet store, They'll know for sure.

but as far as i know, I think putting them in the same cage is okay, after you let them sniff between the bars...?

Answer 5

It's recommended to put all new rats in ''quarantine'' for about 3 weeks (or more) to insure they're healthy and run no risk of making your current rat sick.

Now, if you know the store you're getting the new rat from, and you can be pretty certain that they carry happy & healthy rats... especially if your current rat came from the same place....then you could do a quick introduction if you want to.

Both of my pairs came from the same store as their cage mates, so I didn't feel a need to quarantine.

If possible, I would do the introduction BEFORE buying the new rat (what would you do if they don't get along and you don't have a 2nd cage?)

I just introduced a new male to my current male rat. I took Willard to the pet store, and put both of them into a play pen together (plenty of room to stay away from each other, but close enough they notice each other).

How old is your current rat, and how long has she been on her own?

If you cannot do introductions in the store, use your bathtub (no water, of course) to have them meet. Keep your receipt nearby in case they do not get along.

Do not mistaken ''distinguishing the pecking order'' with actual fighting, though. You have to supervise and make sure no one is getting hurt.

Answer 6

they be good all right. put in cage nice.

Answer 7

Sorry, definitely not going to work if you try to put them in the cage the first day. They'll almost certainly fight. Introducing rats is a delicate process that takes time. First of all, you WILL want to quarantine the new rat for at LEAST 2 weeks, although 3 is better. This is to make sure she doesn't have any diseases she can spread to your other rat. This is frustrating. I know, I'm doing a quarantine right now, but BELIEVE ME it is worth it. I once just wanted to introduce them right away, and came out with 2 rats with mites and a big vet bill. If I had quarantined, it would have been half. Make sure you do it.

After the quarantine, you can put their cages next to each other. They'll need some time to get used to the other's scent. At least a day or so. After this, you should put them in each others' cages. You only need to do this for an hour or so, just so they can get a feel for each other. Once this step is done, you can introduce them. It must be on neutral territory. Somewhere neither rat goes. Many like to use the bathtub. You might want to do this several times. Bring them both to the bathtub and let them play together for at least a half hour. When it seems like they've been consistently getting along, introduce them somewhere your other rat DOES play. Your bed, the living room, wherever you take your current rat to play out of the cage. If they get along HERE, it's cage time.

Clean out EVERYTHING in the cage and wipe it down. You want it to smell as neutral as possible. Rearrange the food bowls, toys, and everything else to make it seem less familiar to your current rat. You want to CLOSELY monitor this. Don't do it on a day where you'll be going out. They may fight a bit, but as long as they don't draw blood let them work it out.

If they draw blood during any of the steps, go back and repeat the previous steps slower.

Introducing rats is a process, but it can be done! Females are usually easier than 2 males, at least!! ;P

Answer 8

3 bLInD mICE

Answer 9

Female rats are the easiest to introduce usually. They are not too territorial, and generally accept new females quickly, even if they only tolerate them at first.

One thing however, do NOT get a baby! The second female rat must be an adult of the same size as your current rat. The reason for this, is that females usually get really snarky with new rats, and will bully the little ones since they can't defend themselves basically. Often, the baby gets so stressed, she will develop health problems, and severe stress. Adult females will be able to stand up for themselves, and two will be great together.

Please do not buy form a pet store, but adopt it instead. Many, many shelters have wonderful rats euthanized just because no one wants them. Please save one. Or at least, find some classified ads giving away mature rats. Besides, at a pet store, you probably will not find an adult.

Now, first things first. It is mandatory to go through a quarantine period. This is for health reasons. For two, or preferbly three weeks, the new rat must be kept as far away from your current as possible. Rats can carry illnesses which they get no symptoms from (so you can't know the new rat is healthy), but once other rats are around them, the illness spreads through air, and makes them both sick. That 2 week period allows the illness to die on its own. So you pick either having 2 weeks with them apart, or risking the chance of you having to pay the vet to treat both of them if something should happen.

Onto the actual introduction, you absolutely cannot just toss them together in one cage! You are asking for them both to stress out and probably injure eachother. For my, introductions take usually a week. After the quarantine, they can be kept in the same room, but preferbly not right beside eachother at first. Each day, and as many times a day as you can (like five times maybe) you must take them both out, and place them both on a surface neither of them know, like a bath tub. Let them sniff eachother, and get to know eachother, but keep the meeting really brief, like for a minute. As the days pass, increase the time you let them spend together, stil on the neutral surface. Eventually, you can let tehm sniff around eachother's cage while the other is not there, basically swapping them. This is so they familiarize with eachother's smells. After about a week, you will want to scrub out the cage they wil live in, and make it smelling new. Only then can you put them together.

You won't need a fancy cage for the second rat. Don't you have any spare containers you put your rat in while you wash the cage? You can also find a cheap used cage at garage sales or classified ads.

Please read this (go to 'Info' and then 'New Rat') http://www.curiosityrats.com/

Answer 10

they're gunna try & kill eachother, ecspecially since they are females.

Answer 11

You should buy an extra cage and you should put in the cage toghter and see how they react 2 each other and if they fight put them in separate cages.But if they like each other you can return the cage or sell it.

Answer 12

GET A CAT... than u'll have no rats at all!