Just got a pet rat and I am getting her a companion tomorrow need advice please?

Question

After reading online I decided it is best for me to get another same s*x rat for my pet. She was all by herself at the pet store but everyone keeps saying she needs a friend. I have someone coming to deliver me a rat tomorrow. A baby female she is 25 days old. I'm a bit nervouse though ebcause my rat is almost 5 months. Will this rat be to younge to match with her? Also I am nervouse the introduction will go sour and I will be stuck with a rat that can't be housed in the same cage!

Any advice on if this is to much of an age differance or not would be great.

They are both females!

Answer 1

In my mind... you are concerned NOW... how stupid... if it was going to be a problem you should have investigated the scenarios first, before taking on another without concern! DUHHH!

Hopefully both can be housed in same cage.  And be good company for eachother.

Answer 2

Hi Princess.

First of all, I want to say kudos to you for finding out what's best for your rat and trying to find her a friend.

Second, when you're going to introduce a new rat, it's always best to quarantine the new one so that if she happens to have some illness, it won't spread to your rat. That means NOT allowing the new rat to be in the same room as yours for about 2-3 weeks. After that time, if no illnesses pop up, you can put her in the same room as your rat. Put the cages next to each other, but don't introduce them yet & make sure htey can't get at each other. After a day or so, you should switch their cages. Put your rat in the new one's cage, and the new one in the old one's cage! That way they will get used to the other's scent. They don't have to stay in there very long, maybe an hour or so.

NOW you can introduce them. Bring them somewhere your older rat doesn't usually play. The bathtub is usually the recommended place, because this is neutral territory. If this works out with no fights, you can introduce them somewhere your rat DOES play, like your room, living room, wherever your rat comes out to play. :P Try putting the new rat on your lap so the old one knows that she's OK by you. :]

After this, if all goes well, you can introduce them in the cage. Make SURE you clean the cage VERY thoroughly before you do this. Take out all bedding and wash it, wipe down all the surfaces and toys, and rearrange them. That way it will seem less like your previous rat's territory and she won't be as aggressive to the newcomer, because she won't be as sure of her surroundings.

In this case, since the baby is so young, it would be wise to wait at least 3 more weeks before you introduce them (which works out find for you, since this is about the amount of time you should quarantine, anyway). Adults can attack and kill babies, although USUALLY they make very good companions for them. You just have to be extra careful when making introductions. Good luck!!

Answer 3

The age difference really isn't that bad.  I have a 2 1/2 year old in with two young babies and they adore eachother. Everyone is right, your girl will be much much happier with a friend.  You defintely made the right decision.  When you get the new baby put her cage right next to the older rats cage so that they can smell eachother.  Let them play together in "neutral territory"...preferably somewhere neither rat would think is their territory.  Bathtubs with a couple towels on the bottom make a good place for introductions.  Have a spray bottle ready in case a serious fight erupts.  Expect some squeaking and poofing up at first.  The only time you should intervene is if one of the rats draws blood of if it looks like they are getting ready to fight.  Once they are comfortable with eachother in that setting you can put the new baby in with the older girl.  Have the spray bottle ready.  I let mine play in the cage together for a while and then take the new rat out.  I did this for a week or so and if there were no fight the new rat could spend the night in the cage.  Be prepared, this process can take a few weeks.  CongRATs on your new girl!

Answer 4

That's a bad match but it may work all the same. Keep them in separate housing for a few days with their cages touching so they can see and smell each other but not hurt each other. After 3 days or so have a monitored meeting of the two outside the cage where you can intervene if something goes wrong. If something goes wrong then repeat. That's all I can think of.

Answer 5

Age won't be an issue. Rats are usually very accepting of other rats. It is best to quarantine the new rat for a couple of weeks just to see how healthy she is. Just introduce them somewhere netural like the bathroom or kitchen floor, or maybe a large box. Just somewhere they can play and get to know each other but where you can scoop one up if there is a problem. They may squabble or one rat may mount the other. This is normal and shouldn't be any concern. As long as the fighting isn't serious (no loud "RHEEEK" sounds or blood), and the mounting is just a dominance thing. You can expect them to argue a bit over social standing, but after it's all said and done they should get along nicely.  What kind of cage will you be keeping them in?