My rat trouble?! (people who know ALOT about rat behaviour please help)?

Question

i have 2 very small 1 1/2 yr old rats who are brother and sister (they are the same size & arent de-sexed) my male rat has very poor balance, is weak & skinny & gets regular vet checks. (he has an inner ear infection). i let them play together around once a week & he has never tried to mount her. he used to have a cage buddy but i seperated them coz he was getting bullied.

I want to put him in his sisters cage permanently cos he is lonely in his cage & she is nicer to him. they some times sleep together & cuddle close to each other. she has a slight domineering behaviour towards him but is never aggressive & they enjoy each others company. i put them in a cage together for a while & she started to clean him & was cuddling him

my question is-

would he be uninterested in mating with her coz he is unwell& has never mated or tried to before?

& do you think she knows he is sick & is caring for him?

he likes being around her. would it be safe to keep them in together permanently?

Answer 1

if they havn't yet them probably not

but if he gets better mabey

who knows lol

Answer 2

It's impossible to tell. Your best bet is to just get one of them fixed. I'd recommend the girl, because it will greatly reduce her risk of mammary tumors (by 60%). He may not be mating with her now, but there is no guarantee he won't try eventually.

Answer 3

I would bet that once your male feels better he would be up to messing around with his sister.  Also, if they haven't done it before it could be just because you happened to hit it when she wasn't in heat.  Rats come into heat every 4 or 5 days.

I don't know how practical it would be for you, but if you want to keep them together with no babies, I would have him desexed.

Answer 4

Rats go into heat every 4 to 5 days. He will not hold off mating just because she is his sister. Fathers will mate with daughters, mothers with sons and so on and so forth. She might realize he is sick but most males and females will get along harmoniously with each other. I do know that females go through menopause at the ripe old age of 18 months. So if you dont know the exact age putting them together would not be smart. She might be 14 months and get prenant and have a litter like mine did with 19 babies. The only issue you should have is the fact she still might be able to concieve. Other than that I wouldnt really worry about anything.

Answer 5

You're very lucky that your rat hasn't gotten pregnant already - it's very irresponsible and risky to let two rats of opposite sexes play together unless you're prepared to care for babies - and if your male rat is sickly it is not a good idea to let him breed or you'll get sickly babies and especially not with his sister!! Inbred rats of sickly parents will not fare well - they will probably die.  it should be in the interest of all pet lovers to want to stop pet overpopulation by not producing more unwanted rats.

You don't need a rat behaviorist to answer this question, it's just common sense - rats don't think like humans, so if your male rat gets better, or even if he just shares a cage with his sister, he won't care that they're related and he will breed with her. If you want them to live together you MUST spay your female (by the sounds of it, your male rat would not survive a castration operation), but seeing as both your rats are 1 and a half years old I would not really recommend an operation as it probably would not be worth it as it would cost a lot of money and there would be a hight chance of them not surviving the anesthetic - your vet would probably agree and may refuse to perform an operation on either.

As you have already socialized them, I suppose you could still let them play together but DON'T let them live together and NEVER leave them unsupervised. It may be kinder to get your female rat a companion of the same age as her from a rescue centre as females are relatively easy to socialize, and then simply give your male rat lots of attention from you alone or try to mix him back with the other males - it may sound harsh but it is kinder then letting an old rat go through the difficulties of giving birth to babies that would probably die not long after birth.

Answer 6

I do not think they will mate because they grew up together and are brother and sister, but I am not certain. I think that his sister probably is caring for him yes. Animals usually know when other animals are ill and if they have been together their whole lives they will try to care for each other.

Answer 7

Hi I'd say she knows he is sick they do take care of each other, as for the mating go on web because I am sure a Female rat hits menopause at 18 months and can't breed young anyway, check it out first, then you could when you feel reasured, let them live together...would be nice in their last days.. want to fatten him up, then get some baby porridge(human) give him some for breakfast & supper in a little bowl or feed it off a spoon, and it may do wonders for him this is what I plump up my new young dudes, when I get them, trouble is they go mad for it now WHICH is very handy for disguising medicines.....good luck my fingers are crossed I'm right.........

Answer 8

too risky

get another rat and leave it with the boy

Answer 9

You are lucky she hasn't gotten pregnant already. Your putting them together is very irresponsible and risky. He will not hold back mating because it is his sister. His sickness could mean that he hasn't wanted to or maybe its affecting his fertility, but there is always a risk when you put them together. Please get her spayed before putting them in the same cage.