New rat , need help to introduce

Question

ok i have a girl rat called ruby and iv had her for atleast 5 months and i just got a boy rat called rocky hes only 4 or 5 weeks old i need some help with introducing them i have tried but ruby stared quivering and was all hunched up with her fur standing on end. so i need some more help and yes im aware if the get close they will have babies and ect. so yer they have seprat cages too

Answer 1

You will need to introduce them very carefully, did you want them to have babies? i wasnt quite sure(by the way iam not against you if you do!) Because i kept males rats and they hated each other! I had to get separate cages,but when hes older they should be okay(because of the different sexes). Its probably best to stick her in his cage CAREFULLY and have a water spray if fighting breaks outs(i doubt it) And do this every day until hopefully she relises he doesn't want to hurt her.

Good Luck! And hope this has helped! P.S YOU CAN NEUTER THE BUCK/MALE RAT (SPAYING IS FOR DOES/FEMALE RATS) AND THEN YOU CAN KEEP THEM TOGETHER!!!!!!!! BY THE WAY IF YOU WANTED TO BREED THEM ITS NOT A PROBLEM  WITH ME!

Answer 2

If they have separate cages, why are you introducing them?  It doesn't sound like you know a lot about breeding, so I really recommend you do some more research and avoid doing it.  Rats should be kept in same-s*x groups unless they are altered.

When I introduce a new rat, after quarantining them to make sure they're healthy for 3 weeks, I put a little bit of water in my bathtub and put all the rats in. The bath makes them more uncomfortable, so they focus more on that then the fact there are newcomers.  Afterwards, I dry them off, put a dab of vanilla on them, and let them interact on neutral territory.  I've been doing this technique and its' worked very well so far, even with my older boys who can tend to be a bit uncertain of newcomers.

Answer 3

introduce them in neutral territory....or if in a cage clean it out first.:)

Answer 4

Rats can have s*x extremely quickly.  Unless you spay the female or neuter the male even letting them hang out even briefly can lead to babies.  You definitely do not sound like you're in the position to be breeding rats.  I don't know what you mean by saying you know what to do if they have babies.  It is highly irresponsible to breed rats if you don't have homes in line for them.  

If you would like to neuter or spay one of your rats, some vets will do it.  Make sure the vet has actually done this procedure before on a rat.  Doing a spay or neuter on a rat is not the same as a dog/cat.  Additionally, getting it done is an invasive surgery and can cost quite a bit.  To have a small tumor removed from my rat (which isn't all that different from removing testicles) cost me over $200.

If it all pans out, check out this site on how to introduce your rats:

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

Hope that helps.