Only one rat?

Question

I know rats are social and do betterr in groups of 2 or more, but If I get only one rat, but have him out of the cage for at least 2 hours a day, will he be fine, or still lonely?

Answer 1

I know it's a bummer, but rats really are so much better off with another rat. They are very social and want to play with another rat, not just a person. If you can only get one rodent do your research and get one that is happy alone. Good luck!

Answer 2

Rats really need a cage mate to be happy. When you think about it, is two hours out of 24 that much?

Rats form social groups, the same as people do. They thrive on interaction and socialization. Imagine what is would be like for you to have no interaction with your own species, and only two hours a day with something else(like your dog). It is not really fair to the animal.

When you watch two rats together, you can see the need for companionship. They groom each other, play together, and sleep together. I have had sick/old rats tended to by their cage mate(brought them food), helped groom them, etc.

I would say, even if you had 6 hours to play with one daily, it would still need a cage mate. The bond between community is strong and nessasary for them, just like it would be for you.

Answer 3

Prodigy is quite right. :]

As for whether to get male or female.. well, that depends. Most people say that males are generally more mellow and will relax on your lap at night, while girls are less likely to just relax with you. Girls tend to have a lot more energy than boys. Some people refer to their boys as "speedbumps" because they're so lazy. ;P

As for me... I have 2 boys about a year old, and they are still pretty curious. They love to run around and check things out, but they'll still come hang out on my lap for a while too. My baby boys are just balls of energy, but even they hang out on my shoulder sometimes. I've never had girls, so I can only say what others have said about them. :]

Good luck!

Answer 4

You really should get two.  Girl rats usually are more curious and energetic.  They won't just lay in your lap and sleep.  Mine crawl all over me or wander away to check out the lay of the land.  Weird thing to watch for, they tend to go into heat every couple of weeks, so they'll start humping each other like weirdos.  This behavior passes after probably a year, but it's a bit strange to see. :D

Males on the other hand are much more relaxed.  They are the types to just fall asleep in your lap and be lazy bums.  Another potential downside to males is that they tend to mark things and people (aka little drops of pee) making them smell a bit more.  Girls do this to some extent, but nearly as bad as boys.  Plus, male rats can get HUGE.  So you usually need to get bigger cage for two males vs two females.

You probably can't go wrong choosing either s*x.  Rats are awesome pets; by far my favorite ones after a dog.

You should also consider getting your rats from your local animal shelter.  When the shelters do get rats, they usually stay there for a long, long time.  Those buddies need someone to take them home!  Plus you're helping out an animal shelter vs a giant pet spewing corporation.