[renay]

Hey, my name is Renay, I'm 18 and I've owned rats for some time now. I guess I just love the look you get from people when you tell them that you have a pet rat, it always puts a smile on my face lol.
When i was about 15 I bought my first two rats from a pet store. They wound up being male and female. and instead of just having 2 rats i had 14. Now I have just one rat that i recently bought, her name is Lulu and she is either a siamese or himalayan, one or the two, one person says left, one person says right. But she is my little baby, shes very different from the other rats i've owned and due to their varying personalities, I doubt i'll ever stop owning rats
<3 Renay

 

[Berks]

Dont you just love the reactions from people! It never fails to amuse me either. Welcome to the forum

 

[amandahoney]

canada, eh? good thing you told us about the igloos, and broke down all our stereotypes... (i can't really talk, though- the whole wisconsin, frozen-tundra thing. )

rats are highly addictive, it's true. have you thought of getting a friend for your little girl?

 

[Forensic]

You mean people in Canada DON'T live in igloos? That's like saying people from Wisconsin don't eat only cheese and beer! Or that Minnesotans don't like lutefisk and lefse!

Blasphemy!

:lol:

Welcome!

Does Lulu have a friend?

 

[renay]

Actually, the fact that Lulu is friendless is one of the reasons I joined this forum. I was wondering what to do on that note because she is so friendly with me, like i walk near the cage and she stands on her hind legs and waits for me to pick her up. Will getting her a friend change that? And if I do decide to get her another friend is there any reason to worry about fights?!

 

[amandahoney]

Will getting her a friend change that?

you know, i had kind of the same situation once. i was away at college, and had left two older female rats (sisters who throughout their lives remained better friends with eachother than with any humans, in spite of our efforts) in the care of my sister at home. unfortunately, while i was away, one of the sisters died mysteriously and suddenly, leaving the one alone for the first time. then, about a month before i was going to move back home, i had the opportunity to get another young female rat from a friend at the school. (hiding illegal dorm rats is always fun. :roll: ) this new little one really bonded with me (she fell asleep in my sweatshirt the first night i had her), and i was afraid that introducing her to a friend would make her less friendly, but it definitely didn't. it actually helped make the older one more friendly. i don't claim to be any sort of expert, but i think if she already loves you, that won't change.

 

[renay]

lol, i just went out and got her a friend, i was reading up on some websites and i realized that they're happier in pairs... so yeah, shes no longer alone, and my new rat is not overly friendly, she seems timid, but im convinced that i can change that, and so far lulu's behaviour hasn't changed. Shes happy with her new friend, and so am I lol. I'll post some pictures of the two soon. I dunno what i'm gonna call the newest addition.. I'll have to think of something as I get to know her personality a bit better.

and its funny that you metioned it fell asleep in your sweatshirt because lulu loves pockets, she sits in them and bathes herself for literally close to 10 minutes and then falls asleep, im hoping she'll influence the new one

 

[Forensic]

Please keep an eye on them to make sure they don't fight and make sure neither gets sick.

 

[lina]

Did they get on well then you first put them together and how did you do it. The only reason I ask is I have 6 rats in 3 cages and was going to put them in the same cage one day. now and then I will let them play out together but they fight a lot and I worry what would happen if they were in the same cage. Please tell how you did it.

 

[Forensic]

Lina, if your rats are fighting a lot I'd suggest taking it very slow. If they're just wrestling it may be fine, but dropping new rats into another rat's territory is asking for brawls if they don't get along.

 

[fallinstar]

hello n welcome

 

[DonnaK]

Hello Renay, welcome to the forums!

I'm so pleased to read that you got a friend for Lulu!

For future reference, there are certain procedures that most rat owners follow to keep their rats safe, when introducing new rats.

It is highly recommended that you quarantine any new rats (in a completely different airspace, if possible) for at least 2-3 weeks, to prevent the spread of any diseases (airborne or otherwise) to your current rats. Some diseases don't show for up to 3 weeks.

The next step is to put their cages side by side to get them used to each other's scent.

Once they are ok with this, you introduce them for play times in a neutral territory, where neither of them have played before. You do this for as long as it takes until you are happy that they are getting along well.

The next stage is to thoroughly clean the cage that they will share so that it doesn't smell of either rat, so neither will be territorial, then you put them together.

So, you see, you have skipped quite a few stages My purpose for telling you all this is if you start to have any problems with your new ratty house mates, you won't be too put off and will have a reference so you can backtrack and take it a little slower.

In the meantime, you should watch both your rats for the next 3 weeks for any signs of illness. Also, watch them like a hawk in the cage together for the next week or so.

I hope it continues to go well for you and that your rats are happy and healthy and become the best of friends.

 

[Inesita]

Hi, welcome!

 

[renay]

Well I didn't have very many problems because they were from the same place, they were kept together before, I don't know if they had any recollection of each other but they hit it off good. And as for the introduction, I generally do as you would with any other animal, I introduced them on neutral grounds, in our case, the couch... when they started to play i put them in lulu's cage together and they curled up and went to sleep. But as far as the introductory process goes, I let them kind of introduce themselves with a careful eye kept on them. I let them roam the couch together for about an hour before deciding to monitor them in the cage. I got lucky because so far so good, I haven't had any problems... (knock on wood)

and i figured out a name for lulu's friend. Piggle. Shes a hog, she devours anything and everything. so far her favorite foods are peas and popcorn, the latter was stolen rather than given and trying to take food away from a rat is like trying to tell a kid that candy rots their teeth... impossible.

 

[lina]

Lina, if your rats are fighting a lot I'd suggest taking it very slow. If they're just wrestling it may be fine, but dropping new rats into another rat's territory is asking for brawls if they don't get along.

Hi all, I put the cages near to each other so they could get each others scent. After a few days I put the 4 grown up rats in the bath tub as this is the only place they haven't been b4. They arched up their backs and fluffed up their hair. I know not to just pop them in an other rats cage. I did it by the book they just dont get on. I have taken it slow with them and not rushed it.

 

[renay]

well if you look at it this way... some people just never get along either, so maybe its a lost cause, and maybe they just need a bit more time... I guess I got lucky with mine, but I kind of knew right away anyway because neither one seemed territorial at all.

 

[DonnaK]

Lina, if your rats are fighting a lot I'd suggest taking it very slow. If they're just wrestling it may be fine, but dropping new rats into another rat's territory is asking for brawls if they don't get along.

Hi all, I put the cages near to each other so they could get each others scent. After a few days I put the 4 grown up rats in the bath tub as this is the only place they haven't been b4. They arched up their backs and fluffed up their hair. I know not to just pop them in an other rats cage. I did it by the book they just dont get on. I have taken it slow with them and not rushed it.

Hi Lina. In this case I would keep the cages side by side and just introduce two of them. Once they get along, add a 3rd in the tub, then the 4th. Once they've all been getting along for a few play sessions, then try scrubbing the shared cage and rearranging it and putting them together.