[Morrisa]

Hey everyone
I have 2 female rats.
The first I've had 8 weeks, the second I've had almost 2 weeks.
They get on well
I feel like 2 rats is easier for me to handle than 3 rats, eg play time I can easily manage 2 climbing on me, I feel 3 may be a bit of a handful lol
But most people on here seem to have more than 2 rats.

My cage is 35cm deep by 60cm long and 60cm high. (14x24x24 inches)
And there are 6 different "beds" in the cage. The sputnicks are small and probably won't fit 3 rats once fully grown (Honey and Roxy are approx 4 and 3 months respectively)

I don't plan on getting a bigger cage as pet stores here don't have bigger, well they do but the bar spacing is too big.

Is my cage big enough for 3 or should I just keep 2 rats?
I would hate for 2 rats to gang up on 1 as well.

 

[CorbinDallasMyMan]

For me, 3 to 5 is the magic number. The reason for the range (rather than a single number) is because 1) I like to keep a mixed-age mischief so I try to cycle in new rats once every year to year and a half, and 2) I always try to get rats in pairs. Purchasing/adopting single rats can be more stressful for them with quarantine periods and introductions and such.

I had as many as 6 rats at one time and, while it was super fun and interesting to watch the social dynamic, it was a bit much for me.

Personally, I think a good starting size for a cage would be big enough for at least 3 or 4 rats. I understand your hesitancy to get more rats given your current cage size. You might want to start thinking about a plan for when your rats get older or if one were to die suddenly. Being that acquiring rats in pairs is much safer than purchasing single rats, you might find yourself with at least 3 rats at some point.