[Cobra]

Ive just bought a new rat from a pet store. The guy at the store said he was 8 weeks old. He was by himself as the rest of his buddies had been sold. I decided to buy the lonely rat. Every bit of information i have read states that rats are best kept in groups of 2 and above. I was wondering if i got another male rat of a similar age if there would be any problems. If so would could i do to get them to get along. Thanks
Cobra

 

[Forensic]

When introducing two males there may be issues. Your boy is still young so the issues will not be as bad as when you're introducing older males. Let them get used to each others scent, let them play somewhere neutral (bathtub, bed, etc), and the try introducing them both into a clean cage. Most likely, at that age you shouldn't have problems. Be prepared for lots of little tiffs over who's the top dog, but as long as no blood is drawn, it's okay.

 

[Cobra]

Thanks very much. When i go out and buy a new rat should i introduce the pair of them straight away in the bath or should i put the new rat in a cage and let him settle in?
Thanks

 

[Forensic]

It's most often recommended to keep the rats apart for a few days (generally, the recommendation is three weeks). However, if the rat was from the same petstore (a new shipment, etc), the rats would likely have been exposed to the same conditions. This waiting period is in place to assure that the new rat doesn't have anything the established rat can catch (like a virus, or parasites). I would have a second cage on hand no matter how you decide to go about it, just in case intros don't go well (it may take a few days) or someone gets hurt.