[kkdepp]

Right now my male Raz-Ma-Taz is my only rat and I want to get him a friend....Because of certain circumstances I can't get him a buddy.

My mother and brother both have females....to get raz a friend should I consider breeding raz and one of the females....then I can keep one or more of the babies....(I'd wait until they were older) and introduce raz and one of the younger males when they were old enough to. This is about all i can do to get raz a friend. I know by then raz would be about 6 months old....is it too late by then? Please give any advice you can...I'd really appreciate it!

 

[Poppyseed]

That's weird, why can you not get him a buddy? I would NOT breed, especially rats with unknown bloodlines. Leave breeding to the professional breeders, you will get 13+ rats who all would need proper homes and if not seperates properly could lead to more litters and more litters, etc. etc. Not to mention billions of health issues that can be passed on or come up for the babies or the mom.

I just don't understand how this is all you can do to get a rat friend. Are there no petcos/other pet shops nearby? Where do you live, I can do a search on petfinder.

But yeah, DON'T breed. You may also want to look into neutering him, three weeks after that you can put him in with the females.

 

[thegrotto]

I ask "Why can't you get him a friend?"

 

[Night]

You only need to post your question in one section

I second Grotto's question.

 

[Forensic]

Baby ratties may cost you tons of money... new cages, more food, and then you have to deal with possibly not being able to find homes (some rats can have up to 20 rittens!), not to mention the stress and heartbreak and financials that are involved if something goes wrong.

Do not breed. Play with your rat more, to alleviate some of the loneliness, until it works out that you can get a male for him to play with.

 

[2manyrats]

Also, if you don't know anything about the genetics, you can end up with a bunch of agouti rats, which are harder to find homes for.

You'd be much better off finding a real breeder, or just going to your local pet store.

 

[lilspaz68]

Also, if you don't know anything about the genetics, you can end up with a bunch of agouti rats, which are harder to find homes for.

You'd be much better off finding a real breeder, or just going to your local pet store.

actually black rats are the hardest to rehome...weird eh? Took me forever to get my first black berk. 8O

 

[IceLore]

If you can breed....why can't you get him a friend?

Or, you can get him fixed, and intro him to your two girls. I am assuming that your girls live together, correct?

 

[kkdepp]

OK it's a long story but....I think I might be able to get Raz-Ma-Taz a buddy or maybe even 2! I'm very excited and so glad that I'm able to get him a friend. I was able to work something out and so I've been looking on Petfinder and I've found some rats that I'm really interested in. I've also found a decent cage that is Plenty big enough for 2 or 3 rats....the rat calculator says it can house up to 5 rats comfortably.
The one I have is a little too small...at least I think....for 2 to 3 rats.

Now my question is this....should I stick to just getting him a friend or getting him a pair....if i get a pair will they be dominate over him or overpower him....if you know what I mean. I just want to know if getting a pair of rats that have been together will be okay to introduce with Raz.

Oh....and yes my mother's and brother's females are housed together.

One more thing....just for future reference....how much does it usually cost to get your rat neutered/spayed? Now I can't really trust this seeing as this was a Petsmart employee....but this lady who worked at Petsmart sayed that she has rats and it cost her $70 to get her male neutered...is that true?
I just want to know if that is right.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Forensic]

Cost of a neuter depends on your vet and area, so it could very well be correct.

I'm so glad you're getting Raz Ma Taz a buddy or two. I'd say that either would work, with proper introductions so Raz doesn't feel cornered and threatened. The rats may dominate him, but that's natural... all rattie groups need to have a pecking order.

 

[IceLore]

I second what Forensic said. It doesn't matter if it's one or two as long as they are introduced right.

 

[kkdepp]

Ok....I'm really excited and I hope to find the right one soon. I've been reading about quarantining when you first bring new rats home...how long do you quarantine? When I get my new bigger cage I found I'll have the one I'm using right now for quarantining the new rats.

Forensic...do you have males or females....I'm pretty sure the ones you have in your sig. are boys. How long have you had them?

 

[Forensic]

All boys, coming up on six months for the oldest one.

So I'm by no means an expert, but I am trying to read up and learn lots!

 

[IceLore]

Quarantine for 3 weeks, preferably in separate air spaces. If you can't do that, keep the cages as far apart in different rooms as possible with the doors closed. Wash your hands between handling the different animals as well.

 

[kkdepp]

Ok...I'll do that....I'm getting a new cage so the one that I'm currently using will be used to quarantine the new rat(s).

 

[lilspaz68]

I wanted to add that you might want to do clothing changes as well just in case. If I have newbies adn I am unable to quarantine in a separate building, I often take care of the resident rats first then I will deal with the newbies, then wash and change before going near the residents again the next day.

 

[DonnaK]

kkdepp, for future reference, please post your question once, in one forum only. I have locked the other 2 duplicates and referenced them to this post. Thanks.