[LilCritter]

I am picking up some new rats at the end of April with the rat show in my area. However, I am getting 2 rats from a new breeder from up north and another 1 from the same breeder I've been getting my rats from... For these 3 rats, can I quarantine them together? Or do I need to whip out my bin cage and separate my DFN? I don't really have a separate air space, unfortunately... But I'm hoping to quarantine all these little ones together so that I don't need 3 cages going, with one rat being alone.

 

[WolfPuppy]

Sorry to say, but I'd probably quarantine separately. Especially if you are getting them from a show, where there could be germs galore. I suppose you could take a risk, but it would probably be helpful to at least separate for a week first. That would do something.

 

[Isamurat]

If your picking both up from the same show then theres no point quarentining them seperatly as most of the nasty stuff is actually airbourne, so if they were going to get it theres a fair chance that they will have got it anyway. I would be reluctant to quarentine a young rat on its own unless there was a high risk of them carrying something, i think the potential damage from being alone at that age, even for 3 weeks, is greater than the risk of them carrying something infectious.

 

[LilCritter]

Not sure if I'm getting them AT the show per se, so much as at the same time as the show since the NorCal breeder will be driving down and passing through my area.