[Leiren]

Yeaaaah,so my birthday is coming up andddd for a present to myself and I wanted to get a blue male dumbo ( seeing as the wonderful people on here say you can keep males together ) so I was wondering would if it be okay to keep two males in a 10 gallon tank for about a week or so til I get back home.And if not how about a 5 gallon (the dumbo being by himself in this tank of course)?I know it sounds harsh but, It wouldnt be forever and the petstore at home I dont think..even sells rats. :roll:

 

[Leiren]

Well it seems like I know Gizmos vote already,lmao he just chewed through my headset cord T_T

 

[cjshrader]

I don't know if it'd be a very good idea to get a second rat at the moment if you can't properly quarantine him. The rats will need to be separated for a few weeks into separate airspaces (preferably different houses, but if it must be different rooms then be extra careful with handling one then handling the other). I just don't think a 5 gallon would be large enough for the rat for a few weeks of quarantine then however long for introductions.

What's your cage like at home? Is it not the 10 gallon?

I would also not recommend getting a rat from a pet store. They are most likely to have health problems and some are not very friendly towards people (I'm talking from experience here). If I could do it over again, all my rats would come from breeders/adoption even though some are very sweet (Just not all that healthy).

 

[Leiren]

I have a two story wire cage at home,and another 10 gallon at home as well.The cage Gizmo is in currently is a 10 gallon.I plan on getting a bigger cage for him as he gets older.I cant find any breeders here locally ive looked in phone books,internet,and stuff.I've found some in my state currently,but with gas prices..blah.

 

[cjshrader]

Hmm...I've been trying to think of ways for you to pull it off but I just don't think there's a safe way. I've been looking at 5 gallon aquariums online and I don't think it'd be ok to put a rat in there even for a week. I'm not even entirely comfortable with a 10 gallon for one rat.

But let's put it this way, if you *were* to get another rat now then quarantine is out of the question since they'll be riding home in the same car?

Are there any possible alternatives here? Maybe any other pet stores around you that might possibly sell rats? Then you could get Gizmo safely home in his own cage, get the new rat in a separate cage and do quarantine.

Maybe see if there are any cages in your area on Craig's List for free or cheap? I have one that might work, but I doubt you're in the Atlanta, Georgia area.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I'm hoping you can figure out a way to make this work safely for the rats!

(By the way, I think the worst possible option is to put them in the same 10 gallon tank. Even ignoring health issues, one would probably be quite territorial over the other and they wouldn't have much space to get away from each other, so it wouldn't really be a good first impression of the new rat on Gizmo)

 

[Leiren]

Haha yeah im in Alabama right now,thats mighty nice of you to offer though anyways.And yeah we only have one petstore at home because I live in a very very small town (and the petstore isnt really even in my town to begin with,next town over)My friend was sugguesting using a dog crate but I didnt feel all that comfortable with the idea either so.haha.But yeah ive been here for all of summer break and what not,all my previous cages and rat supplies are at home,because I didnt actually think I was gonna end up with another rat this summer .I'll try to figure out another way,and if not just probably go ahead and buy another two story cage or something.

 

[cocorat316]

Yes you can put them in a tank best be a 10 gallon just until you get a better cage or get back where you need them.


-cocorat316

 

[Poppyseed]

10 gallons is too small for even one rat ): And tanks are horrible for lungs. Personally, I wouldn't do it. You can get a small super pet cage for around $35-40. It would only be big enough for 1-2 rats though and not recomended for long periods. Why not use that wire cage?

 

[Leiren]

Well I planned on using it when I got home,but its not big enough for 2.And where could I get this 35-40 dollar one at?

 

[mopydream44]

if it's the one i'm thinking of you can get one at a petco

 

[Leiren]

The petsmart here has crappy cages,and I looked on their site but im still unsure what would work.

I was thinking of something like this :

http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...16082925&itemNo=4&In=Small+Pet&N=2047888&Ne=2

But im still unsure about the size and such.

 

[Leiren]

Hmmm but yeah I havent even thought of Petco,so I might look around there tomorrow.

 

[JennieLove]

A 10 gal tank isnt even big enough for one rat...I wouldnt even but a baby in there. Breeders keep momma and her new born babies in a 20, but thats it and its only for a short time. Forget about any Tank you have, sell them and get the money to make or buy a cage.

For $35-40 you can make a HUGE cage. Heres mine to give you an Idea. To make everything I have here cost me a total or about $50-60 and that was over a years time of adding things here and there. But just to make the cage was only $30-35.

http://www.ratforum.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=2979.html

 

[Kimmiekins]

The only time I EVER use tanks for rats is 20+ gal. for pregnant and nursing moms. I clean it daily. And I still hate using them, but wire cages with rittens make me nervous.

 

[JennieLove]

If the bar spacing is correct there shouldnt be anything to worry about...Tanks are far more dangerous.

 

[Kimmiekins]

I know they are not as good as a wire cage. I've turned down applications many times because people wanted to use a tank for long-term. As you'd said above my other post, breeders use them for infants. Well, rescues get in a lot of pregnant moms and litters, too. :? About 65% of my rescue has been litters so far.

I've spoken to established breeders and other rescue owners about the issue of what to use for a nursery many times. I'm not the only one that is afraid of what could happen in wire cages (there's a reason many breeders and rescuers use aquariums and bin cages). I am going to be making bin cages for nursery cages, using cooling racks for airflow along the top and lid. But as I said, they are TEMPORARY and only in the case of newborns and NEVER for transporting. I remove them from the tank before 2 weeks. I am well aware of the risk of tanks, thanks. However, this is kinda off-topic...

As I was trying to say (poorly, I guess), they should NOT be used generally, especially when traveling, due to the way the heat builds up. I'd be afraid of a greenhouse effect.

 

[JennieLove]

Yeah well like I said, its only for a short time UNTIL they are old/big enough to be swtiched to a cage. Its not like someones going to be getting a baby rat thats way to small to even be put in a cage. In Leiren's case this isnt the problem and her rats should be caged in a cage and not tanks.

 

[Kimmiekins]

Which was my point.

 

[Leiren]

I have a bunch of tanks because I'm a fish freak (but i hide it well hehe).And yeah,Jennie your cage is amazing o_o.

 

[Leiren]

well for traveling,he wont be in his tank btw.I have a carrier.