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I had been planning to get a few companions for Mamma once she settled down a bit after rescuing her but the new litter has thrown that off a bit. I think the runt of the litter, Tiny, is a girl and assuming she reaches the age of weaning I think I'll probably keep her. But they have a very large cage( roughly 14 cubic feet of floor space) and I think that I would like to adopt another rat or two to be with them. How long should I wait to introduce new rats to Mamma and the babies though?
I found a breeder who's actually pretty close(less than an hour, woot!) that actually breeds his rats for pets. Up to now most of my experience with rats has been rescues from feeder breeders or the feeders at pet stores. The litter he's raising now have been handled from day one and are well socialized which will be a whole new ballgame for me. His pups will be ready to go Saturday, at which point my litter will be about two weeks old. I know the new rats need to be quarantined for at least three weeks which would put my litter at five weeks old. Would that be an appropriate time to begin introductions or should I keep them separated for longer than that?
I found a breeder who's actually pretty close(less than an hour, woot!) that actually breeds his rats for pets. Up to now most of my experience with rats has been rescues from feeder breeders or the feeders at pet stores. The litter he's raising now have been handled from day one and are well socialized which will be a whole new ballgame for me. His pups will be ready to go Saturday, at which point my litter will be about two weeks old. I know the new rats need to be quarantined for at least three weeks which would put my litter at five weeks old. Would that be an appropriate time to begin introductions or should I keep them separated for longer than that?