9 Rats

[bukeit]

Hi Everyone,

I am new here and hope that I am posting this in the right area of the forum.

I am interested in getting rats, they are great creatures (preaching to the choir here I am guessing ). I want to get rats that are in need. I have been keeping up to date on forums, petfinder and craigslist for needy rats. I was aiming at getting 4 rats. The husband is handy with making cages and we were going to designate a room for the rats! (sometimes it pays off not to have children!). I have been researching for the last 6 months and I think I am ready to rescue.

I was on craigslist and noticed a double Critter Nation that had 9 rats. The owner does not have the time and the money for them. They are all female from the ages of a couple of months to a year. (the picture is pretty sad, there are no hammocks, beds, toys, chews in the cage). I am worried that starting off with 9 is a bad idea for a first timer. The husband is unsure of the amount too.

Here are my worries:

From reading everything on here I should get the females spade but getting 9 spade is probably out of my price range.
I am worried that the oldest is older than a year and that all of them are going to have health issues at the same time. We have money, but we are budgeters and budgeting for 9 sick rats (worst case scenario) scares me.
As the rats come with a double Critter Nation, we would probably use that.... is it big enough?
If 9 is too many and the person is desperate, is separating the colony a big No No?

Sorry for the long post, I just want to make the right decision for the rats and me.

Thank you!

Jennifer

 

[ratkin412]

9 rats is quite a few to start out with. Some people have allergies to rats, and while that might be manageable with two rats, it wouldn't be so easy with 9.

That is the only drawback to starting out with nine, in my opinion.

You might be the only person capable of taking in nine bonded rats, however, so that makes your ability in adopting in a rescue-type manner to be especially suited to helping these girls. In addition, the double critter nation means you won't have to buy cage making supplies or deal with building a cage - instead, you can work on making the cage extra rat-friendly with toys and levels.

I have three rats currently, but many on this board might say that 9 rats is just the beginning! :wink:

Congratulations for finding out the world's best-kept secret in wonderful, loving, fuzzy companions..... Rats!!

 

[temblabamomo]

I have looked after rats for several years, and the most I've had at once was six. They're a handful. But I work 8 - 5, and have an hour commute on either end. Depending on your work/school schedule, you may find you have ample time to look after 9.

Time aside, you want to consider expenses. Are you able to pay vet bills if multiple girls get sick? And have you already located a vet in your area who handles exotics?

As ratkin said, allergies can be an issue as well. Even people who are not prone to allergies often have reactions to rat/mouse allergens. I had a horrible time of it with my first two rats, and the reaction didn't become bad until they'd been in my home for two weeks. It would be a horrible shock if you took in all 9, bonded with them, and then came down with an unmanageable allergic reaction. If you are already prone to lots of allergies, so many rats all at once might be too much for you.

It would be wonderful if you were able to take in these 9 rats, but I would be hesitant to recommend someone new to rats to take on so many at once. Hopefully with the input of others, you will be able to make a good, well-informed decision about what to do. And of course, if you do take them in, everyone on this forum will be happy to jump in and answer all of your questions (and believe me, you'll have some )

 

[jorats]

Hi, and welcome...
9 rats could be a lot to take in. But... we don't know the type of person you are and your finances. If you are a very capable, patient person with the funds to care for such a large group, then it's really not that hard.
I went from having no rats, to having 9 rats all within 3 months. It was overwhelming at times but I didn't have them as an already established colony like you would.
It would be wonderful of you to rescue these rats in need but you need to know of a few things... rats can be expensive with vet care. Rats do have an odour, most of us don't find it offensive while many others do. Rats need their habitat cleaned fully at least once a week and spot clean during the week. Rats need daily human interactions. Out time is also important. Rats need mental and physical stimulation. Rats need a good quality diet.
If you feel you can provide all these things, then I'd say go for it. But if you have any doubt in your mind, I'd say hold off and wait for a couple of rats to become available.

 

[SQ]

Nine is quite a few to adopt, but many people say their ideal number would be around 6 rats ....
and 3 more isn't that much more work. (Many of us who are involved in rescuing have a lot more then 9 rats.)

Since they range in age from a couple of months to a year in age, you would have babies, teens and young adults ... a nice age range.
The double CN is large enough for 9 girls ... the max number for that cage is usually considered to be 10 ratties.
The critter nation is the cage most recommenced for rats so if it is in good condition you would be getting a good cage.

Only you know what you can handle.
As Jorats said, rats are not inexpensive and require (as a group) at least 1 hour of out time a day with you.
But as Jorats said, if you and your husband think you can handle it, go for it.
You will have a steep learning curve (and we will be here to help) but you will also have lots of fun.

I would recommend you buy a copy of the book The Rat Health Care book from the book section at http://www.ratfanclub.org. It costs less then $10 and is a valuable resource. (Just ignore the section on home euthanasia as it is inhumane.)

 

[bukeit]

Thank you everyone. I think starting with 9 may be too much. I am all for it but my partner is apprehensive. And I think we would both have to be on the same page to make such a decision.

Allergies wise my system can handle anything! My partner is allergic to EVERYTHING and has decided he would put up with the allergies for us, we are both animal people and he has had rats in the past.

As for the time out of the cage, my husband works from home and I should imagine they would be out most of the day with him. We have already looked at making the room rat safe, ie using large boards from sign companies for play pen.

Financially we are extremely stable. Both of us work, and do not go without. (it helps when you don't have children!) One of the hangups my husband has with Rats is their short lifespan, after reading many articles it sounds like spaying female rats is the way to go. Spaying for 9 sounds pretty expensive....

The craigslist post has me feeling extremely guilty, the cage is empty apart from some sawdust and he has been feeding them dog food. When I stated I was unable to take them, he asked if I could take 5 and the cage.... the whole thing seems to be pretty sketchy. There seems to be a lot of rats popping up on craigslist in the Kalamazoo area at the moment, and it is breaking my heart that I cannot take all of them in.

 

[SQ]

Do what you and your husband can handle ...
Many of the people on here spay their girls, but many don't.
Either way, it sounds like any rats you decide to adopt will have their lives greatly improved.

 

[purinpurin]

I had a total of 7 rats when I first started out (I came upon 2 rats, got another 2 a couple weeks later, then another 3 another few weeks later), but didn't find it was any more difficult to handle than having 2 rats. The cleaning definitely takes longer (when I had 2 rats, it took me about 30 minutes, but with 7, it took me almost an hour), but that's really about it.

Of course, having 9 rats means you need to be prepared for the vet bills. If all 9 are females, then I don't think you really need to get them spayed. The price for a spaying can vary anywhere between $200 ~ 300 (from what I've seen in my area). Since they're all the same gender, I don't think that's as high of a priority than getting them other needed medical attention (ex. if they have any mites, infections, myco, etc., you need to get them antibiotis, pain killers, etc. etc.).

If you feel you are up for the job, perfect! Plus you get a CN to raise all those lovely ratties in. I'm actually glad to hear that the rats were living in an adequate cage, because normally in situations like this, you see 9 rats cramped in a cage that is smaller than a single critter nation. :/

I believe the CN can house up to 10 ~ 13 rats, depending on the size of the rats, so 9 is perfect.