a lone rat?

[emeraldsandrubies]

i was just wondering if it was possible to keep a lone rat without it becoming unsocial, unfriendly or lonely? if i were to get just one rat alone, it would be in its cage throughout the day but for the mornings and afternoons it would able to free-range.

i have heard quite a lot about rats needing another rat for company. but would the rat most likely bond with me if i were to get just one?

i wasn't sure where to post this because i'm only making enquiries. i'm not saying that i am definately getting just one rat, but i was hoping for some views, advice or feedback from anyone here.

thanks,
emeraldsandrubies

 

[ashana]

Like any animal a rat can learn to live alone however the real question is should you really make a social animal live by itself. Personally i feel that all rats should have at least a chance of living with others of their kind. In some cases it doesn't work out because the rat is too old, never had company etc but in most cases they are visibly happier, friendlier and more social with friends.

Although your rat may get free range at times during the day this really shouldn't have a bearing on whether to have a single rat or not. During the times that rats are in groups together they clean each other, keep each other warm, play and wrestle and sleep together. No human can provide that much 24/7 to any animal.

Sure the rat would bond with you, as long as you spent quality time with it however again would it be depressed when you are not there, lonely and destructive? The answer is quite possibly.

 

Personally, I would recommend having two or more, unless you plan on giving him/her hours of attention a day. There are alot of benifts of havign atleast 2:
- someone to snuggle with.
- someone to play with for the 20 hours a day spent in a cage.
- someone to take care of them when they are sick.

If I were a rat, I woulden't wanna live alone.

 

[jorats]

Personally, I believe it is cruel to make a rat live alone. I've rescued lone rats and when they were finally introduced to other rats have become so happy and healthy too. Rats need other rats.

 

[mamarat]

I too have taken in many lone rescues and the change in them is unbelievable once intro'ed to cagemates.

 

[Joanne]

I will tell you a short story about my two girls Minnie and Cassie. They were both sick, and as a new rat owner, I wasn't sure if what they had was contagious, so when Minnie died, I did not get another rat to keep Cassie company. Now for the two years that I had these girls, I had to drag them, kicking and screaming, out of the cage every day. They did not want to come out on their own. Once Minnie was gone, Cassie would literally throw herself OUT of the cage at me every time I opened the door and it was hard to get her back in to the cage as she would keep trying to escape. This is a rat that would NEVER come out on her own. I tell you this not to show how much she loved me, but to show how incredibly lonely she was after her sister died. If I had it to do over, I would have definitely gotten her another rat to keep her company. They need the company so very, very much.

 

[emeraldsandrubies]

thanks everyone for the stories and feedback.

i have decided against getting a lone rat, and am thinking about getting two females. the previous time that i had rats, i had males. is there anything especially different about males to females besides the fact that females are more active? thank you.

 

[minnow]

Girls tend to pee on you less... heh. It's all about the individual rat. I have girls who are lazy squishes and hyper boys. Girls do tend to be more likely to be the escape artists and wanderers, though. They push boundaries and generally try to take over the world.

 

[Moon]

Females are way more active, well into adulthood.

You could adopt a lone rat that has proven to be particularly unsocial with other rats, as some people just don't have the whole "rat whisperer" thing going for them. But in all honesty, two rats is really no more work than one, and watching their antics together can be very fun.

 

[Rattus]

I will tell you a short story about my two girls Minnie and Cassie. They were both sick, and as a new rat owner, I wasn't sure if what they had was contagious, so when Minnie died, I did not get another rat to keep Cassie company. Now for the two years that I had these girls, I had to drag them, kicking and screaming, out of the cage every day. They did not want to come out on their own. Once Minnie was gone, Cassie would literally throw herself OUT of the cage at me every time I opened the door and it was hard to get her back in to the cage as she would keep trying to escape. This is a rat that would NEVER come out on her own. I tell you this not to show how much she loved me, but to show how incredibly lonely she was after her sister died. If I had it to do over, I would have definitely gotten her another rat to keep her company. They need the company so very, very much.

Similar situation here. My boy Cain is alone righ now and he NEVER used to run to the front of the cage, now when I open the cage he trys to run out, not towards me but just to GET OUT of the cage where he is alone. I can't stand to see him like this anymore and am introducing him to my other boys right away.

 

[SQ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDy3bMRu ... re=related
btw, a lone rat by itself may become withdrawn, depressed and less friendly towards you.

In general, girls are more active - many don't start to slow down until middle age; while boys are more willing to cuddle with you.

Edit: middle aged = around 1.5 or 2 or 2.5 ... depends on the girl

 

[minnow]

In general, girls are more active - many don't slow down untill middle age; while boys are more willing to cuddle with you.

Middle age? Maybe if middle age is 2-ish, or when HED starts to set in. They stop running like speed demons on the wheel and hanging upside-down like monkeys at about middle age (unless they're small enough to still get away with it,) but I haven't had a hyper girl slow down much beyond that without a physical reason for it.

 

[emeraldsandrubies]

that was a sweet video, thanks SQ.

i'm sure there are many controversies about which is better, male of female. but now i'm unsure about which one i should be getting? see, i like the fact that females tend to pee less, and are usually more active than males, but i don't like thinking that they are escape artists, because i'll never be quite sure whether the cage i get is suitable.

i would need a nicely sized cage that i could take between my divorced parents houses fornightly. in both houses i have an organised area where they could free-range. learning from past experiences with males, my boys regularly peed on eachother's behind and as a result, had yellow fur. are females like this?

if would be so greatly appreciated if someone here could give me links or personal experiences to which gender of rat i should get. thanks you.

 

[lindsayfawn]

We have both male and female and I love them both. Females however do tend (I find anyways) to get more health issues then males.
If you get Males and neuter them they don't mark you hardly at all and they won't have as much buck grease as well which would have been what the yellow fur was on your previous males.
All rats can be escape artists if they want to they can manouver their bodies through insanely small spaces. But if you're going to have females I believe if they're younger you'd want the cage bars to be half of an inch I think it is?
Or you could just mesch the cage then wouldn't have to worry about it.
You could always get one of each as long as one was neutered or spayed then you'd have best of both worlds.

 

[minnow]

I'd like to note here that a spay greatly reduces the health issues with girls, and a neuter greatly reduces behavioral issues (like peeing everywhere) in boys. A mix can be really nice, especially if you can get everyone fixed. It's the best of both worlds.

 

[lindsayfawn]

I'd like to note here that a spay greatly reduces the health issues with girls, and a neuter greatly reduces behavioral issues (like peeing everywhere) in boys. A mix can be really nice, especially if you can get everyone fixed. It's the best of both worlds.

I dunno how I forgot to add that lol I'm still half asleep.

 

[Joanne]

I have both girls and boys - everyone is neutered. My boys are just as 'zoomy' as the girls, but they are also just as clean as the girls, no buck grease and minimal peeing. Everyone is in one big cage. They're happy like that...

 

[Dahlas]

I have both girls and boys - everyone is neutered. My boys are just as 'zoomy' as the girls, but they are also just as clean as the girls, no buck grease and minimal peeing. Everyone is in one big cage. They're happy like that...

I find the same. I have a mixed group, all spayed and neutered. I have cuddly girls and zooming boys. Depends on the age and personality. My cuddliest rat is my girl Hazel....
My boys are clean and smell good. They don't mark...neither do my girls....all are very good with their litter boxes.

 

[SQ]

Spaying and neutering both have health benefits for the rats, but the health benefits are much greater for girls.
I do not find any health differences between spayed girls and neutered boys.

My neutered boys are very active but will stop for a cuddle.
My girls are usually much too busy running, exploring, etc to cuddle.
Both boys and girls are wonderful.

Both males ans females will urine mark but this decreases a great deal if they are spayed and neutered.
As others have said, neutered boys do not have buck grease, their fur stays soft, and their behaviour is fine as they are not being driven nuts by their hormones.

As for a cage, for 2 rats you will want a powder coated cage that is at least 4 cubic feet in size, with a base of at least 30 in by 18 in and height for levels. There are several cages made for rats that have small bar spacing (example: martinscages.com). People also cover the outside of cages with larger bar spacing, such as 40 inch long rabbit cages, until their rats are to large to get out through the bars. (See viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10018 )
Check the habitat section for ideas.

 

[emeraldsandrubies]

this is so helpful, it's given me a lot to think about.

are there any Australians that would be able to say how much a spay or neuter would cost on average? the benefits of a spay or neuter would be so great, but i need it to be affordable.

thanks,
emeraldsandrubies