How old new rat has to be when introducing to adult group?

[rhapsody]

I finally got a shaky go-ahead from the hubby to add one more to my group of ratties ...

Now my local rescue has ... a lot of ratties needing a forever home. In particular, they have about sixty 6-week old younglings that are ready to be adopted, and by golly, they are soooo stinkin' cute and people friendly. I'd love to be able to bring one of them home, but is six weeks too young to be introduced to a group of adults? I have two 8-monthish neutered boys, and two 1-yearish intact females.

Not that I'd mind getting an older rat, but ... ZOMG babies!

 

[xxchelle]

Because babies' bones aren't fully developed until 8 weeks old, I wait until 8-10 weeks. Something as innocent as grooming by an adult can snap a baby's neck

 

[jorats]

Waiting till 8 weeks is a good rule of thumb.

 

[Petunia]

I'm so glad I saw this, I just got a baby. I had planned to do intros much sooner, now I will wait!

 

[rhapsody]

Thanks everyone! I did end up getting a 6-week old baby, but I'm keeping her in a separate cage near my big kiddos until she's old enough to join them. Until then, I'll try to get them used to each others' scent by swapping bedding and whatnot.

 

[Moon]

Good stuff, congrats on the new baby

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

In future it's way easier on the little ones if they are adopted in pairs so that they have a friend while waiting for intros. It can also make everyday living easier because the baby will always have someone their own age to play with and won't end up annoying the older ones. I'm glad you were able to rescue, it's just something to think about in the future.

 

[Moon]

In future it's way easier on the little ones if they are adopted in pairs so that they have a friend while waiting for intros. It can also make everyday living easier because the baby will always have someone their own age to play with and won't end up annoying the older ones. I'm glad you were able to rescue, it's just something to think about in the future.

This is true, but if you only have space for one in the cage, or your near your own personal set limit, that's something to be considered also.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

In future it's way easier on the little ones if they are adopted in pairs so that they have a friend while waiting for intros. It can also make everyday living easier because the baby will always have someone their own age to play with and won't end up annoying the older ones. I'm glad you were able to rescue, it's just something to think about in the future.

This is true, but if you only have space for one in the cage, or your near your own personal set limit, that's something to be considered also.

If that were the case then I would look for a single rat in need closer to the age of my current rats. I am a firm believer in not separating babies from their litter mates unless absolutely necessary (like if there is only 1 male in the litter). That's just my personal opinion and I thought I would post because some people don't know how much of a difference it can make.

 

[Moon]

[quote="smilez_n_hugs":1adht58y]In future it's way easier on the little ones if they are adopted in pairs so that they have a friend while waiting for intros. It can also make everyday living easier because the baby will always have someone their own age to play with and won't end up annoying the older ones. I'm glad you were able to rescue, it's just something to think about in the future.

This is true, but if you only have space for one in the cage, or your near your own personal set limit, that's something to be considered also.

If that were the case then I would look for a single rat in need closer to the age of my current rats. I am a firm believer in not separating babies from their litter mates unless absolutely necessary (like if there is only 1 male in the litter). That's just my personal opinion and I thought I would post because some people don't know how much of a difference it can make.[/quote:1adht58y]

And that one rat having a home might be making a huge difference to her local rescue, including approx 60 babies according to her first post. It's nice to keep families together but this is not a perfect world.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

In the first post she stated there were many rats in need including 60+ babies so there might have been another possible option but like I said it's my personal opinion, I was just putting it out there.

 

[rhapsody]

If that were the case then I would look for a single rat in need closer to the age of my current rats. I am a firm believer in not separating babies from their litter mates unless absolutely necessary (like if there is only 1 male in the litter). That's just my personal opinion and I thought I would post because some people don't know how much of a difference it can make.

Actually, getting an adult female would have been my first choice, BUT all the rats in that age group were pulled directly from the house, and they are beyond aggressive to other rats. Keep in mind, they've had to fend for themselves for the majority of their lives, and this included fighting to the death for food. For the safety of my own crew, the rescue strongly recommended that I get a rat that was born afterwards at the rescue.

As for getting only one baby instead of two, my reasoning was this: the genetics are horrific - all the 1100+ rats came from one pregnant female, and this situation has been going on for almost three years. I'm not going to try to figure out what generation inbred my girl is. Also, about 40% of the rats pulled have high-white markings. Several cases of megacolon have already popped up in the new litters, along with other congenital defects. I adopted my girl knowing that she's at risk due to such a bad genetic makeup. I can emotionally and financially handle one rat with such "baggage", but not two.

If circumstances were different, I completely agree that getting two babies is the best way to go.

 

[smmmiley]

As for getting only one baby instead of two, my reasoning was this: the genetics are horrific - all the 1100+ rats came from one pregnant female, and this situation has been going on for almost three years. I'm not going to try to figure out what generation inbred my girl is. Also, about 40% of the rats pulled have high-white markings. Several cases of megacolon have already popped up in the new litters, along with other congenital defects. I adopted my girl knowing that she's at risk due to such a bad genetic makeup. I can emotionally and financially handle one rat with such "baggage", but not two.

If circumstances were different, I completely agree that getting two babies is the best way to go.

What an awful situation! Wow! Here's hoping the one you brought home is relatively healthy considering... And, knowing all this, you've got quite the heart taking her in! :hugs: