How soon to get a buddy?

[Eolith]

For those of you who haven't been following my various wanderings around the forum, I recently took in a stray rat who had been abandoned outside our duplex prior to our moving in.

He's been on his lonesome the past couple weeks. I've been trying to let him heal a bit and "settle" before I start to consider another rat for company. Johnny is definitely on the mend, with only a few scabs left as proof of his ordeal with abscesses and a potentially broken paw. However, he's painfully shy. I can hardly get him to take food from me.

So, I don't know if I should try to coax him into being more at ease with me before I get him a buddy... or if having a friend might actually help improve his confidence. Also, I've been on break from college classes and staying with my parents the past couple weeks. Johnny has been here with us, and he'll move back with me in mid-September. Again, I'm not sure if it would be better to find a companion for him before or after making another move.

Any input?

 

[Joanne]

On the one hand, it would be nice if you can give him a lot of one-on-one attention so he will bond with you more. (This attitude may be because of how he was treated BEFORE he was let go.) However, if you will be back in school soon and are busy every day, I think that a new buddy would be good right away, as you will need some time to introduce them before school starts. If he will be in the same cage, then I don't think moving from one house to another will make too much difference. It's really YOU that is important to him. Just keep treating him with kindness and keep tempting him with tasty treats. Also, my rats will rarely take a treat outside their cage as we have cats and they are always on the lookout for them and a bit worried. Are there cats at your place now?

 

[Eolith]

You've got a very good point, it would be best for me to have plenty of time to get the new rat and Johnny accustomed to one another.

I've been offering him his treats by holding them right at the entrance to his hidey hole. I usually have to wait about 30 seconds and be careful not to stare directly at him before he'll tentatively reach out and tug whatever I'm offering from my fingertips. It also depends on what I'm offering him. He couldn't resist the piece of fresh strawberry for very long at all.

There aren't any cats in my parents' house, but we've got two dogs. There's a baby gate that prevents them from entering the rat's room at all times. I feel guilty though, because I can't keep Johnny in my room if I want to have my dachshund sleep with me at night as she has for several years now. I would feel terrible kicking her out, but I don't have much one on one time with Johnny either. This won't be a problem when I go back to school though... he'll be my one and only (plus any rat buddy I get).

I've got another question... obviously I'm going to want to get another male rat... but does age make any difference? Would he be more likely to accept another young rat, or an adult?

 

[Moon]

That is a toughie. The stress of doing intros while moving around and while he is healing might be too much for him. Intros can take quite a while, especially with mature males so starting now while you have more time might be better. It depends largely on your comfort level with things.

 

[Moon]

does age make any difference? Would he be more likely to accept another young rat, or an adult?

Usually we recommend that people get two babies to offset an older single rat. That way the babies can play with eachother and not pester the older one the whole time.

 

[SQ]

It would be great if you could find two babies, around 8 to 10 weeks old.
Check shelters, rat rescues, kijiji, and Craigs list. It would be best if from a rat rescue as they should already be quarantined.

 

[Joanne]

As far as a buddy goes, you could get a spayed female as we usually assume male-to-female intros will be easier than male-to-male. Otherwise young is good as they're not usually too hormonal yet, but I too would recommend two - babies gotta play! I find it's difficult to predict how they will respond until you try. Sometimes it's super easy, sometimes not so much. You can try a male around his age. Sometimes with males a neuter is necessary to calm things down.

 

[Eolith]

Alright everyone, I've found a rescue in my area... and the owner has invited me and Johnny to come for a visit so that she can assess his general condition, possibly get an idea for his age, and see how he reacts to the other rats at the rescue. It sounds like she is very knowledgeable and will know if he's ready to be matched with a companion... and which rat might be best.

From what she has said so far, a younger rat (12 weeks or less) might be the best bet. Getting two younger rats would make perfect sense, but I just don't know if my landlord and/or roommates are going to tolerate three rats, and I don't know if my cage is suited for three... I can't just go out and buy a new bigger one either.

Anyway, I'm just going to wait and see what the rat rescue expert says... and see what Johnny's initial reaction just to seeing and smelling other rats will be. We'll figure something out one way or another.

 

[Joanne]

That sounds great! My only concern would be transmission of any disease - hopefully all her rats have been with her for more than a few weeks. I'm surprised she's not concerned about Johnny as he was outside and probably in contact with other rats.

 

[Eolith]

I've had Johnny with me for going on four weeks... which I think is the usual "quarantine" type period. If he had something bad, it would have shown up by now, wouldn't it?

 

[Joanne]

That sounds OK to me. Anybody else want to weigh in?

 

[jorats]

I agree with Joanne.

 

[Eolith]

I wanted to give an update!

As of a few days ago, Johnny and I went to the rescue to find him a friend. I adopted a three month old male. Fortunately there weren't any troubles with introductions at all. No aggression to be witnessed in the least. I think Johnny was still feeling too weak to be grumpy, and the new boy was too young to want to be very bossy. They were a little standoffish in the beginning, not having a whole bunch to do with each other... but now they're cuddling in the same hammock. I am so incredibly pleased to see Johnny starting to open up and become a bit more active and social since the addition of his new friend Sal. I think that it truly has helped encourage his recovery.

 

[Bundyrats]

That's so great.

 

[Moon]

This is excellent! It's great that you were able to work with a rescuer to find the right rat for your boy.

 

[jorats]

Yay!!!

 

[Joanne]

We need a rat-pile-in-the-hammock picture!

 

[mamarat]

Congrats! That's fantastic.

 

[temblabamomo]

How wonderful! I think having a buddy is definitely going to help Johnny heal and become more at ease with his new life. What a lucky pair.