New rat boy

[JayWilder]

Okay so I have had Templeton since October now and I am just in love! :cloud9: However between all my animals I feel like he does not get enough social time. He is out every day for at least 30 minutes and I visit him various times throughout the day as well. Recently my hedgehog boy Sonic passed away. He almost made it to 4 years :sad3: . But he has left me with a spare cage set up so I am now considering getting Temp a buddy. Temp is not altered and he is somewhere around 1 1/2 years old so I am kind of nervous about introducing a new baby to him. I've already checked my local shelters and they do not have any ratties currently so I have been checking the usual ads. If I do get a new little one what would be the best way to ensure that I won't have too terrible of a time introducing them? Should it be another boy, a baby? One closer to his age? Again being so new to rats has me lost.

 

[julia_silve:)]

it should be a lot easier introducing him if he is a lone rat considering he is not aggressive, if he is a more aggressive rat then introducing him with a baby is not a wise idea since he is an adult who can easily kill a baby rat if things do not go well. and it should be another boy or a spayed girl, or else you will end up with MANY rattlings. no matter what you do he should have at least one cage-mate, especially if he is only getting a half hour of out time a day since rats are very social animals and become depressed on their own.

 

[JayWilder]

he is not aggresive at all...which is one reason i have become so taken with him. he usually gets much more than a half hour a day out it's just some days between working full time, going to school full time and having 2 dogs, 2 cats, a koi pond, and various other critters i just don't have enough hands! haha! His and Sonic's cages were right next to each other and they would interact through the bars but since Sonic passed I have noticed Temp seems down so this is the main reason I'm considering a new love for him...I just don't want to do something wrong since I am still learning with these little buckets of love.

 

[julia_silve:)]

i understand, i have two dogs, a cat, fish, a ferret, and five rats. a young rat might work because temp will feel less threatened and the young rat is not likely to challenge him. problem is that if temp picks a fight with him during an intro it could end badly. there are a few forums here on intros which i suggest you look at. i don't have a a lot of experience with intros since the only one i did was with a four month old and two one month olds , that ended by the younger guys following the older baby into his cage then falling asleep in a rat pile!

 

[SQ]

He needs a friend.
It isn't possible to spend enough time with him, plus rats mutually groom one another, sleep together, etc
Two young boys (2 to 3 months old) or a spayed girl or two might be the easiest to intro.
There are established gradual intro steps to follow in order to make sure no one is hurt.

Many of us have introed rats of all ages to one another .... it is always stressful but worth it.
For some rats it is an easy, quick process, for others it is more of a challenge and takes time.


[BBvideo 450,375:av34v7i9]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDy3bMRuobE&feature=related[/BBvideo:av34v7i9]

 

[JayWilder]

:thumbup: the video is awesome! My main concern is if I do get 2 young boys (I'm partial to boy animals for some reason) and one gets along with Temp and one doesn't...does that mean I will somehow have to convince my boyfriend to let me get yet another one or do I just keep trying? I have the available cage and funds and space... I just don't want to have to keep bringing in more and more.

 

[julia_silve:)]

if one gets along most likely both will!

 

[jorats]

I would also suggest adopting two younger males, around 8 weeks old to intro to Temp. Temp will either accept or reject the two new boys but if you take the intros slow and follow the steps, it should work out good.

 

[JayWilder]

I wish the shelters in my area were more keen on small animal rescues. For the most part you are lucky if you can find a bunny there much less a rat. Obviously I want to avoid the pet stores...is kijiji or craigslist the best place for me to find them?

 

[JayWilder]

Okay so I am all for getting Temp a friend, but now I am having a hard time convincing my boyfriend that it is needed...

Any suggestions? I had him watch the video and all he said was that I'm dumb and we have too many animals and rats don't have feelings... :gaah:

 

[dspch911]

hmmmm, you could just have them magically appear - I kind of did that and the boyfriend loves my ratties you'd think he was their biological daddy they way he takes care of them! I like boys better too - too many bad experiences w/girl pets!!! 1 or 5 its all the same......

 

[JayWilder]

haha! yes well the magically appearing thing...that's kind of how I ended up with Temp and one of my cats...I may be at risk of having to find myself a new home at that point! :wink:

And he will not even touch Temp. He is absolutely horrified of rats. I don't really know why...but even when I mentioned getting him a friend he said that once Temp has passed on I can get another pet as long as it's not a rat :emb:

 

[dspch911]

Mine wasn't to excited about the rat as a pet idea either - until I brought 3 home, then another, and one just magically appeared in the cage - equalling FIVE! He is now their favorite thing to climb on..... Sometimes I think he likes them better than me.. :wink2:

 

[JayWilder]

maybe...i mean honestly he doesn't even go near the cage so it would probably be awhile before he even noticed...i don't know. i just want to avoid a fight if possible.

 

[julia_silve:)]

how could he say rats dont have feelings they are just as (if not more) affectionate than dogs and cats! this is an essay on why rats need friends if it helps : http://www.rmca.org/Resources/apair.txt

 

[JayWilder]

That is a very well written essay...thank you!

Sadly he will not even consider reading it. I think it's time to do a magic trick and see how long it takes for him to notice.

He can only stay mad for a little while right? :dance: