Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am very new to the world of pet rats. I have a young male rat and I was wanting to get him a buddy but I dont know if another male would be good thing. Would two males from the same litter fight with each other when they get older?

No. Male rats do great together as long as they are introduced as young as possible. You can have an adult male and introduce a weanling male and they should be fine. But 2 adult males can be very difficult. It is possible but don't try it if you don't have the experience to take care of the mess if there is one. Good luck

Thanks. Both the male rats are still pretty young. I am just glad that there shouldnt be any trouble

No, it;s a VERY good idea to get a lone rat a cagemate, they do MUCH better with a friend, A littermate is even better.

>>No, it;s a VERY good idea to get a lone rat a cagemate, they do MUCH better with a friend, A littermate is even better.

Yes this is too true! Rats are social animals who live in large colonies in the wild. They are much more happy in groups than living alone. We can't be with them 24/7, they get lonely without a cage mate.. it's always best to keep at least a pair.
You do want same sex or else you'll be overwhelmed very soon.
-----
PHRatz

With a careful intro, two young rats have an excellent chance of getting along. I've introduced adults to babies, babies to babies, and even adults to adults, and with only one exception all went fine. Even that exception was between two adults. So I think another rat now would be a great idea. Just introduce them on neutral territory (I use the bathtub), then completely deodorize the cage and put them in. A little squabbling is normal.
-----
Kadee Sedtal

home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), pretty girl Fancy (beagle), Crusher (yorkie), the rats-Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Pachebel, Fillmore, and Franz, the mice- Vivaldi, Schubert, Bartok, Johann, Giordi LaForge, Dorothy, Glenda, Em, and Rosa, and the wonderful winter white dwarf hamster- Feather
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey