Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK, I think I did something a little rash today. My 6 1/2 year old daughter has wanted a rodent for months. All I kept hearing from people was what great pets rats are, much better than hamsters or guinea pigs. So we were at Petco, and there was one female rat left. My daughter held it and her eyes just lit up and I said, great, let's get it. We got a nice cage, food, bedding, etc. Not until we got it home did I start doing Internet research and found out that rats should be kept as pairs (the Petco girl, who had a rat herself, said that they do fine alone with human interaction.) Right now the rat (Coco) is a little scared, but we have held her and let her run around outside and she seems like a sweet animal. Does she absolutely, positively need a companion?

So if we do need to get another, how and when do we do this? I'm reading about quarantining, slow interductions, and I just don't think I'm ready for all this! Do we wait and let this one get used to her new surroundings, or get another right away? There are no litter mates at PetCo as we got the last one. Do I really need to keep them apart for weeks if I get another? I'm also worried about the time factor- playing with 2 rats as opposed to just one! When school starts in a week, my daughter won't have a lot of time. We also have a dog, so the rat(s) and the dog will need to be separated at all times. Was this a bad idea entirely?

Please don't be mean to me, I know this was dumb and I should have asked these questions before getting the rat.

Thanks for any advice/help.

Michelle

Hi Michelle, you certainly have a much better pet in my opinion than a hamster, gerbal or g. pig.
I beleive that if you are going to spend at least 2-4 hrs. with or rat she will be fine. I would spend time at night with her too, sitting and watching T.V with a rat is great fun.
I have 2 rats that are kept together and one would rather spend time with me than her cage friend.
Robin
Harm None.

You know...I think it's actually LESS work to keep rats in pairs, rather than keeping a single rat. When you have 2 in a cage, you don't have to feel as bad if they're not getting hours and hours of human attention because they always have each other, kwim? And the amount of work isn't really increased by much, as far as cleaning is concerned.

I would definitely get her a friend. I would also definitely quarantine the new friend for at least 3-4 weeks. The one time I didn't (I worked at the store where this rat was born, watched him grow for 5 weeks and he seemed perfectly healthy- so I skipped the quarantine) I lost several rats to some horrible virus.

If there's any way you could keep the new rat with a family member or friend that would be ideal. I know it's a lot to ask, but it's the safest way. If you absolutely have to bring the new rat to your own house, keep them in seperate cages at opposite ends of the house. Always handle your "old" rat first, and wash hands and even change clothes in between handling them.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
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~Rachel~