# Tips for keeping a rat alone of would you get one from a pet shop?



## ladymakaveli (Sep 9, 2010)

Ok so I adopted a single 6 week old hairless dumbo female from a surrendered litter a week ago, she was the last female. I would like to get her a cage mate but there are no breeders in the are, one pet shop is my only option and I would prefer not to get one from there. Would you keep her alone or just get a pet shop rat as a companion? Or if you kept her alone would you do things extra? She has a huge 3 story cage that's prob big enough for at least 4-5 rats & I have her out for a few hours a day. I've had rats off & on for over 10 years now but always just took in pairs that needed homes, never one so young nor just a single one.


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## Pandorascaisse (Mar 12, 2014)

Get her a friend, unless she proves she can't live with other rats. You'll need to try to get one around her age, as I've heard babies don't introduce well to females. However, if you want to wait until she's 10-12 weeks, then you could probably integrate her in with an older female with no problems. 

I wouldn't recommend keeping rats alone, ever, unless they prove they can't handle friends.


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

I would just get one from the pet shop. Rat friends are really important


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## gotchea (May 4, 2013)

I've had two rats at different times that I've kept alone for one reason another. I also like having one rat more than two. Just a better bond in my experience. But having a single rat really isn't advised. A lot of things can go wrong with a single rat with boredom. My rat was with me 24/7 I was done with school and worked from home. When I did go to an office my rat came, trips to the beach my rat came, camping my rat came, dinners out my rat came... You get the picture. Even so, he eventually got bored one night and left me to go find friends who were awake. Maybe if I had two rats I'd still have my buddy :/


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

Get her a cage mate of the same sex. Try to get one that's around the same age as the one you currently have. If you get an older girl you need to know that adult females will not accept another female that is under 12 weeks of age; which is four months. If the pet store girl is in a mixed cage then you'll want to get a girl that's under 6 weeks because at 6 weeks they're sexually mature and there's a truck load of issues and problems that can happen with a pregnant baby and trust me you don't want that.


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## Blackthorn (May 14, 2007)

"If you get an older girl you need to know that adult females will not accept another female that is under 12 weeks of age"

Where did you hear that? That's not true. People introduce babies to adult females all the time with success.

To the OP, try looking on Craigslist and also calling any animal shelters within driving distance (don't rely on internet listings). If there are any rescues remotely near you, ask them - sometimes they can offer transport. If worst comes to worst though it's better to buy another pet shop rat than to keep your current rat alone.


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## ladymakaveli (Sep 9, 2010)

There are no young rats at the pet shop, they are all at least twice her size which was one of my other concerns. And I have checked craigslist, the local rat rescue and went to the only shelter in the area. The closest I found is over an hour away and is an adult so I don't know how that would work out plus she would most likely pass before my little girl and then she would be alone again. I will give her a little time to get a bit older and see what I come up with in other options, but if all else fails I guess I will be getting a pet store rat....


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## MeinTora (Mar 19, 2014)

Hey-Fay said:


> Get her a cage mate of the same sex. Try to get one that's around the same age as the one you currently have. If you get an older girl you need to know that adult females will not accept another female that is under 12 weeks of age; which is four months. If the pet store girl is in a mixed cage then you'll want to get a girl that's under 6 weeks.


I've never heard this. I've had girls introduced as young as six weeks to girls 8-9 months old. And I have had no problems. 

I would get a rat from a pet store before I let her be by herself. Having a lone rat is a full time job. You really can't give a rat what they get from being around their own kind.


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## Lita (Jul 10, 2014)

People have also introduced them and had them killed or injured so severely they did not make. It depends on the personality of the rat but I've seen a lot just on this forum recomending babies dont be introduced till they are 10 to 12 weeks so they have a bit more size on them and are less likely to be hurt in a scuffle. We waited with our younger pair before putting them with the older three because one of the pair was under 12wks for sure. And we'll do it again before putting another young one. If you know the older rat well then I'd assume it would be easier and safer to introduce a younger rat but if they are both new and you don't know her personality it could go either way. And hairless rats get scratched up easier so being cautious could be a good idea. From what I've seen in pet stores they look big but most are pretty young, we introduced a pet store girl to a young girl with no issue. If your girl is hairless though she might look a little smaller? Hairless always look smaller to me. She'll need a friend with fur though, everything I've seen has said they really need a furred friend.


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## MeinTora (Mar 19, 2014)

I hadn't taken that in to consideration...I know all my girls very well an have a rather laid back mischief. I can't imagine any of my girls attacking babies, most of them are even maternal. But you are right, if you don't know the rat well enough you have no idea what to expect.


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## Cyrix (May 2, 2014)

I only know what I've read in the forum but many people have said adult rats will simply kill babies that aren't their direct offspring, a simple Darwinian behavior (kill the competitors' offspring and leave more resources for your own to thrive). I also thought the safe cutoff was 10-12 weeks.

edit: Good example discussion (note this is someone who learned the hard way so not a happy story): 

Oh for the love of Pete it won't let me paste right now. Search "help restore my faith", full title is "Please help restore my faith in rats". I've seen the subject of adults killing babies brought up many times but remember that one clearly.


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## ladymakaveli (Sep 9, 2010)

Unless she is super small for her age she is still very small compared to them hairless or not, like half there size I would guess or so. I'm gonna wait till she's a bit older like suggested, hope I can find her a good friend.


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