# My Tame "wild Rat. Should I get him a buddy?



## nelyn (Jul 29, 2015)

Sooo.... I have had a pet rat for about three months now. I have him brought to me by one of my cats when he was about 10 days old. I couldn't release him cause his eyes weren't opened yet. I have a post in the introduction page if you need the back story( http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?278417-My-unique-rat-story. ), but its been awhile and how I have some more questions.









So Wilber is getting older (about 3 months now) and he wants to run outside when I open the window (with screen on) he sniffs the air then wants to go on an adventure. Other times he is just crawling everywhere in my room (straight up the door trim like nothing) and it just seems like he is searching. Maybe for a girlfriend? Due to my husband being in Alaska when I got him and my husband not being happy about Wilber to begin with I never got another rat. However my husband being who he is, now likes Wilber. He just doesn't like how I spend most of my day with him as he sleeps near by. Right now Wilber is in his fleece blanket sleeping. So the question has and always will be. Do I get him a friend. He goes everywhere with me. When I leave the bedroom he is in too long he comes looking for me. Yesterday my husband said Wilber ran up to him looking for me and then peed on him. He does that to me when he first wakes up and is all excitable. 
Sometimes I feel bad that there are 8-12 hours each night where he is all alone in his 5x6 foot-ish walk in closet. He has plenty of space but no buddy other than me. I have had a breeder say he could kill another rat if I bring one home. I don't want to have more trouble. What are the odds that he would like a friend or kill an intruder in his eyes. Also he isn't fixed and there isn't a vet I know of in my area that deals with rats. All the ones I called directed me else where. So do I get another boy? Can you get a spayed female cause I feel that would work better. Any insight would be good. I love this guy so much. I feel bad he can't be free so I want to make his life as good as I can being a unwitting pet.


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

He's really adorable! I would only get him a friend if you can neuter him to be honest.

I have 12 1/2 wilds, 8 of which are boys, the girls do great with their domestic friends. However my boys are pretty rough and I have to have them in smaller groups and one by himself. Hormones dictate a lot of rough boy behavior. Being these guys are siblings and can't all be housed together I don't think I'd want to put a domestic in with them. Now if you can find someone to neuter him, I'd bet you could put him in with an unfixed female and they would get along well.


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## Malarz (Sep 7, 2014)

You had him since he was 10 days old, so he cannot know the wild, and cannot miss it. A companion is always good. I don't think wild rats are any less social than domesticated rats. But hopefully someone who had mischiefs with wild rats can chime in with more detailed advice.


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## MinorRobot (Aug 13, 2014)

Ok first off AAAWWWWWWW so dang cute!!
Now that that's out of the way...

Honestly, I know this goes against popular opinion but I don't think it's always necessary.

I currently have 3 wild rats. 2 females and a male.
When I started, I only had one female (Claudia). I had her since she was a baby, we are super bonded. I would spend hours with her a day, sometimes literally all day. She seemed happy, but I felt concerned that she didn't have a friend. When she was a little more than 6 months old I had an opportunity to raise another wild rat (I do animal rescue) so I did and introduced her to Paula.

Is having another rat better? In some ways. A few months after I got the second rat (Paula) my partner and I split up and I moved back home with my mom. Because my mom has cats and dogs, I can't have Claudia out all the time like I did before. Her having a friend makes me feel better about this. It also makes it much easier for me to go out of town, I worry a lot less about her being stressed out because I'm away and she's alone. But looking back I really think she was doing just fine on her own.

My other wild rat, Gus, is a male and is kept in a separate room as the girls. Sometimes I let Claudia run around my room while he's in his cage, and they squabble through the bars. But besides that he's alone. He lives in my room so I let him out a lot more than the girls and he gets a lot of attention. He's also a little easier to let out as he likes to cuddle while my girls prefer to run around and get into everything. Truthfully, I think he is doing just fine. He has neurological damage and I wouldn't be comfortable putting him with another rat anyway.

If (and I realize this is a big if) you feel confident that you will be able to provide lots of attention and devote lots of time and energy (lots of enrichment!) to this rat for it's entire life, I don't think it's necessary to get another one. But if you aren't sure, or travel a lot, you might want to look at your options. For me pairing two females was easy. I think it's trickier for males, but I believe it can be done. I would be cautious pairing him with a domestic rat. I've seen plenty of instances where it's gone great but I know in the wild norway rats will kill roof rats (which is 100% what your rat looks like, but I'm not really an expert) so if you do it just keep a close eye on them.

Getting another wild rat can be difficult and comes with it's own challenges. Moving back home unfortunately meant I never really bonded with Paula the same way. She tolerates me and we have some trust, but she is very skittish and hard to handle. Honestly, in some ways she is almost impossible to handle. For example, I will never be able to take her to the vet. Having Claudia helps (if I am holding Claudia, Paula is much more comfortable being handled and will climb right in my hands) but as she is older I worry about what will happen when I only have Paula. So if you get another wild rat baby, raise it alone and keep them separate for a while while you bond with it before introducing them.

Anyway, I love my wild rats! Claudia and I have such a special bond, it's been such a great experience. Gus is so sweet and cuddly, and even Paula melts my heart when she is in a friendly mood.

There's not a ton of info on keeping roof rats as pets (though I think this is slowly changing), and as Claudia was my first rat ever I felt a little lost. This website has tons of great info, definitely check it out: http://members.madasafish.com/~cj_whitehound/Rats_Nest/Ship_Rats/Menu.htm


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## MinorRobot (Aug 13, 2014)

I realized I've got pictures of Claudia striking a similar pose...


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I've been waiting for this post... I pretty much figured you and Wilbur had already started to bond by the time you last posted and that hubby was going to get with the program once he got to know Wilbur up close and personal. You are most likely both being scent marked every morning after you shower so that Wilbur can be certain of who you are and that you belong to his family. Rats tell each other apart by their smell.

Wilbur's long face and big ears does make him look like a roof (black) rat. But he also has a lot of hair on his ears which still has me leaning towards brown rat. Plus, I tend to recall you lived in a colder climate and roof rats are usually more tropical. If he really is a roof rat, he has a different biology from brown rats and processes urine and medications differently from brown rats so there are really very very few vets that have any experience on treating him, perhaps short of at your local zoo.... Even then not all zoos have a rodent pavilion. So I'd be a little more hesitant when it comes to neutering or any medical treatment unless you find an experienced vet... not just with rats, but with black rats. In a way if he is a black rat, he'll be afraid of a domestic brown rat and you might be better off introducing him to a brown rat pup, at least the pup will be safer.

But again, I'm not sold on him being a black rat... young and thin brown rats can appear to have longer ears and pointier faces too. If he is a brown rat, he's a wolf not a dog. He may be a very sweet wolf, but he's faster and stronger than his domestic counterparts and he's very protective of his family and his home. And he might see a new adult male as an invader. A younger male that doesn't pose a threat might be better off. Keep in mind a wild brown rat isn't going to lose a fight to domestic brown rat... Like a wolf isn't going to lose a fight to a dog and mostly for the same reasons. Wild brown rats are simply more vicious when they do fight.

Well, we are where we are now... the best opportunity to get Wilbur a friend has pretty much passed. And pretty much everything everyone has written is right on target. Wilbur can live as an only rat if you give him 'round the clock attention. If he's a black rat he still might be able to bond with a female brown rat pup... I've never heard of an actual or successful mating between the two species. Or you might still be able to find him a male friend if he's a brown rat, it's just a bit riskier. 

Rats are learning animals, even wild ones and they are pack animals so even wild packs occasionally take in strangers. They pretty much fight, the new rat shows submission and then is welcomed into the family... Male rats also don't often attack rat pups in general. Wilbur is an individual and as such it's hard to predict what he will do. You will have to manage the introduction very much hands on though, if Wilbur sees you accept the new rat into the family, he's likely to follow suit. Wild rats are generally very status driven and they tend to follow their alpha's lead. Again assuming he's a brown rat, he will either accept a small pup or mock fight an older one.. lots of fur flying but no blood or he will just outright attack and kill an intruder... Those are pretty much your options at this point.

I don't think any reputable breeder is going to let you adopt a pup to introduce to Wilbur, and typical pet shop pet rats are likely to be too old to introduce, if you are going to find a friend for Wilbur, you are most likely going to have to go through a snake food breeder or a pet shop that carries pups for snake food. So in some respects, you are giving a rat a chance to live a good life that otherwise doesn't have one... And yes I realize that sounds somewhat heartless.

On the up side... Wilbur did accept Hubby when he came home, that's a good sign. Some wild rats don't tolerate "strangers" in their house at all. 

So, when our part wild girl got home after being outdoors on her own for 5 months, she had a full set of wild rat skills and she had been surviving in the wilds of suburbia, raiding homes, fighting cats, killing small animals for food and she was lean and very serious. She was wired hot for survival and experienced in stealth. What she lacked in wild blood, she made up in experience... I had to make the call to introduce her to our single domestic shoulder rat. And it was a tough call to make I sat down in an easy chair with both rats in my lap and kept them separated, keeping my hands in between when things were getting too out of hand. After it was over I squished both rats into a single ball and cuddled them then put them into their cage together... I had hundreds of tiny pairs of pinholes in my hand... but neither rat broke my skin enough to draw blood, it actually tickled. The girls continued to fight for a few more weeks when I took them out of the cage... Our large domestic rat insisted on power grooming our wild child. She was after all much bigger... Then one morning the fight was over... our domestic rat had two sets of holes in her neck, one pair on either side of her trachea... This was a kill bite, but rather than kill our domestic rat our wild child let go... she made her point and the fighting was over forever. In the end, she didn't want to kill her roommate, and she had shown incredible tolerance and patience... she was a very good rat and everything worked out well. Our big domestic rat never tried to push our wild child around again and our wild girl never fought with our domestic again... they were the best of friends. I'll be honest, it was a tough call to make... These were two rats we loved and had hand raised from 3 weeks old. But they were both bonded to us and somehow I trusted that they would follow my lead. 

I suppose what I'm saying is that you know Wilbur best, you raised him, once you confirm his species you will have to follow your gut instincts. The one thing I learned about wild rats is that each is an individual... and they are full of surprises. So everything everyone has written is absolutely correct, even where it may seem to contradict. 

In any event it's been good to hear from you again and I'm glad for you and Wilbur that you are hitting it off so well... wild rats make terrible "pets", but they do make wonderful best furry friends. And yes, you have got to love how they can climb and squish under stuff... LOL Has Wilbur perfected the "disappearing into thin air trick yet?" If he has, you will know what I mean, if he hasn't your in for a big surprise soon.

Best luck.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I would not get another rat. It is just too big of a risk. While there is always some sweet story of them getting along, there are probably a 100 other stories where things end very very badly. It just would not be anywhere worth it to me.

In the wild rats live in groups where it is a boy and his ladies. Outside rats come along and would be killed. This is going to be his instinct. I wouldnt even bring in a female as they are just so far apart now with domestication that it could be dangerous as they wouldnt be exactly on the same page so to say. I would also be a bit worried that as a wild animal he could be carrying god only knows what that could potentially harm a fancy rat. 

He may just need to live his life without rat friends. Just try to be with him as much as you can, give him lots of toys and such.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Moonkissed, Wilbur was adopted while still nursing, so he was protected by his mom's immune system... He's actually more likely to be more immune to the real world than most fancy rats... The whole rats are diseased and disease carriers thing is pretty blown out of proportion. Wild rats live in gawd awful places and eat all kinds of disgusting things and for the most part when you see one it's fast, agile, bright eyed and remarkably healthy. I think a lot of the health issues our fancy rats have are due to too many generations of inbreeding actually.

I wouldn't try and adopt an adult wild brown rat, because by that point they are just to dangerous to handle... and yes they "might" be carrying something a domestic rat could catch... but at least with regard to diseases, I think a domestic friend would be relatively safe for Wilbur. And in rat societies, there are usually multiple males in a pack, of some curiosity with rats, it's not only the alpha male that gets to breed. I'm not suggesting that Wilbur won't kill another male rat, but the odds are more of a coin toss than a 100 to 1. Wild males are actually pretty accommodating when it comes to pups, because they don't know which pup might be their own as the females often take multiple partners.

Still there is no doubt, if Wilbur is a brown rat, and even if he's likely to be smaller than a domestic male, he would have little trouble killing a domestic rat if he wants to.... So, I'm not necessarily disagreeing with your conclusion, just seeing the odds as different.


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## nelyn (Jul 29, 2015)

First of all thank you for the replies. I think he is a brown rat. I am in washington state on the very north west part. Port Angeles if you want to good and see location., cause I don't know that there are roof rats here. With a google search I got this list of rats in my area. http://animals.mom.me/native-species-rats-washington-4667.html 













Here is a few pics. Tho they are like a month or so old now you can see him better. My gut instinct is that he is ok for 90 percent. But I have chickens that are unclipped, and cats that roam around our 5 acre plot freely. So my instinct is to let him be as free as he can so he has the best rat life possible. I think I am more worried about than he is. But that's more a reflection of me than him I think. I don't think I will get another one. IDK. I have gone back and forth with it since I got him. But your right the time might have past and I think he is happy. He is good with my husband and I. he is just really spoiled. lol We are talking about building a super secure cage off the window so he can have fresh air and explore cause we both think he could chew threw the screen. Having him is great but with 4 cats I feel my time is already stretched. and we are kinda poor we both would want to get something like a critter nation cage. As it stands during the day Wilber has free run of our bedroom. The first few months yes he would disappear and sleep somewhere undisclosed all day. Now he mostly sticks close by and I never have a problem finding him when I need him. Its more a problem when he can't find me. Cause he gets upset. The other day I have a friend over I hadn't visited with for years and He chewed threw the closest carpet and when to sleep in a hammock I put up near the window in my bedroom. When I came in I was like krap! But he was where he knew I would find him. In a think I made for him waiting for me. That day we put a wood strip where the carpet was and now he can't get out of the closest if we don't want. Its now about him getting out. It has always been about one of my cats getting in when we are not looking so I have multiple security measures I take anytime I leave the room or go out of the house. 

ANYWAY. Thanks for the info. I think two boys is my only option but I don't know that I am gunna take it. I don't have kids and Wilber has basically become the closest thing I have to one. lol. Rats are like cats. They seems smarter and he is arguably even more attached than my cats which is saying something. Maybe I am just an animal whisperer or something. lol. By the way Wilber has never bit me. And he doesn't hide from me as I said. The closest thing to any of that he come to is nipping at my finger nails when he is hungry or being playful. As much as he has some wild traits I would say he is closer to tame then wild at this point. 

Thanks for the answers again. Sorry it took so long to respond.


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## nelyn (Jul 29, 2015)

MAYBE! and I post this cause I was just talking to my hubby. Maybe we have a woodrat? I am looking at pictures and he looks like he could be any of the types but his ears are bigger. I don't know. Anyone know anything about wood rats? I told my husband I don't know. All I know is I have a Wilber. lol. Anyone who can say for sure or at least 80 percent sure please chime in. 

He is very sweet and friendly.
But I would imagine that doesn't matter. that reminds me. RatDaddy. You said once he won't go to strangers. But he has a few times. He doesn't nip or bite even or show hostile signs. The worse he has done is just look like he wants to jump back to me. But he has willingly gone and ran to a few people in my car when he was with us. So maybe it was how he was raised around only humans but he really doesn't have the same fear instinct that I thought he would have after imprinting on me.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Every rat will develop his or her own personality... and if Wilbur likes people in general that's a big win. It is however uncommon among wild born rats. To some degree our part wild rat was ok around strangers as long as we were holding her and managing the introductions... she only attacked someone when he grabbed her and we weren't there. Managed properly she was quite sweet and safe.

Understanding that Wilbur can attack and cause a lot of injury is a far cry from predicting that he will.

I brought up the potential dangers of raising a wild rat, not because I think he'll necessarily ever hurt someone, just so you know he can and you can stay ahead of situations that might cause him too much stress where he can "flip out" on someone.

For example if the bites some obnoxious toddler that's tormenting him, even in self defense... you are looking at a very expensive emergency room bill and a freaked out mom... A well trained domestic rat never bites, the same isn't true of a rat with a full set of wild survival instincts. They just sort of flip from normal, perhaps stressed into self defense mode where they bite and claw, and they don't bite once, they bite repetitively and tear flesh.

I might add that Wilbur's good personality is largely due to your great parenting. Wilbur obviously loves and respects you. Mostly people that don't put in the time and effort to properly socialize their wild rats are the ones that wind up in trouble. Oddly our part wild rat was one of the few girls we ever had that would nap on us. In some ways she was more attached to us than most of our domestic girls. But knowing that she could be a powder keg, meant that we always took extra care not to set her off... If she wasn't a sweet and loving friend, we never would have kept her... Knowing she had a dark side helped us to keep her and ourselves out of trouble. Think of Wilbur as a sweet and tame wolf rather than a poodle and the odds are you will never she the kind of damage he can do. Disrespect him at your own peril.


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## nelyn (Jul 29, 2015)

lol. sounds like girls are just more onrey in general. I do use common sense with wilber in general tho. I am not new to animals and have always gotten along with most all animals I have met so that is part of it I am sure. Trying to get video but he just keeps wanting to run to me. so it might take long that I thought or I gotta edit snips here in a day or so. Cause he moves so fast and when he isn't he is sleeping or crawling on me. lol


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