I hope this helps!

A couple months ago I lost two of my three rats (all females) My Boyfriend was in the hospital b/c of an almost fatal heart attack. So I stayed at his house for three days taking care of things. One of those were taking care of our 3 female rats, Rose, Misty, and Cookie. They lived in a huge wooden cage my boyfriend happily built them that sat in the back sun porch.

I closed all of the sliding doors in the sun room on one of the chilliest nights of September. I woke up around 2:00pm the next day after being up till 6:00am. I stepped out into the sun room and was hit by the unbearable heat as I opened the first door. I ran to the girls cage … but it was two late. My two girls Rose and Cookie were dead … misty barely made it.

I was devastated, and to this day I still kick myself. Misty passed away just this passed Christmas eve. Long story short, I couldn’t take the loss so I got another little female baby rat and named her Rose Mary. She is now about two and a half months old and the biggest pain in the butt. I love animals, but I can’t take it anymore. She’s bit me, my boyfriend and his son. I’ve tried washing my hands, but it doesn’t seem to help. We hold her 15 to 20 minutes a day and yet she still acts as if she has been abused and has seen us for the first time. We are looking to get her a female friend. I need to know the best way to introduce them. We’re also thinking of a baby rat, instead of a full grown adult rat so she can grow up with us, if that makes sense. Please help. E-mail me with some advise if you can.

Thank you for your time
Joanna

Thanks again for your time

When introducing rats, you should have two cages so the new rat can have his own cage at first. (The second cage can be the resident rat’s travel cage.) Never just plop a new rat in the resident rats’ cage because the residents will always defend their territory.

During the introduction process, you should only advance to the next step if there is no sign of aggression within 30 minutes. A resident rat will express aggression by puffing up his fur, arching his back, and swinging his body sideways at the newcomer. If you see this type of behavior, remove the new rat quickly to prevent an attack. Use care when picking up an aggressive rat as they will sometimes bite. Pick them up with a towel. Or if need to quickly break up a fight, you can pick up the aggressor by the base of his tail. If an introductory session results in aggression, try again later, or go back a step.

When introducing a new rat to a group of rats, usually only the dominant resident rat will be aggressive toward the newcomer at first. This is the dominant rat’s “job”. Once the new rat is accepted by the dominant rat, the others may show some aggression in turn, but it usually won’t be as severe.

The Introduction Process

The first step is to place the cages near each other so the rats can see and smell each other. Place wire cages far enough apart so the rats can’t reach through the bars to the other cage, or the result may be bitten toes or tail. The next step is to switch the rats to each other’s cage, even briefly. This allows them first-hand experience with each other’s scent. You may have to do this several times.

The next step is to introduce the rats in neutral territory, which should be someplace where the resident rats are not used to playing. The bathtub is a good place. This will give them a chance to become acquainted without the residents feeling the need to defend their territory. Another technique that can work is to take the rats for a car ride in a neutral carrier.

The next step is to let them interact in an area where the residents are used to playing. Watch them carefully, because this is where some fighting may break out. It may also help if you put the new rat(s) in your lap along with the other rats. By holding everyone at the same time, it may let the residents know that YOU have already accepted the new rat.

The final step is to clean the larger cage out completely and rearrange the furnishings so it appears to be a new cage. Trim the back toenails of the rats to minimize scratching in a scuffle. Put vanilla extract or perfume on all the rats to make them smell the same. Then put the rats in this cage. The best time to do this is in the morning when rats tend to be sleepy.

The dominant resident will probably sniff the newcomer and then “attack” him, forcing him over on his back. If you’ve followed the introduction process correctly, don’t rush to take the new rat out. Instead, carefully observe the fight. Observe whether the resident rat is showing the raised hair, arched back, and sideways approach that are signs of aggression. If so, remove the newcomer, but if not, leave them together. The resident rat must establish his or her dominance and it’s normal for them to “beat up” the newcomer. Just because the new rat is squeaking doesn’t mean it’s getting hurt. This is just a rat’s way of saying “I give up”. As long as you have followed the introduction process step by step, and as long as the resident rat isn’t showing the signs of agression, you should let the fight run it’s course. If you take the new rat out, you’ll prolong this adjustment phase.

However, if it appears that the new rat is being injured, or if the attack seems especially vicious, then of course you should remove him from the cage. But in most cases the “fight” will be over quickly. The dominant resident rat will probably beat up the newcomer frequently for the first few days, and you shouldn’t interfere as long as there are no injuries. But the first attack is usually the worst, and before long the rats will typically become the best of friends, sleeping together and grooming each other.

One of my members also suggested something that worked well for her. She smeared all her rats with pudding! After they got it all licked off each other, they had bonded! But this was a group of rats who had lived in the same house for a while, not brand new rats. You would still need to go through all they preliminary steps first.

Because rats are individuals with their own personalities, occasionally two rats will take a dislike to each other and constantly fight. In some cases, this means the pecking order is changing and the fighting will stop eventually. Neutering any males involved will usually solve the problem. (After a male is neutered, it can take up to 8 weeks for their behavior to change.) However, if these fights continue for more than several weeks, such rats should be separated permanently.
Hope this works ,
Samantha>>Rat Girl any more qustions go to www.petratscanada.com/ratcare.htm Good Luck

I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…

I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view…

There has been a lot of buzz circulating around lately for “waterless car wash” products. If you’re not familiar with how they work, let me first explain. Essentially you spray a small panel of your car with a waterless car wash formula, let it sit …

I have a rat, I saved him from an old friends python who did not take any interest in the rat for more than 20 days. The rat was traumatized and I couldn’t help but feel for him. I took him home with me, I’ve had him for almost 2.5 years. He is not a pet, as I don’t interact with him due to his nasty nature (probably because he was traumatized), he bites and snaps at you. In the last two weeks he is showing blood around the eyes that almost pusses and has caused his one eye to crust shut.used a qtip with warm water to clean his eyes and he was able to open it, however the blood does not seem to be stopping but I can’t see where it’s coming from. I think it might be from inside the eye. The base of his nose also has some blood. There are no tumors present on his body, he is not eating and drinking well at all and is very lathargic and allows me to pick him up now. I don’t want to see him suffer and may have to put him down, but if it’s something simple that I can do for him, special food, etc. I’d love to know. Please advise your personal opinion. Thank you!

My rat Charity has like dried blood around one of her eyes. Can you please tell me what it is and if I need to take her to the vet? Thanks

My question is, will they be okay? They were bought from a pet store. Will they know how to find food and water, and which animals to avoid? (He also have 2 ferrets are the rats were NEVER afraid of them). Will they be okay in the wild?

Thank you.

My rat Isabelle was out free ranging and she ended up eating a hornet. I was wondering if this kind of thing is dangerous to her? She did not get stung and she seems fine, but I just want to make sure….

Thank you

-Allie B

I was wondering if there was a way to mark similar looking rats so that I know the difference? It would be a huge help espesially since I plan on having two females and one male to breed. Also, I don’t want them to breed a whole lot so I want a cage for the girls, a cage for the boys, and a cage for breeding them in. Will this work if we sell the baby boys?

Thanks Kimsy

rats are good pets to have and looking after them is a very serious commitment. you will need a cage for them the bigger the better. thay like toys so a tube to lay in a hamock of some sort chew stick are a major faverate thing my rats have (all 6). i use paper based cat litter its easy to clean out and lasts for about 4 days. the food is simple rat food from pet stores, monkey nuts for a treat, other good treats are carrots, dog biscuits and fruit (non acidic)
as for girls v boys i have girls and have had no problems and thay don’t smell as much. boys are just as nice. the key to sucessful rat owners is regular contact. mine are out for at least 3 hours a day. make sure there is somone to look after rats when you are away/holidays etc.
vet care is also important.
good luck hope you get on well i’m here if you need more help.

laine