I see you know a lot about rats! I want to own rats someday--I read below that you should get at least three. Should they all be of the same gender? Or can it be males and females? And should you get them when they are still young/babies so that they can bond as they grow up together?
They must all have the same gender or you will have about 8-20 babies in only 22 days, and there are already enough ratties out there seeking a new home. So a decision has to be made: Girls are generally more jumpy and axtive than boys, so if you want to keep them in your room, I recommend boys or you won't get a good night's sleep. (There are lots of exceptions though!) Mine still keep me awake at night and they're boys. Boys tend to get more cuddly and lazy than girls with age, and they're bigger. So if you aren't grossed out by their obvious humongous balls, I'd probably recommend boys. Though, if you ever decide to add more members to your pack, males take longer to introduce to each other. Proper rat introduction requires a second, big enough cage (L 80cm x W 50cm x H 80cm at least!) and daily short meetings on neutral territory (e.g bathtub) That get longer everyday until they're ready to meet on pack teritorry (not the cage! They need to be able to walk freely in a bigger, ratsafe area outside the cage for at least 2 hours a day). If that works out for another week or longer, and only then, they can be put together. This process is easier and faster if you have girls. If you just put the together in the cage with no introduction, it isblikely they will fught each other to death.
I got mine at two months age, but it doesn't matter if you get them young or fully grown. If you get them as babies, their personality changes can be confusing for a newbie, so actually I'd recommend adopting them at about 6 months of age. There are lots of lovely beginner rats waiting for new homes in pounds. If there are more questions, feel free to ask.
So cute!
Thanks :3
I got mine at two months age, but it doesn't matter if you get them young or fully grown. If you get them as babies, their personality changes can be confusing for a newbie, so actually I'd recommend adopting them at about 6 months of age. There are lots of lovely beginner rats waiting for new homes in pounds.
If there are more questions, feel free to ask.