Topic: 'Fancy' rats

[Hyacinth]

.....does anyone (or perhaps their children?) keep rats as pets and has advice re: introducing new, younger, rats to the established order or can direct me to a Site I can pass on to the owner to pose the questions she has?

Thanks, Lishka (who doesn't like rats, plain, fancy, four legs or two, but hey! I'm willing to help a friend-in-need...)  ;D

[Mr Smith]

Alishka,
           Can't help you on that one but a friend of mine who was a rat catcher back in the 60's kept some of the feral rats that he trapped as pets, after a good de bug and bath they made lubbly little friends ;)

[Hyacinth]

Thank you for your reply.

I remember seeing a doc. on the tele years ago where a 'gentleman of the road' had a feral rat as his pet and best friend..was well-impressed 8)

However, I need a link to any forum where 'proper' rat-fanciers/keepers can give advice.

Thank you again for your input.

 :)

[Jeannine]

Hi Lish, we used to keep hooded rats many ears ago when the kids were little uns. They were super friendly, very clean and adorable.

 I can't recall any details about introducing new ones but I do remember they lived together without problems. The kids had quite a few, I remember two Mums in the same big house, both with babies, they used to nick each others kids, eventually one Mum would have the lot, then the other Mum would have to wait till she went to eat and nick em back.

 XX Jeannine

[Hyacinth]

LOL Jeannine  :D think if I'd been born a lady rat :P I'd have handed them over - and scarpered ;D

On another forum, someone's come up with a link to this site: http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/home/ so my friend and her young daughter are now sorted. 8)

[debster]

nobody wants some young rats do they?

[silly billy]

It can be abit tricky introducing a new rat to an existing group but it is possible. Its also easier if its a group rather than just introducing 1 rat to 1 other rat. The best way is to remove the existing rats from their cage and let the new one in so he/she can get covered in the smell of the existing group. Then you need to place the existing group and the new rat in a neutral area and see how they get on. You may have to do this a few times and be prepared to intervene if they fight. Then clean out the groups cage put a few new items/toys in the cage and place all the rats back in the clean cage.
There is another method which I have copied n pasted below

Introducing Rats

It is easiest to introduce rats to their companions when they are young (preferably under 10 weeks old). However, even adult rats can be introduced to companions. When introducing adult rats, first clean out the cage thoroughly to remove territorial scents from the resident rat. Dab both rats with perfume or vanilla essence (to disguise their smells) and introduce them on neutral territory, not in a cage which one recognises as its own. There will usually be some fighting for the first few days after they are introduced. This is not usually serious, but to avoid it you may prefer to introduce them gradually, letting them first just sniff each other and then work up to putting them in the same cage over about a week. It is harder to introduce adult male rats to other adult males, and such introductions need to be done over several weeks. It is usually fairly easy to introduce an adult male to a young baby male of 6-10 weeks, although the introduction must be carefully supervised.

There are a few sites on google which explain how to introduce new rats.

[Hyacinth]

Thanks S-B and I'll copy your reply to my friend if I may. She checked the site I sent her the link to, and reports that she and her daughter did all the right things, but that more reading first would have been better. She also says that she hopes they all settle down cos it's bloody hard work! They have 2 females already & bought 2 young females last week - one was obviously the runt of the litter, being half the size of her sister. This little one got killed by one of the existing females, who went for it's throat and it was all over in abt. 20secs.. They are therefore closely supervising and monitoring the intro. of the remaining newbie to the other two...I don't feel she's confident enough to leave them all together at night when she and her daughter aren't there, so far...

Her young daughter's heartbroken - me, I've got another little grave in their garden to tend :D