Can Small Rats and Large Rats Be Caged Together?

[AnnShh]

I saw the most adorable rat yesterday that has been on my mind all day. He's at PetCo (I normally do not buy animals from petstores, but their rats are actually very healthy. Mine were seen by an exotics vet shortly after purchasing them and he was very impressed with the condition that they were in.) and is listed as a small rat.

The rats I have now were sold as large rats.... and they are pretty large. Maybe 7" long (NOT including their tail). Can they live with the smaller rats?

My one rat may not have much time left... I'm struggling with the decision of if he really has a good quality of life or not. He has some breathing/respiratory issues that he's been treated for multiple times and this last treatment really isn't doing a whole lot for him so I think it may be time to have him put down soon. His buddy is very attached to him and will need another friend. In saying that, I will wait until Rebel has passed before I introduce another rat as I do not want to stress him out more.

 

[3chins]

My son has 2 male rats not the jumbo ones but large in a double Critter Nation. Then the pet store gave him a rat that only had one testicle drop you can see the other one. I wanted to call him Lumpy but he named him Wiggles, anyhow Wiggles is half the size[still young] and we divided the cage but every time we get them together Wiggles picks on the 2 older-bigger rats. I keep switching their cages to get them used to each others scent so they can live together but Wiggles is still tries to bully the big ones.

 

[abednara]

I had four girls that were all the same size, probably classified a medium and bought a new one of the small ones and they took her right in. I read up on it and found that older rats are more likely to take to a little rat than a older, but also the smaller ones do have more energy so they will chase and play with the older ones even when they don't want it.

 

[3CsMommy]

Usually when rats are marketed by size it's for the benefit of those who buy them as prey for other animals. As far as living together as pets, it'll depend on their individual personalities, regardless of where you get them.

If you need another friend for your guy, though, Mainly Rat rescue has people all over the east coast trying to help rehome over a hundred rats taken from a hoarding situation. Maybe there's a rescue near you that can help match personalities better than the luck of the draw from the pet store?

 

[AnnShh]

Usually when rats are marketed by size it's for the benefit of those who buy them as prey for other animals. As far as living together as pets, it'll depend on their individual personalities, regardless of where you get them.

If you need another friend for your guy, though, Mainly Rat rescue has people all over the east coast trying to help rehome over a hundred rats taken from a hoarding situation. Maybe there's a rescue near you that can help match personalities better than the luck of the draw from the pet store?

Do you have contact info for them?

Remy is very playful. He loves his out of cage time where he gets to explore, so regardless of size, I think he'd do best with a younger rat.

 

[3CsMommy]

Mainely Rat is here: http://mainelyratrescue.org/rattieblog2/ but I see you're in VA and I don't know if their fosters go that far south. They are a great source of supplies and such, though, if you mail order and want to help a good cause.

To find one closer to you, I'd try Petfinder.com: http://www.petfinder.com/pet-search...reed=rat&location=Virginia&startsearch=Search The nice thing being, most rescues will have done socialization and training and vetting already, which can be hit or miss with pet store animals.

 

[AnnShh]

I didn't even think of Petfinder. Thanks!

 

[mishalaa]

Rats do not come in sizes.

When they say small rat, they mean young rat. They are not different breeds or anything like that.

EDIT: I take that back, there are dwarf rats, but same species.

 

[AnnShh]

Rats do not come in sizes.

When they say small rat, they mean young rat. They are not different breeds or anything like that.

EDIT: I take that back, there are dwarf rats, but same species.

I was under the impression that they do come in sizes- small, med, large, and jumbo-... as mine were young when I got them but they were definitely bigger than the ones I saw the other day.

I figured that they weren't different breeds... just didn't know if a large rat would take to a small rat or not.

 

[menagerie]

Rats do not come in sizes.

When they say small rat, they mean young rat. They are not different breeds or anything like that.

EDIT: I take that back, there are dwarf rats, but same species.

I was under the impression that they do come in sizes- small, med, large, and jumbo-... as mine were young when I got them but they were definitely bigger than the ones I saw the other day.

I figured that they weren't different breeds... just didn't know if a large rat would take to a small rat or not.

Mish is correct on sizing. That being said the ultimate size of each individual rat does depend on genetics and/or nutrition of mother while pregnant and nursing, some rats are just bigger than others at the same size.

As for putting a young rat with an older rat, it really depends on the individual rats. Also, consider getting two younger rats instead of one. This gives them a playmate of their own age and activity level so they don't get on the nerves of the older boy. It will also help with the single rat problem when the older one eventually dies and saves you from having to go through the whole single rat finding a new friend process.

 

[AnnShh]

Mish is correct on sizing. That being said the ultimate size of each individual rat does depend on genetics and/or nutrition of mother while pregnant and nursing, some rats are just bigger than others at the same size.

As for putting a young rat with an older rat, it really depends on the individual rats. Also, consider getting two younger rats instead of one. This gives them a playmate of their own age and activity level so they don't get on the nerves of the older boy. It will also help with the single rat problem when the older one eventually dies and saves you from having to go through the whole single rat finding a new friend process.

Good to know. I caved and brought two little boys home... but I'll post a new thread on that. They are being quarantined right now with hopes that after they are neutered they will be able to live with Remy. Rebel is not doing well and I think this week I will have to have him put down because the medicine is not working anymore and it's breaking my heart to see him like this