Before Buying Just One Rat...

Please read this to find out why you shouldn't do that!

Rats are social animals as are wolves and humans. Just like wolf packs they establish a hierarchy with an alpha in charge of the pack and an omega at the bottom of the pecking order. The social structure for rats is very necessary for their health and happiness. They can become neurotic without that group bonding that they so desperately need. Loneliness will cause stress and that is likely to cause Mycoplasma flare ups as well as other stress related problems. They behave in very human ways, this is why they are used so much in scientific research, they really are so much like us that they have made the perfect subject for scientists to use. Not that I am advocating their use, this is just fact.

How would you like to be sentenced to solitary confinement for the rest of your life? It wouldn't be a very nice life at all. By bringing home a single rat this is what you are sentencing your rat to; a miserable, unhappy, existence with no social life. Since you cannot be with your rat 24/7, you must provide a family for them so that they have one another to keep company with. Rats like nothing better than to be able to get into a pile for sleeping, it makes them feel safe and secure. The great thing about them living in a large group is that not only will they be happier by bonding with their own kind; but it doesn't matter how many you have all of them will also bond to their humans.

People who don't understand rat behavior often begin rat keeping with the idea that all small rodents commonly sold as pets are alike, there is nothing further from the truth. Hamsters behave nothing like rats, they are solitary animals that thrive in a cage by themselves. They are also not as intelligent as rats, they don't bond to their humans the way a rat will, and they don't bond well with their own kind. They often eat their young when disturbed, rats don't behave this way at all. Hamsters are notorious biters too, and don't really make a great pet for a child.

Male mice will fight, even if they were raised together, male rats will not. Several male rats can be housed together with no problems at all. Male rats don't create a strong odor the way male mice do. Introducing older males can be a challenge but if they are raised together from birth, fighting is almost unheard of.

Gerbils are skittish, but more social than hamsters; however, they haven't much in common with rats either.

Rats are the most intelligent of the typical pet store "pocket pets" so before you decide you want a rat, you really need to consider taking a minimum of two.

It's true they will tumble and wrestle which may appear to be fighting when they are establishing the pecking order but these squabbles seldom lead to any blood shed. When they are working this pecking order out it's best to leave them alone and allow them to settle this themselves. If one rat is truly being harmed by another then they should be separated, otherwise humans need to stay out of it. You may find a rogue rat from time to time that cannot live in a group, but this is rare.

The larger the ratty colony the happier they are especially if they truly are family. They do understand what it means to be blood relatives as opposed to a group of young rats being thrown together from different litters. Littermates often bond more closely than non littermates. Those that aren't related can of course live together and live happy lives, the point here is that the family bond is just a bit stronger for them than a person might think. Wild rats live in large groups with sometimes as many as sixty or even more rats in a colony. They thrive in groups, this is partly why they have been considered a pest animal.

Rats love to play together, they do communicate with each other, for the most part with sounds that aren't audible to the human ear. They will groom one another, they will care for one another in the event that one isn't feeling well. They will protect one another to the point of protecting the body of one that has passed away. They grieve when one passes away, all exactly the way human families and wolf packs behave.

A misconception sometimes found with new rat owners is that brother and sister won't mate. In the wild they most likely will not unless conditions are extreme. Living with humans in a cage is not the wild so don't think for a minute that because they are related they know not to breed. You simply cannot keep male and female together if you don't want to have any babies. A neutered male can live with females or a spayed female can live with males but not many people go to that extreme. Unless you plan to have a huge number of rats, never house male and female together at any time. Don't even let them near one another, it takes the blink of an eye to mate, they can mate long before you can turn around to pick one up to separate them.

Before you decide to bring home a single pet rat, think about the cruel thing you are doing, then get at least two or get none at all. It's no more expensive to care for two than one. A happier, healthier rat will probably generate less medical bills. As with any pet species, don't do for them only what's convenient for you, do what's best for them. Once you take in a pet it's your responsibility to care for it properly and keeping a rat alone is not the proper way to care for rats.

Written by:

Jan McArthur, R.V.T.