Introducing Rats Together

Rats are highly sociable and wild colonies can grow into the thousands if given the opportunity and a supporting food source. 

Most pet rat keepers agree that groups of three or more are usually more stable than when rats are kept in a pair. Studies of lab rats have supported this practice.

It is now frowned upon to keep rats singularly and deprived of rat company. Lone rats can and do suffer from clinical depression, meaning chemical changes happen in the brain when deprived of fellow rat communication and bonds.

Exceptions to this rule might be when a very elderly rat loses their last cage mate and becomes the 'last man standing'. Rather than go through the trauma of being sent to a new home at this stage, we believe it to be in the best interest of an elderly rat to pass out their days at the home and in the family they've always known.

We have known for people to tragically feel bullied into giving up much loved family pets because they are told they are being selfish and cruel if they don't give their last elderly rat to somebody else who has more rats. In reality it is just the same as having any other kind of sociable pet who grieves for a friend they spent their life with. You would never be advised to give that pet away. However if you are in the situation where you have a lone rat and 'don't' wish to give up rat keeping then you should most certainly not delay in adding some baby rats to create a new group with your old lady or gentleman who may well enjoy a new lease of life with the company of playful little ones.

 

Of course there are other scenarios where you may wish to bond rats together. You may have bought young rats for the first time and they have captured the hearts of you and your family causing you to instantly know you'd like to increase your group! You may have planned a rolling group all along and be ready to add a new pair to your 'mischief'. Lots of keepers opt to add a pair of babies to their all male or all female group every 6-12 months. In my personal experience, I would recommend a trio of either sex or if you wish to keep a larger group then I would recommend a maximum of 6 males to a group and I don't have an optimal number for females, suffice to say that they tend to enjoy 'the more the merrier' philosophy and group size should be limited to the capacity of your cage setup.

So without further ado, let us learn more about HOW to introduce new rats together! 

 

How To Introduce Rats

If you have done a quick Internet search on the subject, you have almost certainly been told to look into something called the 'Carrier Method'. This very article is written to provide information which will hopefully help you to decide against this new 'method' of facilitating new rats to meet each other. For more information on why I do not recommend this way, please read HERE

There is a frightening amount of misinformation floating around on the Internet. Some looks mighty convincing! Particularly when repeated over and over. I am very commonly meeting potential rat owners or even existing ones who suffer from complete confusion at all the conflicting information regarding rat welfare. You may have seen one person give advice just for another person to advise the complete opposite. You may struggle to trust advice when it is clearly not first hand experience/ information being given. 

I hope that this page helps to alleviate some of the frustrations that may have bought you here.

 

I will start by saying that since you have read this far into this article, I can safely assume that you care about rat welfare and are keen to do what is best for the rats in your care, or planned to be in your care. My number one tip above all else is to trust your own judgement and enjoy getting to know your own rats, since they are all individual personalities with unique backgrounds and experiences and the only rats living in your particular home set up and in your particular family. Be mindful that other people offering advice have different rats, different home/family and a completely different set of experiences. NOBODY IS AN EXPERT, there is simply no such thing. We are all still learning when it comes to the complex social structures and behaviours of rats.  Therefore it is great practice to read as much as you can but with an open mind and ultimately, make the right choices regarding your own rat care, based upon trusting your own instincts as a loving owner with the best interest of your pets at your heart.

Step One

Setting The Environment

The first thing you must plan is the space in which you will allow your two rats (or two sets of rats) to meet for the first time. We want to get this right. We want to set the rats up for success. This is the first time they meet and that can only happen once. If it goes a bit pear shaped then we want to know that we did all we could to help all involved to make friends peacefully.

You can choose to use a bed, sofa, playpen or bath tub. A very large storage tub also works well if you have one. Scatter some food treats and maybe small toys such as cat balls or other interesting items to sniff at. Importantly, choose the calmest and quietest time in your home that you can. Choose a time when you are feeling relaxed and calm. This will help the rats as they will sense your mood. It can help to have two people available. Lastly, be ready to intervene if two rats decide they don't immediately like each other. Have a gloved hand or item to place between two rats if you are feeling nervous to be bitten.

Step Two

Adding The Rats

It is time to pop the rats together! In no particular order but as quickly as you are able, pop all rats together into the controlled space you have created. Watch them all carefully but quietly and calmly. Notice the reactions and behaviours of each. Well adjusted rats will be equally as curious about their environment and the distractions you have placed around as they are in each other. You'll see greeting, sniffing, possibly rats standing up nose to nose as they size each other up. You may see one rat pin another upside down for a short time and you may hear some vocal interaction where the rat who will be lower ranking squeaks in submission. You may see gentle nipping and grooming. There are many behaviours to be observed and learned. Your rats will teach you and show you a lot more than I can cover here in this short guide. If things are relatively peaceful then we have success! You may repeat this step tomorrow or move on to Step 3.

When To Intervene

The behaviours that require your intervention are aggressive chasing and any biting that could result in injury. At this time you must remove the aggressor and pop that rat alone to help them decompress. The only time a rat will instantly attack another is if they are not socially well adjusted and have suffered trauma or a bad start at some point in their lives. The other reason would be if they are a naturally overly bossy alpha rat who is unfortunately suffering a hormone surge at the time you chose to make introductions. This can count for males and females. 

Step Three

Housing Together

When you feel content that your rats are getting along amicably, you can then add them all together into one cage. It isn't necessary to be too paranoid about any scent of existing rats although a clean out is advisable. I do highly recommend changing beds and hammocks, particularly favourite sleeping spots of any existing rats who lived in the cage before. If the old rat(s) will possess over anything, it will be the bed. Adding plenty of hiding places can also really help everyone to feel secure during the bonding process which isn't over yet! It can take another week or two but all being well, it is likely that your new group will all be curled up together as soon as that same night! 

Introductions Frequently Asked Questions

When Should I Begin Intros Involving Baby Rats?

Always be well prepared with a 'backup cage' for temporary use. this is good practice when keeping rats incase you need a time out cage or hospital cage. You can also use it to house new babies until you are ready.

A lot of keepers believe that baby rats shouldn't be introduced to adults until they weigh 200g plus or are big enough to defend themselves. 

That said it is entirely possible to introduce 6-8 week old babies to adults (especially females) and I have helped people to do this many times. 

Baby rats have a 'puppy license' which allows them to get away with a lot with adults who do not see them at all as a threat. In fact many adults meet baby rats and become super excited and parental. Interestingly, many people worry how their bossiest rat will treat new babies when often times it is their quietest rat who ends up being more of a handful as they can sometimes meet new group additions and get over excited at the prospect of not having to be 'bottom rat' which can lead to them being a little overly domineering over the poor babies. 

Our advice is that if you feel confident, you can allow your baby rats to meet existing rats as soon as you've had chance to start bonding with your babies and they have a little trust in you and will run to you for safety. You can then use Step 1 and Step 2 to make your educated decisions based upon whether their first meeting was a success or not. If you don't feel confident and are worried that a baby could be hurt, simply keep them apart and repeat Step 1 -2 for little playdates until such time you feel they are ready for Step 3.

 

When Should I Begin Intros Involving Adult Rats?

You can begin from Step 1 as soon as you are able. We do not advise housing rats near to each other in separate cages. You could be forgiven for thinking that this would be a good way for rats to get accustomed to each other but in reality it often creates two separate territories and can cause the rats to fight when allowed to meet via the step by step method described here. It is a good idea to keep the two cages as far apart as you can until you can make the two groups into one. 

You may decide to spend time with the newest rats first and build trust and bonds with you before blending them together into a group with your existing rats. 

Again, if the initial meeting doesn't go well enough then you can repeat Step 1 - 2 daily until you are happy to proceed to Step 3 and house the group together. 

Can My Meeting Place Be On My Body?

Yes! You can allow the rats to meet by having your rat on your shoulder or in your lap, then hold the new rat at the same time so that you can help both rats feel safe. I only advise you do this with two rats at a time. Please be aware that while it CAN work in certain instances, it does also throw in a 'jealousy factor' whereby any rat closely bonded with you may not readily share you with some newbie! 

Worst Case Scenario - My Rat Is Bitten!

Although rare, it is possible for an injury to occur when any two strange animals meet each other. This can be caused by a stressful environment. It can be caused by nervous handlers. It can also be caused by illness if one rat isn't feeling well and sadly this may even have gone unnoticed since rats are so good at hiding illness. Another reason a bite could occur is if one of the rats involved is maladjusted socially due to a past trauma. Rats who have been exposed to the carrier method are also likely to have affected ability to meet and build bonds naturally with others. 

So if it happens and a rat sustains a bite which is bleeding, you must put the aggressor straight back in their cage with no further attention given. Preferably alone for a little while until they have relaxed. 

You will need to assess the bite mark and hold a clean cotton pad on the wound until bleeding stops. You can clean the bite with antibacterial wipes and ideally spray with an antimicrobial spray to guard against infection. Try not to worry too much. Rats have incredible healing powers! If the bite is deep or in the neck area you may need a vet checkup to be on the safe side. Importantly, spend lots of time reassuring and trust building the injured rat with lots of cuddles. You must not attempt further meetings until any injuries are healed. You can then start again from Step 1 but I strongly recommend using more distractions and obviously being faster to separate should things get tense. It will also be important that you keep your own nerves calmed because understandably you will be on high alert and worried about a second fight. Stay calm and be guided by the rats. You may well have an incident free session this time. 

It may be a good idea to end the meeting on a positive note and don't let it go on too long. You can always try again tomorrow! It is all about building trust and building bonds naturally and gently. 

How Do I Know My Group is Bonded?

When you have added all rats to the same cage there may still be some playfighting and wrestling for a week or two. The odd challenge may occur with lots of squeaking and two rats may be wary of each other. But given time to establish their hierachy without interruption, the group will become completely peaceful and only friendly tumbling around by very young rats will be seen. 

The main sign that a group has fully bonded is when all members can be found sleeping together or resting together in the same bed or hammock. 

My Rat Has Hormonal Aggression

When males in a group reach maturity they can experience hormone spikes and the alpha male can either be a particularly peaceful chap and you may never notice any issues. Or you may have a strong alpha in your group who completely disrupts the peace and causes upset by picking on a certain cagemate or maybe even harrassing all other males, turning the cage into a stressful squeakfest of tussles breaking out. 

Please remember that hormones fluctuate so spikes are only temporary. It usually isn't necessary to rush out and neuter a male who has become more frustrated. It may come and go while he is in his prime but eventually, all rats settle into a peaceful and mild mannered lifestyle past the middle aged stage. This is when you can reap the rewards of all the headaches your group gave you as you raised them through what can feel like a toddler's 'terrible 2's!'

It is important not to demonise your alpha by calling him 'the nasty one' or 'the evil one' etc. He holds an important post in his little rat society that gives him an urge to pass on his genes, which he is unable to do in a petcage life and this leads to frustration. Though don't feel too sorry for him! For he is in fact living in nirvana in all other ways being waited on hand and foot by his human minion! He even gets his own private healthcare!

So, patience is key. But an important tool can be a time-out cage if things get too heated, where your alpha can live for a few days alone to decompress. This gives you time to spend with him giving one - on - one attention so he doesn't get lonely. It gives the rest of the group time to relax and gather themselves without the constant stress of a domineering ruler!

You must still allow the boys playtime together outside of the cage which should hopefully be a distracted and peaceful experience as they investigate food treats and toys. Any undesirable behaviour should result in the rat being put back in their cage and their funtime ended for the day. 

When you feel everyone is at ease, whether they've lived apart for a couple days or a week, you can then pop the alpha back into the cage with the group after playtime and reassess the situation. It helps to have made some rearrangements to the cage in the mean time. Maybe moving furniture around, particularly in areas you witnessed bullying happening. 

Rats who have been in time-out begin to crave rat company once again. When you give that back to them, you may see a much more peaceful behaviour as he is so glad to be back among friends. It is always lovely to see the peace restored. 

This may be a permanent fix. Or you may need to repeat time-out but likely he wouldn't need as long next time. 

If you really cannot cope or bad injuries are caused to cagemates, you may still opt for neuter which some have found to be a real help. But please use this as a last resort due to the ethical implications of having an animal surgically altered to make life easier for the keeper.

It often isn't in the best interest of the animal and implants can be even more dangerous as too little is known. I would strongly advise discussing with a rat savvy exotics vet before opting for surgery. 

 

Females too can be such a tiranical alpha that subordinate females often sustain ear tears and bites under the reign of a bossy alpha. A well adjusted alpha rat usually goes unknown to the untrained eye. It can be very hard for the keeper to even pick out who is top rat! But again, with the super bossy personality trait, there seems to be periodic unrest. It is less severe than in an all male group but if injury is sustained I would recommend the same time-out treatment process. 

Written by: Caro Lawson, UKDR, Broadwaters Rattery

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