Rats ()

[Genny]

Hey guys, how are you all? I wanted to ask a few Q's about rats for my brother. He is thinking about getting 2 rats. I had a rat in the past and I loved him so much, but my brother has never had one and he's wanting to get 2, and I only had one. So, I wanted to ask would 2 males get along ok? Would it be best to get them as babies? We don't want to get a male and a female because we don't want them to have babies, so would 2 males be good with each other?

I had one rat before so I pretty much know every thing you need to know about keeping them, but I didn't know much about keeping 2 rats together in the same cage? I'm sure he'd get them both out all the time! So they wouldn't be caged up much, just to sleep and eat I guess.

Thanks for your help guys!

[Chilli]

Yes, its pretty much frowned upon to keep a rat alone(as they are pack animals), so its great that your brother wants to get two! =D

Its fine to house two males together, same as its fine to house two females together. The most you'll see is a few dominance bickering at first, but they settle in very fast. =] Just make sure the cage is big enough to allow them to have some alone time if they feel like it.

And I suggest your brother does get them as babies. Though I have two double rex brothers that I got when they were full grown, and they get along fine. The only drawback is that it took forever to tame them(every rat is different, though).. but now they're sweet. They're always by each other. Its cute!



Right now I have six male rats housed together in a very large cage. They're all totally fine together.

Good luck to your brother!

[luckies4me]

Like Chilli said, keeping two males together is fine and most seem to get along just dandy. One thing I need to point out though are dominance issues. At around 7 to 9 months males begin to mature, so you need to watch them closely during this time to make sure they don't start showing aggressive tendencies. It is common for males that have always gotten along to start spatting around this age, and sometimes, though very rarely they need to be separated or neutered to control their hormonal aggression.

Luckily, in my whole almost 10 years as a breeder I have only had about 3 bucks turn aggressive at this time. I've been very lucky.

Chilli, where did you get your boys pictured? Were their parents both rex? The reason I ask is they look like hairless to me. A lot of hairless have hair on the face, paws, and butt. Their whiskers are very different from double rexes. Their whiskers are tightly curled and closer to the muzzle, whereas double rexes have long curly whiskers.

[Chilli]

Chilli, where did you get your boys pictured? Were their parents both rex? The reason I ask is they look like hairless to me. A lot of hairless have hair on the face, paws, and butt. Their whiskers are very different from double rexes. Their whiskers are tightly curled and closer to the muzzle, whereas double rexes have long curly whiskers.

I'm positive you're right. =] Their parents looked just like them, and their whiskers are close to their muzzle. Thanks for pointing that out!

[Genny]

Thanks everyone,

And I have heard that males are more tame than females. Is that true?

[Genny]

I didn't mean 'tame' I meant just more calm. Is that true??

[Chilli]

In my experiance, males do tend to be more relaxed and cuddly. The majority of my males want to do nothing but ride on my shoulder or nap in my hoodie. =]

[Miss Z]

Yes, females generally are a lot more active and alert than the males. They are still up for cuddles every now and again, though!