Of all the available animals for younger children to get their first flavour of pet ownership with, along with the associated responsibility that it brings, rats are always at the top of our recommended list for prospective pet owning families. Rats can be encouraged to be sociable from a young age, are easily handled, intelligent, typically tame and have an appropriate expected lifespan for a first (or subsequent) family pet. Plenty of adults will love the companionship and interaction that a rat brings too. But should rats be housed together rather than as singletons? In this article we take a look at the opinion surrounding this topic.
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Rat society
By their very nature, rats are inherently very sociable creatures that enjoy the company of and relationships with other rats. Often their social structure is based on a complex hierarchy within the large wild groups in which they would naturally live. Mutual grooming and co-sleeping are features of their natural lifestyle. And rats are quick to pick up and learn survival tips and hints from their fellow companions.
As such, it is perhaps not a surprise to learn that rats do thrive significantly more, when housed with companions, or at least one other rat. In the wild, rats would naturally live together in large groups, wonderfully named as a mischief! Keeping same sexed groups is preferable, with similarly aged individuals. With mixed sex groups, you can expect to welcome a vast number of rats shortly thereafter; since rats breed relentlessly and exceptionally quickly when housed together as different sexes!
Same sexed siblings would represent an ideal pairing or trio
Unlike some pets, rats manage perfectly fine without the presence of the other sex. Alternatively, however, if differing sexes are to be housed together, prior and pre-emptive castration of the males by an experienced rodent veterinarian would be recommended.
Such suitable companionship will encourage your rat to thrive; and will provide significantly better for their health, behaviour and welfare needs. Good quality breeders and suppliers of rats may, in fact, insist on you obtaining more than one rat at a time as part of the “contract” of purchase. Conversely, the isolation of rats is associated with a negative impact on their wellbeing. Solitary and isolated rats may become depressed and or develop behavioural issues and conditions.
Two, or three, or more?
Whilst a pairing of rodents was often thought to be the ideal minimal group size, it has been found that, on occasion, pairs of rats may become agitated with one another; so will tend to develop and show aggressive behaviours. In order to minimise any such behaviour, it is essential that the rats spend time out of their home cage being handled, trained and, ideally, being allowed to explore their local environment – as long as it is safe to do so. Time outside of a cage should be at least an hour a day; having established that the local environment is safe, secure from the possibility of escaping and safe from the threat of any other animals or exposure to hazardous conditions or substances.
Living within a group or as a pair will enable your rats to feel confident
They will also learn to develop, express, and fine-tune the skills they rely on the wild; such as navigating, foraging, exploring, and learning. Additionally, once a social group has been successfully established, it is better to maintain this group as a closed unit, avoiding the introduction of new rats, as this will likely cause unnecessary stress, aggression and even injury.
Make sure you can provide them all with what they need
When considering homing two or more rats, important consideration should be given to providing sufficient space and resources within their living environment. Adequate access to food, water, resting sites, and play facilities is important so that individuals can meet their welfare needs including seeking solace if they so wish to. Rats are best suited to large vertical cages because they enjoy and love climbing. Ropes, hammocks, hideaways, and resting locations will provide places for activity and sleep respectively. Chewable toys will also ensure stimulation, enrichment, and enjoyment. Perhaps contrary to popular belief, rats are actually meticulously tidy creatures and invariably will keep their home environments spotlessly clean.
Hopefully this article will have convinced you that rats are indeed sociable, loveable and clever creatures. And as such, are best suited to living in pairs or small groups.
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