I have A rat. One rat. I had an answer about rats and this rat owner said that if I don't have two rats that my rat will die sooner of lonyiness. I was wondering if I just took him out everyday and held him for 10-1 hour would that stop him from dieing lonely soon?

Clover that's not possible animals have no ego sexual or not they rely on instinct. Your rat can't possibly die of loneliness if theres another rat it will reproduce

I have never heard of a rat that died from just loneliness, but I have had single rats before and they were CRAZY. They were just neurotic and wanted to be with me every second of every day, and would start nipping if they didnt get their way. It was crazy. It was completely remedied by getting them a same sex friend. Single rats tend to get sicker easier and that can cause them to die young. I suppose you could sort of classify that as dying because of loneliness. Having a second rat is even easier than having just one. You wont regret it.

I reccommend you get another one to keep your rat company. Or you can stand a mirror next to the cage it would look like there is another rat. I'm not sure if that one works though .... Anyways, it depends on the rat you have, he/she may be able to adjust being alone or he/she may not. So it's best the best choice is to get a new rat!;)

Past rat owners of more than 20 rats.

It's true that rats NEED to live in * same sex * pairs/groups. When they have to live alone they are far more likely to become depressed, aggressive, sick and live shorter lives. They are also likely to self-harm. And no , a mirror won't help. No amount of time you spend with them can make up for having another rat friend. They are highly social animals and communicate, play, groom and cuddle with each other in ways we can't with them. Think of how it would be for you if you had to live the rest of your life without ANY contact with humans, including reading books, watching TV and using the internet; that's how it would be for him.

pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

If you get another rat (s) (which you need to do) you will need to quarantine them for 3 weeks in another airspace and then do proper introductions before they can live together. You will also need to make sure the * wire * cage is big enough for them. If you have an adult male, it will be easiest to introduce a couple of young males (6-8 weeks old) to him. Young males rarely try to be alpha so adult males accept them sooner.
How to do introductions: http://ratfanclub.org/newrat.html & http://fatratcentral.com/interacting-wit ...
Cage calculator: http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.sht ...

" 10 -1 hour "Do you mean 10 minutes to 1 hour? Rats need at least an hour out the cage every day. They need to be allowed to run around in a rat-proofed room. DON'T use a plastic ball, if you are. Using those risks injury to their toes, don't allow them to smell well enough to feel safe (they rely on their sense of smell most), they will get covered in urine and the ventilation is very poor so they have to breathe in the ammonia from their urine which is harmful to them.

Everything that Elizabeth said was very good. I'd also like to add that I like to let my rats on my bed for free range time for at least 2 hours a day. I have a total of 6 rats and let them out in a group of 3 at a time. One of my rats is alone in his cage, as he has some behavior issues, but I let him out every day with 2 spayed (to help prevent mammary & pituitary gland tumors) females every day.

Have owned & loved pet rats for over 8 years.

Your rat wont die from lonliness but in some cases can get depressed. It is just kinder to get your rattie a cage mate. ratties are colony animals and "the more the merrier" applies to them. Here is a printable rat care guide that you can print and keep. It cover almost all you need to know about pet rats and how best to care for them http://www.ratanooga.co.za/RNGuide_TextO ...

AS A RAT OWNER WITH ONE RAT AND THEN WITH TWO, RATS GET EXTREMELY DEPRESSED WITHOUT ANOTHER RAT FOR COMPANIONSHIP. THEY ARE PACK ANIMALS AND ARE SOCIAL ANIMALS BUT NEED RAT COMPANIONSHIP, NOT JUST HUMAN COMPANIONSHIP. AND YES RATS DO DIE AT AN EARLIER AGE WITHOUT A COMPANION.

A rat will adapt, its not going to die. But it is better if it had a friend. You wouldn't die with no friends, but you wouldn't be happy.