If the rat i have is 14 weeks old and i want to introduce a new rat to her how old should it be?
Its just that i read that if you introduce an older rat they will probably fight .. how old is too old?:)
Also, is rescuing a rat a good idea, like from an animal shelter? Or are they more likely to be aggressive?
Any age should be ok,
They should get on fine. Introduce them in the bath tub that way it new territory.
Females tend to get on with other rats easier then males.
Mine are bout 1 year i have added three babies recently and they have all got on fine.
No from a rescue is such a good idea because so many need loving homes.
Not more likely to be agressive,
and may be able to pick up a baby that has been handed in due to to many or unexpected litters.
Good luck ..
I've introduced 14 week old rats to a 2 1/2 year old rat, it took a little adjusting (because of dominance) But they should be fine. You might see them "playing" tag and using their hands and legs to scratch one another on each others backs. But this is only dominance. It should stop within 2 weeks. the most i've seen is 1 month.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Adopted rats can be aggressive, but also docile, I recommend holding the rat before adopting it.
The rat I have is 3 years old and is still up-beat with the three 1 year old rats. So its not really too late unless your rat has a health problem at an old age, then I would not recommend introducing any other rats to the rat that has problems, but in that case you could have a separate play pin for each rat and let them visit, as long as the rat that has problems doesn't have a problem that is contagious. Hope this helps=)
My two older teenager boys were introduced to the toddler when he was 6 weeks old. I washed the whole cage down and bathed everyone except for Damien because he was so small. They pretty much just ignored him and occasionally beat him down just for hierarchy . Now Damien is the mid-teenager and the other two are full grown. Oh and just for giggles: They are all hairless.
U can introduce a new rat at any age to urs, if u have seen "spider pig" ; he posted a video of his new rats and he was introducing his 2 older rats to 4, 4 week old rats. and they got on perfect, it just takes a lil bit of time ..
Introduce the new rat at 7weeks . As the the new rat may be scared. And needs to get new to its surrounds.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Rescuing a rat, maybe aggressive as that is why it was given to the shelter
