New friends for older rats?

[elizabeth / daphnis]

Hi all! My three boys are a year and a half old, and one of them hasn't fully recovered from being sick so I sadly think he might pass soon. Only two left is obviously not great because then there'd be only one soon, so I think it's time for me to get them new friends.

1. Is it time for that?
2. Should I adopt adult or baby rats, or does it not matter?

Any advice is appreciated!

Attaching pictures of them because they're just so cute and lovable lol

[LINDSAY PULMAN]

Hi,
First a few questions:
-the one boy who was sick, what is he sick with? What are his symptoms?
-did you get him to a good rat vet, or are you treating him on your own?
-What did you use for medications?
-What dose did you use, and for how long did you treat him?
The reason I am asking all this, is that some of the diseases rats suffer from may not clear up entirely, but need to be treated on a long term basis. Also, he may be sick with something that is not terminal. Why do you assume he may pass soon?
Sometimes just a change of medication will help.
I can advise you on this, and if you have not seen a vet, I HIGHLY recommend my own vet, Dr. Marc McDanel, now at Gardens Veterinary Hospital in Cranberry TWP. He is an experienced rat vet with a lot of experience.
Can you please answer these questions first, as you may not need to add a rat at this time. We can discuss the eventual passing of one or more of the boys, and what to do, after we clear this up.
Yes, there are some very important issues when considering adding a male rat to a group who have been living together!
Let me know the details first, OK?

Lindsay Pulman, LVT, LATg
President, Pittsburgh Rat Lovers Club

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[LINDSAY PULMAN]

And one more quick piece of advice, when it comes time to add a rat or two to adult males, NO BABIES PLEASE. The rats added will have to be old enough and big enough to defend themselves if necessary. Sometimes an older male will not accept the addition of another male easily, and will need to have an introduction period in neutral territory (place like the bathtub, which as no established rat scent) over a period of a week or two, a half hour at a time. WE can go through all that when it becomes necessary. For now, let me know about the one who was sick, please answer all the questions I asked in detail.

Sincerely,
Lindsay

> On 01/27/2024 10:34 PM EST elizabeth / daphnis <spoc...@gmail.com> wrote:
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[karen...@yahoo.com]

Hello,

((Hugs)) for your older boys. 💕💕

They are indeed, so cute!

Younger rats can become good friends with elderly rats.   Slow & careful intros are important.

The youngsters need to be old enough to be safe if an elderly rat was to bite or attack the new guy.

Karen