April 03, 2020
World Rat Day is April 4th! In honor of this amazing holiday, let’s deep dive into a question that we at Oxbow Animal Health receive frequently: “Does my pet rat need a friend or are they fine living by themselves?”
Those who have pet rats know what sweet and social creatures they are. Not only do rats exhibit amazing intelligence (just check out this fun video by NanaBorderCollie if you don’t believe us) but they are emotionally intelligent animals as well. In the wild, rats thrive in nesting groups of 5-10 and colonies with up to 100 individuals!
The more we can model and support the instinctual behaviors of small animals in the home setting, the better. Providing your rat same-species companionship in the form of a cage mate will help your little social creature remain mentally stimulated and emotionally engaged all throughout the day.
Much like humans, every animal species communicates in a unique way. Rats interact with each other by exhibiting a series of behaviors to establish dominance or grooming to communicate affection. Rats also love to chase each other and play, cuddle up during naps, and simply enjoy each other’s company. While pet parents can provide their active pets with social and physical stimulation, it isn’t quite the same.
In regard to pairing by gender, same-sex pairs tend to get along and won’t give you the potential issue of unintentionally creating a family!
If you’re a pet parent thinking about getting a second (third, or fourth) rat, it’s essential to spend the time and effort to properly bond and socialize your little ones so that they can have a safe and healthy relationship.
While rats are social creatures, not every pet parent has the option to care for more than one rat at a time. Rats are not inclined to exhibit extreme negative behaviors (e.g. self-starvation) as a result of living alone as long as pet parents spend time interacting with their rats daily. By taking your rat out of their habitat and playing with them, you can stave off loneliness and give them much needed social interaction. As we mentioned earlier, rats also are big fans of playing games and solving puzzles for treats! Check out our Games with Pets Handout to learn more. Also, make sure to include plenty of enrichment opportunities in your little one’s cage so that they can play and entertain themselves when you aren’t available. Rats love to climb and burrow, so make sure that you have accessories in their habitat where they can get plenty of practice!
Want to keep your little one busy? Play a little Treat Hide and Seek! Fill a box with one of Oxbow’s grass hays and hide your rat’s favorite treat inside. They’ll enjoy the treasure hunt!