Introducing Your Rats

Getting new rats? Here are a few quick resources to help make the process easy, and simple!

Rats are territorial creatures with highly complex hierarchies. This means they may scuffle, pin, squeak, etc. when establishing pecking order.

I am a rat breeder so my introductions may look different than those of a pet owner. My goal is to ensure all my breeder residents can easily swap between groups of the same sex. My rats are constantly being introduced to new rats, this differs compared to pet owner.

Important things to know:

• There are a few methods for introducing rats:

• neutral territory method

• carrier method

• Scent swapping method

• Glove method

• Scent masking

• You should quarantine your new rats. You will need smaller, "quarantine cage" that your new rats can be quarantined in. Quarantine should be 2 weeks minimally before introducing them. This will help to ensure if the rats have a disease or illness it, it does not get passed to your other rats. I tend to lean towards 3 weeks to be safe, but 2 if fine.

• If you are getting baby rats, they will be more submissive and biddable.

• You should take into account your current rats, assessing their behavioral and physical condition before introductions.

• Consider the size difference of the rat being introduced. A significant size difference may pose safety concerns.

• There is debate on whether treats in rat introductions are more harmful than helpful. My preference is to scatter an excess of our foraging mix to build positive associations with their new friends. I specifically provide a larger quantity of snacks to limit them stealing food from each other.

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