Single Rats & Why I don't sell them
I ONLY sell rats in same sex pairs. I will not sell you a single rat.
Why?
Rats are very social animals. They are made for group life. That is what makes them such wonderful pets is that group mentality of love! There are even studies showing rats can be depressed by being alone, and I have even seen it myself.
No you can not possibly give a rat enough attention to make up for a friend. You can not possibly be there 24/7. Even if you spent 5 hours with that rat a day, which is more than most people can, what about the other 19 hours?
Can you snuggle up in a hammock? Are you fluent in rat?
You can not replace another rat.
What happens the day you are sick or tired or busy with work or school? It is selfish and unfair to the rat.
One thing that makes me a good breeder is my responsibility to the animal’s well being & holding my ethical views higher than a sale. I will not compromise that.
But…
I really just want one rat? – A rat may not be a good pet for you then! Try a mouse- male mice have to be kept alone. Try a hamster! If you are set on a single rat… adopt! Go to rescues and search out a lone rat that has either; rat aggression issues or just simply has spent their entire life alone already. That is the only acceptable way.
I’m afraid two rats won’t bond to me as well? – Not true! Hence the whole super social animal concept… they bond just as deeply with you in a large group as if they were alone. Some people who have had a single rat will say it showed far more interest...and it is for a heart breaking reason. You are all they have. If I was all alone most of the time and someone came to say hi, ofcourse I am going to be crazy happy in that moment, because the rest of the time I've been depressed and lonely. If I were starving, I am sure I'd be celebrating eating even disgusting foods I hated! But is the rat really happy? I don't think so :( I’ve had the most amazing heart rats in the world that were very closely bonded to me and they were kept in huge groups of more rats than 2! In fact multiple rats make it even easier to bond with you I have found! The point is rats are highly social animals and will accept you in their group just as deeply and true no matter how many rats are there.
I already have rats though…? I do understand but there is several reasons that I will still not sell single rats. Age groups do matter. If you have a young rat full of boundless energy vs an older rat that is lazy, it is not going to be much fun for either of them. The young rat will be bored and often annoy the older rat. Plus you may have issues with the older rat getting sick or passing and the younger one now being alone. You should also ideally quarantine new animals for atleast 2 weeks, and it is sad if they have to spend that time alone. Being alone at such young ages can even mess up their social development making introductions more difficult in the future. On top of all of that introductions are not always smooth… what if your current rats are not accepting? If you need a slower intro process or they can not be together, that leaves the baby rat all alone. The only exception I may make is if you have another single baby rat, but it would be a rare exception.
