The Rat Mischief: Adding New Members Safely
You might think putting your new rats with your old ones after arriving home is okay. However, even rats from a trusted breeder need to quarantine before joining your mischief to prevent the spread of sickness. All new rats also need an introductory process to ensure everyone gets along.
Quarantine
Quarantining new rats for 2-4 weeks prevents contagions from spreading through your mischief. A temporary cage in a separate air space, like an enclosed room, is necessary. Watch for any signs of sickness and parasites like lethargy, a rougher, dirtier coat, not eating or drinking, increased porphyrin, labored breathing, or weight loss.
Most rodent owners cannot do a proper quarantine. A separate building unvisited by anyone who has other rats is best. SDA can survive outside a host for three hours. Transference is possible if you go to an infected pet store and return home too soon. However, the instructions above help prevent some contagious and parasitic spread. Do not skip them for any reason unless you can do a better quarantine.
Some websites track certain outbreaks. Extra caution is necessary if you are near or sourced your rats from a place with an outbreak like SDA.
New home sneezes are normal and should resolve within the first week. Call a vet if symptoms other than new home sneezes occur or these sneezes last over one week. Treat the illness. Once all symptoms are gone and medications are complete, reset the timer. You can start introductions after two or more solid weeks of no symptoms.
Introductions
Many introductory methods exist. The most common methods are the neutral territory method, the carrier method, and the cage swap method. Which method to use is controversial. Some believe, “Do it wrong and they will kill each other.” Or “Don’t change a group after introduction or they’ll never get along.” These statements are incorrect.
The only reason for special introductions is temperament uncertainty. You can never be 100% sure of their temperament, so erring on the safe side regardless of origin is best. Even if you get your rats from an ethical breeder, doing a quarantine and neutral territory intro method will ensure the safety of your mischief.
Carrier Method
The carrier method puts all your new and old rats in a tiny space, forcing them to touch and interact. This is supposed to create a more stressful situation which facilitates bonding. People say it’s safer because rats can’t pull away from a bite.
However, I can not recommend this. It creates an extreme stress situation, which lessens warning time before a bite. One well placed bite can kill a rat. It’s equal to putting five strangers in a space the size of a small closet to make them friends. There are less stressful intro methods.
Cage Swap
The cage swap method involves swapping rats and accessories back and forth between dirty cages. This repeats many times, keeping the rats separate until near the end of the process. They smell and at some point see strange rats, but cannot interact. This causes stress and lengthens the process more than necessary.
A Better Option
The neutral territory method separates them from their things while giving full access to bond. Both rat groups unite in a neutral, unfamiliar place. Some examples are a table, empty countertop, or towel lined bathtub. Do not use their cage, play areas, or places they frequent. Some pinning, screaming, squabbling, side stepping, and standing is normal.
When they ignore each other or cuddle, continue. Do a deep clean of the main cage to remove all scent, and remove all accessories. Put all the rats in and watch. They may squabble again. Upon settling, add a few accessories. Go at the rats’ pace. Remove things and move slower if necessary. This may take hours or days, so separate them when you can’t watch them. Rats will remember each other, so don’t worry. Eventually, all the rats should coexist in the decked out cage.
If they do not squabble, scream, power groom to assert dominance, or anything else during intros, this is an awesome sign. But do not use it as an excuse to skip steps. Doing all the steps ensures more chances to spot aggression before leaving them unsupervised and makes the process safer for your rats.
Aggression
Do not tolerate aggression. Separate aggressive rats from other rats and stop the introduction process. If any bites happen, contact the breeder or follow the aggression guide. Watch for excessive, persistent bullying. This behavior is aggressive and may lead to a bite. A rat ball, or an intense fight resembling a ball of rat, is aggression from the instigator. “No blood, no foul” does not apply. Biting is not the only solid aggression indicator.
Scent Masking
Scent masking is the idea hiding the rat’s natural scent with vanilla extract, peanut butter, baby food, or similar will smooth intros. Using food for a similar effect might raise tensions by encouraging chasing behavior. Masking scent is unnecessary and ineffective in aiding introductions.
Results
It is best for your rats to avoid the other methods, because they’re dangerous or cause unnecessary stress. If you followed the neutral territory method with no stumbles, congratulations! Your rats may have a good temperament and are happy living together.
References
RMCA data (tracking viral outbreaks in rats)
Medical Corner – SDA Virus – Sialodacryoadentitis Virus in Pet Rats
