Can Two Male Rats Be Housed Together?
WouterIf you have two male rats, you might wonder whether they can be housed together. Rats do have a natural instinct to defend their territory, and fighting might occur. If you see that your two rats are fighting, you should remove them from the cage and place them in another. It is possible that the fight will end up with a spat, but you should keep in mind that rats don’t generally voice their pain.
First, keep the rats apart during the day. This way, you can watch their behavior and make sure they aren’t fighting. Once they’re bigger, you can introduce them to each other. If you don’t like their interactions, you can separate them overnight. If you’re only going to be home during the day, you can also introduce them together at that time.
Afterward, you can introduce them by letting them play and explore each other’s cage. Try to do this for at least a week, ensuring that both rats get acquainted with each other. Try to let them play together once an hour or so. This will ensure that they’re not afraid of each other. You can also observe if one of the rats becomes aggressive or starts to act aggressively. If it shows signs of aggression, the other rat is not likely to accept it as a cagemate.
Young rats are the easiest to introduce. You should put them together in the same cage during the first introduction. After a few days, the cage should be clean. Depending on how well they get along, you can even introduce one or both of them to another adult male.
