After reading more about rats not being well suited to solitude and observing Mr. Mouseinthewall lingering at the side of his cage sniffing and listening intently and not taking much interest in the diversions in his cage, I decided to see if I could find him a buddy.
I made some calls to pet stores and found someone very knowledgeable about rats at a Petco about 25 miles away. I called Cranberry for advice on how to assemble a carrier for Mr. Mouseinthewall and for any general rat advice he could offer.
Following the instructions Cranberry provided, I made a cage from the largest size Sterilite bin I could find. Cut out a 22" X 14" hole in the lid, drilled 1/4" holes around the sides of the open rectangle and used bailing wire to stitch hardware cloth to cover the opening.
Then I took Mr. Mouseinthewall out of his cage and put him in the Sterilite cage. He showed no inclination to bite, ran up my arm, not frantic, and sat on my shoulder. Then I nudged him down my arm and into the Steralite bin.
I took him to the pet store where he charmed everyone there. I set the bin on its side so he would climb the wire mesh and show his underside for the store staff to confirm his gender. He’s a juvenile male, about five months old.
I left his Sterilite cage on the counter where he continued to entertain the staff ladies (did I mention he’s incredibly cute?), while I went with the guy who seemed to know the most about rats.
We picked out a four month old slightly apricot colored albino rat, almost the same size as Mr. Mouseinthewall. I took him out of the cage and discovered that he wasn’t as tame as Mr. Mouseinthewall. I got him settled down and cozy in my hands and carried him over to where Mr. Mouseinthewall was still flirting with the staff. They were tickling his nose and feet through the mesh he had climbed and clung to to look out at them. He seemed pleased with the attention.
After watching Mr. Mouseinthewall for a little while, I said, “Shall we see how they react to each other?” The rat guy said, “Sure,” and I held up the new rat so they were nose to nose. No aggression at all, just curiosity. I said, “Shall I put him in with the other one?”
“Sure,” he said. “Let’s see how it goes.”
I put the new rat in with Mr. Mouseinthewall. They approached and sniffed, and within five minutes, they were grooming each other. They’ve been together ever since, acting like litter mates.
That was easy. Two happy rats.
They’re quite a pleasing match, BTW. Mr. Mouseinthewall and his new, yet to be named buddy are almost identical in conformation and size. Their colors coordinate perfectly, as if they had been specified by a professional rodent apparel color consultant.
I’m pretty sure I can just pick up Mr. Mouseinthewall and handle him as if he were any domestic rat. He’s tamer than his new buddy. And a lot more creative, too. He’s really fun to watch, curious, acrobatic, resourceful. I think his real world experience has equipped him to be a very interesting pet.
Best wishes,
Jerry
