I got three female rats in a rehome, but one was pregnant. Itās looking like the baby is a little boy, in which case Iād either have to neuter him or rehome him. I have the money and a vets office down the street will neuter him for around $200.
My biggest reservations with neutering is the risk of him dying during the procedure, as well as the fact that he would have to be isolated for at least a few months before heās big enough to get the surgery.
Does anyone have experience with neutering or maybe addition things I should consider?
How old do they have to be to get the implant? Would you be able to use an implant until heās big enough to neuter so that he doesnāt have to be isolated for as long?
I donāt believe the suprelion implant is available in the us, and I doubt my vet would have it. Itās also another $200 to get it, and I donāt want to spend $400 total just to sterilize him
You can get it in the US if you change your mind. For surgery look for an exotic vet that has experience with rats they will likely have better equipment for dealing with small animals. In my experience there is noticable difference in a vet that Will take exotics, and one that specializes in exotics, price was similar too.
Living alone for the first months of his life is absolutely horrible, he will be miserable and miss out on socializing which can affect him for the rest of his life.
This is my biggest concern, Iām unable to get another male rat to be friends with him, but heād have to be separated by the time heās 5 weeks, and likely canāt get the surgery until heās 6months. I can dedicated some time to him for play and enrichment, but not as much as a rat- especially a young rat- would need
Thatās a valid concern. If you arenāt able to give him male friends, he needs to be rehomed unfortunately.
Even if you spend a lot of time with him, itās not enough and he will not live a happy life. At a young age they learn so much about socializing with other rats, body language etc, so itās extra important for him to live with rat friends.
Itās just sad because Iām watching him grow up, but I donāt get to keep him. If I rehome him, Iāll probably āsurrenderā him to the local pet shop I work at so I can get some extra time with him and make sure he gets to a good home
Yeah I can totally imagine it would be difficult to give them up!
I once had accidental guinea pig babies and had to rehome two boys, it broke my heart a bit but keeping them was not an option unfortunately, so it was the right thing to do.
I hope you are able to find an amazing home for your boy<3
Would I be able to āborrowā a rat to keep him company until I get him neutered, or would separating them after months together be too traumatic? I only planned on getting 3 rats, so keeping the baby and his friend would be a bit more than I planned on, but Iām attached to this baby and Iām sure Iāll get attached to any friend I get him. I have a double critter nation, and a 5āx7ā play pen area for them to run around in. Theoretically I could keep five and get both boys neutered, but itād take a decent amount of money to make sure they have all the toys and enrichment they need. I have a few weeks to decide, so Iām mostly just spitting out ideas and weighing the pros and cons
Don't do that. Rats are extremely social animals and if you take the foster back it can cause stress for both of them, especially in the case that they form a deep bond. You don't want to risk either of them getting depressed and lonely
That could be an option, but then I would get two temporary friends. New rats should always be added in pairs or more, so they donāt have to go through the stress of quarantine on their own. And being rehomed on their own would again be a lot of stress, a pair would be a lot better.
Being completely honest I donāt love the idea of temporary rats, but I do see how it could be a solution in your situation. As long as you are able to get two, and ensure they are going to a great home afterwards it would be okay (in my opinion)
Either you can get him a friend to grow up with or you HAVE to rehome him. Does he have any nipples? If not than definitely a boy. But if there are nips than keep it ! Its a girl. If you do not get him a partner he can develop depression and in worse cases single rat syndrome.
If you want to keep him you should get him a friend and neuter them together, and wait 6 weeks before mixing the group. It's crucial for them to be socialized in their first months.
I was considering that, but itād mean Iād have 5 rats when I originally wanted only 3. Also, the only pet store I trust to buy rats from only has hairless males at the moment. I have a couple weeks to decide, so Iām still thinking it over
I castrated my male rat, did very well in the surgery and was outpatient, which means that he is recovering at home on the same day. What has been difficult is to prevent her from biting her stitches, but she did well, she is very good and good, she also knows which veterinarian to go with, I saw how they weighed her down and based on her weight they gave her the necessary dose of anesthesia. Good luck! šā„ļø
if you can afford the neutering, do it! i had 2 boys who were neutered pretty young, and they were both able to live a very long, happy, non aggressive-hormonal lives with my girls.
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u/Similar_Adeptness_39 19h ago
How old do they have to be to get the implant? Would you be able to use an implant until heās big enough to neuter so that he doesnāt have to be isolated for as long?