The process of integrating rats into a pack

For nearly a year, we hosted two rats: Michael and Franklin, taken from a shelter in Wroclaw. Unfortunately, in June, Franklin fell ill – he had a pituitary tumor, which did not respond to treatment. Franklin's condition worsened. There was no chance for improvement, so faced with the suffering of a rat, I made the difficult decision to euthanize him, and Michael was left alone.

Therefore, we had 3 options:

• to give him away to someone who has rats
• to take a rat of his age for company
• to continue the rat adventure – take two little ones

Unacceptable for us was to condemn him to a life without other rats. There were no health contraindications to integration, so after consideration, we decided on the third option, and thus two little fleas: Pringles and Pepper SunRat’s, came to our home. I was afraid of integrating them with Michael, as I had never introduced him to other rats (he probably knew Franklin all his life), so I didn't know how he would react. Below I present how this integration went.

Integrating Rats: Day Zero

In the evening, I bring Pringles and Pepper home. I throw in fleece rags soaked with Michael's scent so that they can get used to it. I don’t put the youngsters' rags in Michael’s cage, so he doesn’t get stressed by a foreign scent in his territory. We admire the beauty of the youngsters, their incredible tameness, and interactivity. They get to know us on their first little playground (the sofa), chasing our hands, nibbling them, tumbling around, and playing with each other. They are incredibly fast and full of energy. Today we don't integrate – we give them a break, tomorrow they'll meet Michael.

Integrating Rats: Day I

Shower – I put the youngsters in the cabin, and my husband brings Michael. With bated breath, I close the cabin doors. Michael doesn’t pay attention to the youngsters; they run after him, jump on him, and sniff around. He shows no signs of aggression. I feel like the rats are less stressed than I am. After about 30 minutes, I decide that’s enough for today.

Integrating Rats: Day II

Shower – Michael starts to sniff the youngsters, even washing and nibbling them at times. I take the camera and take pictures – all three decide to occupy one corner and fall asleep in it. They are woken up by the sound of the camera shutter.

Sofa – after about an hour and a half, I move them to the sofa with the house (sputnik), tube, and Michael's burrow. Still no aggression, he acts as if he has known the little ones for a long time. They spend a lot of time this way, grooming, sleeping, running around. It's wonderful.

Rat Integration: Day III

Sofa – all three rats are sleeping in the sputnik, grooming each other, Michael is very patient with the little ones jumping on his head.

Rat Integration: Day IV

Cage – since the cage is new and Michael is a model rat for integration, I only wipe the shelves, replace the bedding, hammocks, and rags. I skip washing the cage walls. Then I engage in my favorite activity, arranging the interior. Once it's ready, I put Pringles, Pepper, and Michael inside. There's still some stress, but after a moment I relax and with relief, I see that everything is fine. After a while, I hear Pringles squeaking. I look, and he's lying under Michael. I think, oh – Michael has dominated him. But then the situation repeats, except I see Pringles voluntarily going under Michael, turning on his back, nibbling the big one on the snout, and squeaking. I'm glad I decided to take 2 rats at once. They can play with each other as much as they want, and thanks to that, older Michael gets moments of peace.

This was an exceptionally quick and trouble-free integration. Remember, every integration is different because every rat is different. Sometimes it takes 3 days, sometimes even 1-2 months. There are many ways to integrate, but it's always worth sticking to the pattern: first neutral territory with fairly limited space (e.g., shower, bed), then territory known to our rat (it can be a blanket, a bed that's been marked, but not the cage yet), and finally a cleaned cage. At each stage, it's important to observe the animals and pay attention to the signals they send to the new housemates.