Rat and Piggie together......

[gypsiecup]

I have searched all over and cannot come up with any info on this.... I guess i can use my own judment but... after my female had her babies..i separated them into thier own cages... He is soo lonely, i can tell..he mopes it seems like... Well, we have to guinnea pigs...and at play time 3 times a day they all play together, so by chance we put are male rat Mustang in with the piggies...and he loves it...he snuggles in between them and sleeps with them, we have a store bought cage/ aquarium... that we modified and built on to... so theres lots of room and play things, tunnels, huts, toys... I'm just wondering if anyone else has heard of having your rat with another companion besides another rat???? Oh, and we wont leave him in there forever...just till the babies grow, and get new homes...So far out of the twelve, we have homes (when thier ready) for 8 of them.... they are going to friends, and family...so i know they will be well loved..we may keep the last two!!

[Vanilla_Rat]

The reason you haven't seen it anywhere is because it should never be done!Rats and piggies are very different in diet and personality and whatnot.The rat may get along right now with the piggies, but he could turn any moment! He could seriously injure or even kill the piggies...very BAD idea and I am sure others will agree with me!

Get your male rat neutered so he can live with the female! Thats the best thing to do...or try and introduce a new cagemate...which may be easier to do with the female then the male...

[Fubie]

I read that they usually bully the guinea's aroud =B also, guinea's can be very territorial, I think they can do more damage then a rat can, they're built like little piggy tanks X3 My rat fell in a piggy pen once and got chased around., I managed to thwart the devil piggy and scoop ratty to safety XD

[ratty_ratkins]

please dont house them together.
i nuetered a male rat to put with my moms female and his nueter went well! just 40 bucks here too!

[Keppeh]

Wow, does no one understand that these animals are GETTING ALONG? Just because yours didn't, or you've read not to doesn't mean it can't be done! My friend's gerbil and degu lived together until the gerbil died, in which the degu went into a state of grief. If they get along, I'd say you should go with it, at least as a temporary home.

[Ambieruns10]

Quote: Originally Posted by Keppeh Wow, does no one understand that these animals are GETTING ALONG? Just because yours didn't, or you've read not to doesn't mean it can't be done! My friend's gerbil and degu lived together until the gerbil died, in which the degu went into a state of grief. If they get along, I'd say you should go with it, at least as a temporary home.

It only takes on attack from a rat to seriously injure a guinea pig. WHY would you want to risk that? Guinea pigs are nervous little critters, they should only be with other guinea pigs to not cause them stress.

Not to mention, completely different diets, etc. A store bought cage is in no way big enough for a guinea pig, that should never be kept in an aquarium.

[Fane81]

aw, i think everyone on here is just giving their best advice since that's what was asked for. i don't think anyone is being pessimistic, just acting concerned for the well-being of all animals involved

for example, my rats and cat get along just fine, but i would NEVER leave them alone together just on the tiny chance my cat could turn on them! so i guess we're all just trying to say that because on the off chance something could happen, why is it worth it?

[Mygala]

Quote: Originally Posted by Keppeh Wow, does no one understand that these animals are GETTING ALONG? Just because yours didn't, or you've read not to doesn't mean it can't be done! My friend's gerbil and degu lived together until the gerbil died, in which the degu went into a state of grief. If they get along, I'd say you should go with it, at least as a temporary home.

I, for one, understand completely what's going on. Evidently you don't. Rats are omnivorous, and predatory. They are not "getting along", they are co-existing. As soon as the pig shows any sign of weakness, the rat is very likely to attack and kill it. That's what rats do, it's how they hunt, looking for the weak and the injured. Leaving them together is like rolling the dice with your animal's lives. Sure, you can do it, but is it responsible to take that risk ...with their lives?

There is a reason most people think it's a bad idea, because it is.

bob

[Keppeh]

Yeah, whatever. Sometimes I feel as if this forum is a little... Oh, forget it.

[kittylilac]

My only concern would be the diet. They don't have the same needs.

And make sure to watch them. Don't want any fights or injuries to occur.

I had a rat who got along with my guinea pig, but I didn't house them together.

[ratty_ratkins]

not to be rude,
but why are you here then!
i sooo agree with mygala! after having rats for well over seven years now i can tell you that it is an AWFUL idea! why would you want to put one of your pet's life at risk? that would be extreamly stupid and selfish!
just please, dont. you WILL regret it. watch, if you do it you will more than likely come home to a dead or extreamly injured piggie!

[Vanilla_Rat]

It is a BAD idea...do not have them living together...you are risking the animal's lives!

Keppeh, if you think this forum has problems, then why are you here!? Everyone has their own opinion and some species of animals SHOULD NOT be housed together or even put together...

[Skratikans]

I have had a male mouse and two female rats living together for quite some time. They get along very well. I have introduced one of the rats to the mouse when both were very young (a week of age). I have also later introduced my second rat to the group when she was just a baby and they were fully grown by then.

Although, it is an odd group it is possible, however, I would never introduce a male rat with mice simply because I would be too concerned with the male rat's aggression.

But then again, in your situation, the male rat and the piggies get along fine. And every rat has a unique personality. If they get along well, I would extend the amount of time they interact, with supervision, and if all is fine, I would let them live together. I would not worry very much, because the piggies are pretty equal in size with the rat. Its not like you re introducing a horse with a mouse and expecting them to live together without the other one being squashed!

[Vanilla_Rat]

I introduced my two male dumbos to mice when I first got them.They were young when I got them,Zephyr was 4 weeks and Jellyroll was about 4 months or so...however I never got them at the same time and Zephyr is actually older then Jellyroll.They are cagemates now.Anyway for the longest time they enjoyed being with mice.The mice were not afraid and the rats,especially Zephyr would groom the mice.I WOULD NEVER have them live in the same cage though and only took them out sometimes together.Sometimes the mice ventured inside Zephyr and Jellyroll's cage and the rats couldn't care less.However just recently Zephyr started to get a little rough with a mouse and it didn't seem like play...so I refuse to let the mice and rats together now.I knew it was too good to be true!It was cute while it lasted and now that I have baby rats, I might try again with females...but still would NEVER let them live together unsupervised or anything.Rats are natural predators of mice and that is why my now adult dumbos can no longer play with mice.My dumbos are very sweet to humans tho and I would never say "all male rats are aggressive".Anyway here are a couple pics from when I could actually let the mice and rats play.


Jellyroll and Arnot


Zephyr and Arnot

[ratty_ratkins]

the rats i had would kill and eat a mouse no doubt! id personally never risk it. they are preditory animals. but yeah, thats cool that your rats didnt eat the mouse