Rats and MIce
I have two male rats (most adorably squisshy boys ever)
They have gentle dispostions and only "fight" in order to groom each other (drive by grooming).
I love mice too, I've kept over 20 during the years,I was wondering, is it possible to house rats and mice together? I didn't think so, but it was worth asking, considering people have kept rabbits and guinea-pigs together. i ahev heard of some people keeping rats and mice together, I just want to know if anyone here has, and if so, how did it work?
If not, what would the reasons be?
Answers:I have many different types of animals here: rats, chinchillas, degu, hammies, hedgehogs, rabbits, birds, and GPs.ALL of them are kept with their own species. I would never consider putting them together.
First, each animal has it's own unique behavior, personality, cage needs, etc. For instance, a lot of people keep mice in aquariums. While this may be okay for mice (and I don't agree that it is) it could be deadly for a rat because of the ammonia build up and lack of ventilation. Also to be considered in their caging needs would be wire spacing. I can keep my rats in 1 x 4 inch bar sections, whereas to house a mouse in there would be impossible.
Secondly, as you've seen in the other answers, rats will kill mice. They will kill hamsters. I've even hard of them going after a chinchilla, which is sometimes four times the size of a rat. One of the big reasons that people have gone to fresh/frozen rodents to feed their snakes is because snakes are dying after the rats are throwin in and fight back. If they can kill a snake, can you imagine the damage they can do to a mouse?