I had a few rounds of perfect pet rats from Petco as a kid and have been on breeder lists + checking shelters for a year now, no luck. Passed a lone little guy at Petco who let me pet him and looked into my eyes and I felt this deep tug not to let him stay there and turn into snake food. I set up a great habitat and brought him home a week ago, immediately looking for a companion but no luck.

It's going OK but not ideal. He's timid but takes treats from my hand. He's fallen asleep in the part of the cage closest to me and bruxes when I hang out and give treats. Sometimes he'll sniff a finger or knuckle and nip it, seemingly out of food-confusion. It's not hard or aggressive and he pulls away when I say "Eep!" but it's made me a little flinchy which doesn't help the bonding process. Today he let me pet his back for the first time while eating, but if I go near his face he turns to face my finger and I'm afraid he'll nip (even though he hasn't tried) or he backs away.

In my search for a buddy, I've found tons of advice not to get pet store rats, plus horror stories. That only makes me more nervous around my pup. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten him, but that's not helpful now. I could probably return him, but that feels awful. So, if you have had good experiences with pet store rats, please share! If you *haven't* please scroll on, since I've already heard that perspective and can't undo what's done. I *do* have to make a decision about whether to get him a Petco friend when their next shipment comes in tomorrow, or risk waiting ages longer for breeders hours away who've never gotten back to me or have long waitlists, or hope that a craigslist *male* rat of the right age comes up nearby, none of which has happened in ages, so that would leave my guy alone much longer.

I also welcome tips on socializing shy rats. Thanks!

Lastly, I am open to re-homing him to someone in Baltimore/MD who has male rats, if I can't find him a friend soon since it's not fair to him. Or let me know if you have a young male you're willing to part with!

Positive pet-store rat experiences only! Plus socializing advice