Two male rats trying to be friends :)

Question
Shoot, one more thing (I know, how many questions can I have?) I bought Bernie a ball for him to get in a roll around. He is scared of it. My question is should I make him get used to it or do rats not like balls and I should just return it. I think that's it for now. Again, thanks so much.
Jake
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hey!
I am the recent owner of a 5 month-ish old male rat. His name is Bernie and he is very cute and very curious. I have already fallen in love with him. I only bought one because I didn't want to buy two and end up not being able to take care of them. So I bought Bernie this past Sunday and yesterday (Tuesday) my roommate also bought a rat. The only male we could find was an older (not sure of the exact age), full-grown rat. His name is Santanna. We first put the two together on the couch and they sniffed around each other. Bernie seemed more interested in Santanna and Santanna was playing it cool. Haha. We put them in the cage and they scuffled around. I read that they like company and like to groom each other and sleep together but they don't really spend time together or sleep together. They sleep on opposite sides of the cage. Granted it has only been one night but I am worried that because of the age and size difference, it may cause a problem. Should I just give them more time? Let them get used to each other? I need help! LOL. I appreciate your time. Thanks!
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Hi Jake
They sound like typical boys getting to know each other. Rat male bonding is pretty much a day-by-day event. Adding a younger and older together is fine for both of them, and since there are only two, they will likely be buddies in no time.

Things you can do to help? Dab a little vanilla extract around the cage so they smelll that instead of getting wigged out by each other's scents. (Come on, weren't you a bit wigged out the day your roomie first dropped his socks on the floor?)

They will likely box every so often until one is the dominant. We used to stop every fight with a squirt bottle, but now we use pasta/noodles. We give an egg noodle to each and the fights suddenly stop. If they get distracted by treats, the fight is just playful. If they don't, then watch for signs of wounds.

Give them an old tissue box, or even a used orange juice or milk carton. This will give them a mutual toy to explore. (Take off any plastic first.)Our rats like to find treats in cartons, and we let them dig for them.

Bird toys are great. You can hang some from inside the cage for the boys to climb, or chew on.

I hope this helps. Sounds like you've got one great furry living situation!

Cathe  

Answer
AAAh, you've discovered the rolling poop ball! We use solid floor wheels, such as Wodent Wheels or SuperPet solid plastics for running games. I've yet to meet one rat that liked to roll around in the clear plastic ball toys.

Have you tried ping pong balls? It's a great way to teach them basketball!

Cathe