albino and 2 rats

Question
Hi I'm having 2 rats for x-Xmas cause I've heard that U should get 2 I've read lots of books and looked up on the Internet but I'm worried if i get two them they wont bond wiv me ? as much as if i got 1 ? should i get 1 or will they bong wiv me better having two and the other thing is do albino rats die easier then others and do they get lots more tumor / cancer type thing then other rat ? XthxX

Answer
Hi Abby
I'll answer the last question first, because it's a very common, and smart question to ask.

Lab rats aren't always white rats. It's true that most rats you'll find as pets are the ones that have been bred with illnesses to test medicines. There are thousands of rats in captivity that have had many of these disease bred out of them, but there is no guarantee that any pet rat will be tumor free, or sickness free,  (just as there are no guarantees that kids won't get sick).

I'm glad you're thinking of getting two little ones. They do really well in pairs, and as far as bonding with you? Two will do better than one there, too! While one is off exploring the world, the other will be exploring you and vice versa. It sounds like you're going to a breeder, which usually means the rats will be hand helt from an early age. With that, you'll find rats that are very human friendly.

Good luck on your new pets! I'm sure you'll be very happy with each other. I'm so impressed that you're studying as much as you can before you have them. You're already showing signs of a great rat parent!

Cathe