Okay, so today I decided to dive into this whole “dog rat compatibility” thing. I’ve got a Jack Russell, Buster, who’s, well, let’s just say he has a strong prey drive. And my daughter really, really wants a pet rat. So, I figured, before we end up with a furry (or not-so-furry) tragedy, I should do some *,It becomes my experiment.
First Step: Observation
I didn’t want to just throw a rat in Buster’s face and see what happened. Obviously. So, I started with controlled introductions. I borrowed a friend’s rat, Squeakers (super original name, I know), and kept him safely in his * go into action.
- Round 1: Placed the cage on a table, Buster on a leash. Immediate barking, lunging, the whole nine yards. Squeakers, to his credit, just kind of stared at Buster like he was an idiot.
- Round 2: Tried rewarding Buster for calm behavior. Every time he looked at the cage without barking, he got a treat. Little progress, lots of treats consumed, and much barking.
- Round 3:Keep on * seemed hopeless.
Honestly, this part was exhausting. Buster was a furry little ball of frustration, and I was starting to feel like a terrible dog owner and a potential rat-murderer enabler.I keep trying to do samething,no progress.
Giving Up (Temporarily)
After a few days of this, I was ready to throw in the towel. I mean, my dog seemed genetically predisposed to seeing rats as, well, squeaky toys. But then I had a thought…what if I focused on scent first?
Scent Swapping
I decided to try something I found on some random pet forum.I don’t really want to use this method.I took a small blanket that Squeakers had been sleeping on and put it in Buster’s bed. And – I know, this sounds gross – I took one of Buster’s toys and put it in Squeakers’ cage for a bit. The idea was to get them used to each other’s smells without the visual trigger.
- Day 1: Buster sniffed the blanket…then proceeded to nap on it. Squeakers, apparently, chewed on Buster’s toy. Success? Maybe?
- Day 2-4: Repeated the process. Buster seemed less…murderous…when he smelled the blanket. Still not exactly friendly, but less likely to go full-on Cujo.
Controlled Exposure (Again)
After a week of scent swapping, I decided to try the controlled introductions again. This time, I kept Buster on a very short leash, and I had my daughter hold Squeakers (in her hands, not in the cage).It’s a risk.
- First attempt: Buster whined, but didn’t bark. Progress! He even licked my daughter’s hand (probably hoping for a treat, but I’ll take it).
- Second attempt: Closer proximity. Still whining, but Buster actually sat down (briefly). Squeakers, bless his little heart, seemed totally unfazed.
- Third attempt: They touch nose to * heart almost jumped out of my chest.
Ongoing Process
We’re still working on it. It’s definitely not a perfect friendship. Buster still gets a little twitchy when he sees Squeakers, but it’s more of a “curious” twitch than a “must destroy” twitch. I’m still super cautious and never leave them unsupervised. I’m also pretty sure that if Squeakers made a sudden darting movement, Buster’s instincts would kick * they can stay together now!
So, dog-rat compatibility? It’s…complicated. It definitely depends on the individual animals, and it takes a lot of patience, supervision, and probably a good supply of dog treats. Would I recommend it for everyone? Absolutely not. But for us, with very careful management, it might just be working. Maybe. Fingers crossed.
