13. I already have rats at home, are there any special precautions I should take when bringing new rats home?
When bringing your rats home to other rats PLEASE remember to quarantine for at least two weeks - three weeks is better. If possible this would be in a completely different location than your other rats, but at the very least be sure to do it in different rooms. Handle your original rats first, and then the new ones...then be sure to wash hands and allow a few hours before going back to your old rats.
To avoid bringing any diseases or parasites home to your rats, there are several precautions you can take. Avoid going to pet stores that sell rats - mites and lice are very common, but also very dangerous viruses like SDA have been popping up lately. If you do have to go to a pet store that handles rats do NOT go near your rats for at least 3 hours. Always be sure to quarantine when bringing in new rats; many people think it's not necessary and that it won't happen to them - and then it does, and their rats get sick - it's heartbreaking but happens all the time! And if you have friends who are rat owners, ask them to wash their hands and blow their noses (some viruses can survive in your mucus!) before handling your rats.
Here are a couple of great articles about quarantine!
http://ratguide.com/health/viruses/sda.php
http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/thequarantinepage.htm
http://www.rmca.org/Articles/quarantine.htm
http://www.ratassociation.org/Introductions.html