Rats are obligately social animals whose welfare depends on conspecific companionship. Understanding their social needs is fundamental to responsible rat keeping.
The social needs of companion rats are among the most critical welfare considerations for this species. Rats are highly social animals that groom, play, sleep together, and communicate constantly with conspecifics. Lone housing, which remains common among uninformed owners, condemns rats to chronic social deprivation. Even frequent human interaction cannot substitute for conspecific company. Welfare assessments of companion rat keeping should begin with group housing as a baseline requirement, not an optional enhancement.