New rats and sceptical wife

[Hivetyrant23]

Hi guys. I'm going to be 30 on May 6th and have asked the wife for pet rats. I owned a couple back in my middle teen years and am looking forward to owning rats again.
My wife has agreed to it and has already brought me the cage and a load of supplies.
I have been reading constantly and getting in touch with breeders etc so I can look after my rats better than I did. I also have four boys (humans) that are getting excited at the prospect of having rats.
Now the wife has said I can have two as I did ask for it to start with but reading up 3 would be a better number and the size of the cage is able to hold at least 6.
If any 1 has any ideas of how to persuade the wife to allow for the extra apart from screenshots of topics on here that would be great.
I am also based just outside of Gloucester and for all looking about we don't have much of any breeders around.
Also any advice and or little secrets people may have would be very much appreciated

Thank you

[cyber ratty]

Three is definitely better, and as a breeder, I won't home rats to only live as a pair because it's just not fair on them. Explain to your wife that the main benefits are:
A group of three is no more work, and you can have some 1 - 1 time with a particular rat without leaving one behind on their own.
From the rats' pov, they have two relationships to form, and a third to observe, which makes for a more rounded social structure.
If there is only a pair, one may want to play while the other wants to rest, and that can lead to frustrations and discord, whereas with a trio those situations are rare.
Rat hierarchy includes an alpha and a beta plus everyone else, and when there is only two rats, there is no 'everyone' else, and it's not natural for a beta to have nobody below them.
If one rat were to suddenly die young (before younger rats have been added to the group), then rather than desperately searching for new companions for the remaining solitary rat you'd be able to take time to choose who the new companions will be.
And the biggest reason of all, people who have been used to only having two rats at once, unanimously say how much happier their rats are in a bigger group. It's a win win for both you and the rats.

Looking ahead, it follows that if you wish to continue keeping rats, then you'll need to introduce 2 or 3 kittens at some point, but maybe you can cross that bridge when you come to it. I recommend an age gap of about a year - a mixed age group provides even more social stimulus, and can give older rats a second lease of life, and keep them active for longer.

Breeders are fairly well spaced out (have you checked the NFRS list?), but rats travel well, and even if you can't travel far, there are shows in the area which you could meet breeders from further afield at (next will be Cheltenham at end of July).

[Hivetyrant23]

Thank you.
We have gone and brought 3 dumbo eared females, ready for collection the end of the month.
Took my wife to see them and the parents and she fell in love with 1 of the girls we r getting.

Just have to finish of getting supplies etc.

[cyber ratty]

That's great.

Your best places for in cage furnishings are poundshops, Ikea, charity shops, garden centres, and suchlike