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Patch was almost adopted by Bobby, bobby being the eldest, but they rarely interacted, mostly bobby would push him about and patch would avoid him - prefering to throw sawdust at people (literally, when you walk past his cage the throws handfuls of sawdust in your direction until you look at him, then he'll stare at you, cocking his head a little, as soon as you look away he starts again - it's funny if not a little weird)
I might try introducing a young male, pre adolescant. He does get on well with the hamster in the cage next door, mind you it's a russian dwarf and roughly the size of Patch's head... I'm sure he see's it as a parasite or something, but they often sit looking at each other quizzically, and when released, patch is first to Spideys cage, snufffling around, staring, and occasionally following the lil critter around.
Yes, I think maybe a mate or male friend might help.
Unfortunately we had to rehome Molly this weekend - she often scared patch out of his wits while we were out, so maybe the lack of canine fussing will help out (molly is a mother - through and through, she mothered me, my partner, our kids, a slipper with a face on it... and she so wanted to mother patch. When bobby died molly cried all day and night, desperately looking for him - they used sit and share doggy chocolates bobby on my knee, molly on the couch beside me - patch however, at every attempt by molly to comfort him - ie. licking the side of the cage where he lay, and making molly noises at him, would often take chunks out of her tongue)
He's not a stupid rat at all, I know you get some who are one slice short of a loaf, but he's very intelligent, he's the kind of rat who treats everything as a trap, and always finds incredibly complex ways to accomplish the simplest things - maybe this paranoid intelligence is the problem and my best mates idea of giving him vallium and a shrink might help....