Want to know how much it costs to neuter a rat? Well, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve contacted and gotten quotes from over 50 vet clinics around the US that work on rats, to give you a good idea of how much it costs. The prices varied a lot, so if you are looking at neutering or spaying your pet rat, you should take a look at the results of the study to avoid overpaying!
Because since rats are still quite uncommon as pets, not every clinic will work with them. Many of the clinics I reached out to performed no operations on rodents, and this is likely the cause of the wide price discrepancies.
Without further ado, let’s have a look at the results!
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How much does it cost to neuter a rat? (Average Price)
The average price of neutering a rat is $355. If you have a female cat, spaying it costs on average $400. This average is taken from my study of 5 0 clinics across the US. Although the average was high, some clinics charged as little as 150 for the services, so look around to make sure you don’t overpay.
$355 might sound high if you have neutered a dog or a cat before. This is because the procedure is less common on rats, compared to other animals. I asked a clinic that charged $800 about this, and he said that they only neuter about 10 rats per year. Naturally then, they will need to charge a lot to cover the costs of the procedure, since they have fixed costs to even be able to offer neutering for rats.
The price you have to pay also depends on where you live. The cheapest quote I got was from a clinic in California. There were a few similar clinics nearby, which might have contributed to lowering the price. This seems to be the trend across my study. Clinics in well-populated areas were generally the cheapest.
On the other hand, the most expensive clinic was located in a small town in Delaware. They seemed to be the only place that offered neutering in the area, which likely drove up the price.
There rescue clinics that can perform neuterings at a greatly reduced price. You might want to look up if there are any in your area to save some money.
Why should you neuter your pet rat?
Aside from the obvious benefit of rendering your rat unable to reproduce, there are other benefits. The biggest benefit is that they become calmer and less aggressive. Since neutering lowers testosterone, the hormone won’t continue causing unwanted behavior.
I wrote a whole post on aggressive rats that you can check out if you want. Neutering is really the best option to reduce bad behavior in male rats. If your pet rat is fighting, over-active or just causing problems in general, neutering should be your first priority. It is almost always a harmless procedure, which rarely causes any problems. Also, it is quite cost-effective, seeing as 50% of the clinics in my little study were willing to neuter for $300 or less.
Further, neutered rats do not have to experience sexual frustration. This contributes to making them calmer, and less troublesome to handle. If you do not plan on letting your rats mate, then it might be best to relieve them of the frustration. It will most likely make your life easier too!
Lastly, Neutered rats live longer. On average, neutered rats outlive their counterparts by about 4 months, or ~14%. 4 months might seem like little difference, but seeing as rats typically live less than 3 years(little compared to cats, for example), this does make a difference.
When is the best time to neuter a rat?
If you plan on neutering your rat, you should do this at the right time. According to Wood Green, the best time to neuter a rat is at 3-4 months for males, and 5-6 months for females. It is recommended to wait this long to ensure that the rats are physically mature.
Conclusion
I hope you found my little study helpful. I believe the biggest learning we can draw from this is that the prices varies so greatly between clinics, that you basically have to contact multiple ones to get a good quote. You shouldn’t settle for a price over $300 unless you absolutely cannot find a cheaper quote in your area.
Since pet rats are still a comparatively uncommon pet, the market for neutering is not very mature. That is why clinics can charge so varied prices. When markets for services like this one mature, the price usually consolidates, which is the case with cat and dog neutering for example. Most clinics charge a similar price.
I quiet enjoyed compiling this data, and plan on doing something similar for other pet services in the future. If you have any ideas on what that could be, please leave a comment!
Sources:
DeBold JF, Miczek KA. Sexual dimorphism in the hormonal control of aggressive behavior of rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1981;14 Suppl 1:89-93. doi: 10.1016/s0091-3057(81)80015-9. PMID: 7195590.
Hey, I’m Peter. During the last 25 years, I have owned and raised over 20 pet animals. On this blog, I do my best to share my learnings during this time, to hopefully help others.