TOP 10 tips about adopting rats in the SF BAY AREA!
I'm definitely biased in finding rats in the SF Bay Area! I didn't spend 25+ years with Rattie Ratz for my health!
Although, I absolutely admit to having a preference towards adopting from Rattie Ratz, let me take a moment to review what 25+ years of animal rescue has taught me.
#1 - IF you insist on buying/rescuing from a store, please admit and acknowledge the fact that you are BUYING. You are *choosing* to patronize the store with your purchase AND you are making room for yet another poor soul to take the place of the one you just took out.
#2 - IF you insist on buying a FEMALE from a store, she is VERY likely going to be pregnant and the *average* litter of baby rats is 8-12 but I have personal experience with a girl having 23 babies in ONE litter - are you ready for that?!?
#3 - Humane societies and SPCA's DO rescue rats! I completely admit that my first rats (back in 1998) were from a pet store and they bit the hell out of me so I returned them to the store! My subsequent adoption was through The Peninsula Humane Society and that was the adoption experience that inadvertently launched Rattie Ratz!
#4 - PLEASE, just do yourself a favor and DO NOT buy rats or any other animals from a petstore!
#5 - OPT TO ADOPT! When you adopt an animal, you are actually saving TWO lives at the same time!! You are saving the life of the animal(s) you are bringing into your home AND you are making room for another life to be saved! Shelters and rescue organizations can only save as many lives as they have room for. Your adoption is doing DOUBLE life saving rather than purchasing doing DOUBLE DAMAGE!!
#6 - Craigslist (Leboncoin in France) and other similar "second hand sites." Yes, even this (in my humble opinion) is better than buying from a pet-store but it's still a risk as you might be unknowingly supporting a "back yard breeder." I, personally, have issues with even the most responsible of breeders but I will also acknowledge that RESPONSIBLE breeders do have a proper place in the "domestic pet rat" ecosystem. Many years of rescue has taught me that rescue rats are NOT the right match for everyone. Many rescued animals come with trauma and negative experiences that they need to work through - just like humans! Unfortunately, not everyone is cut out to be a human or animal therapist! Responsible breeding is an entire post on it's own so I'll try to get to that at some point.
#7 - Choose to ADOPT 2-3 rats from your local and reputable animal rescue organization! Organizations with a foster home network are generally better (IMO). Their adoptable animals are placed into dedicated homes where they take the time to fully evaluate the animals that they offer up for adoption. Because of this, some animals are NOT offered up for adoption and become "sanctuary" rats which, in the case of Rattie Ratz, means that that rat is too old, sick, and/or temperamental to be safely adopted out to the public so an organization volunteer will provide care for the rest of that animal's natural life at the expense of the organization. Rats are incredibly social creatures and there are things that rats can do with each other than humans simply can not. Adopting 2 is a minimum and I typically suggest 3 because caring for 3 isn't *that* much different than caring for 2 AND if one passes away prematurely, you still have the other and that will put off any potential introductions (which are another can of worms!)
#8 - Have your space set up in advance and ask agencies if they have used supplies available for purchase! I know Rattie Ratz accepts rats from the general public and those surrenders often come with cages and supplies that the rescue then tries to sell to new adopters. Next to medical care, setting up the cage and supplies is the most expensive part of keeping pet rats. Used supplies are great as long as they are properly cleaned and sanitized. I use used supplies *all the time* without issue and it's saved me hundreds of dollars that I can then apply to necessary vet care!
#9 - FIND A VET - in advance of getting your pet!! NOT all vets will see rats and, even those that do have limits. It's not uncommon for males to need neutering (hormonal aggression) or females to benefit from spaying (tumors). Also, rats are notorious for respiratory infections that are EASILY treatable with antibiotics but you need to go get antibiotics - from your vet! Call around or ask your rescue organization for vet references to make sure you have someone on call BEFORE you need them!! Emergencies always seem to happen after hours and you don't want to be researching this while something crazy is happening at 2am!
#10 - TAKE YOUR TIME - There's no rush! Any responsible rescue will want to match you with animals that meet your needs. DON'T BE IN A RUSH!! It's crazy how often someone will reach out to Rattie Ratz asking about adoption and then write back in 1-2 weeks to say they "adopted" (AHEM - BOUGHT) rats from a pet store and THEN, 2-3 weeks after that, contact us AGAIN because now they have 1-2 girls with *at least* one litter of babies (please refer back to tip #2). Rescue groups are NOT your dumping ground. Our priority is matchmaking and - just like people, that doesn't always work on the first round! BE PATIENT!! We want to place these rats as much as you might want to adopt rats but we need these placements to work for the long term! If you're in a rush to adopt, please stop to really think about your motivations and priorities.
Although, I absolutely admit to having a preference towards adopting from Rattie Ratz, let me take a moment to review what 25+ years of animal rescue has taught me.
#1 - IF you insist on buying/rescuing from a store, please admit and acknowledge the fact that you are BUYING. You are *choosing* to patronize the store with your purchase AND you are making room for yet another poor soul to take the place of the one you just took out.
#2 - IF you insist on buying a FEMALE from a store, she is VERY likely going to be pregnant and the *average* litter of baby rats is 8-12 but I have personal experience with a girl having 23 babies in ONE litter - are you ready for that?!?
#3 - Humane societies and SPCA's DO rescue rats! I completely admit that my first rats (back in 1998) were from a pet store and they bit the hell out of me so I returned them to the store! My subsequent adoption was through The Peninsula Humane Society and that was the adoption experience that inadvertently launched Rattie Ratz!
#4 - PLEASE, just do yourself a favor and DO NOT buy rats or any other animals from a petstore!
#5 - OPT TO ADOPT! When you adopt an animal, you are actually saving TWO lives at the same time!! You are saving the life of the animal(s) you are bringing into your home AND you are making room for another life to be saved! Shelters and rescue organizations can only save as many lives as they have room for. Your adoption is doing DOUBLE life saving rather than purchasing doing DOUBLE DAMAGE!!
#6 - Craigslist (Leboncoin in France) and other similar "second hand sites." Yes, even this (in my humble opinion) is better than buying from a pet-store but it's still a risk as you might be unknowingly supporting a "back yard breeder." I, personally, have issues with even the most responsible of breeders but I will also acknowledge that RESPONSIBLE breeders do have a proper place in the "domestic pet rat" ecosystem. Many years of rescue has taught me that rescue rats are NOT the right match for everyone. Many rescued animals come with trauma and negative experiences that they need to work through - just like humans! Unfortunately, not everyone is cut out to be a human or animal therapist! Responsible breeding is an entire post on it's own so I'll try to get to that at some point.
#7 - Choose to ADOPT 2-3 rats from your local and reputable animal rescue organization! Organizations with a foster home network are generally better (IMO). Their adoptable animals are placed into dedicated homes where they take the time to fully evaluate the animals that they offer up for adoption. Because of this, some animals are NOT offered up for adoption and become "sanctuary" rats which, in the case of Rattie Ratz, means that that rat is too old, sick, and/or temperamental to be safely adopted out to the public so an organization volunteer will provide care for the rest of that animal's natural life at the expense of the organization. Rats are incredibly social creatures and there are things that rats can do with each other than humans simply can not. Adopting 2 is a minimum and I typically suggest 3 because caring for 3 isn't *that* much different than caring for 2 AND if one passes away prematurely, you still have the other and that will put off any potential introductions (which are another can of worms!)
#8 - Have your space set up in advance and ask agencies if they have used supplies available for purchase! I know Rattie Ratz accepts rats from the general public and those surrenders often come with cages and supplies that the rescue then tries to sell to new adopters. Next to medical care, setting up the cage and supplies is the most expensive part of keeping pet rats. Used supplies are great as long as they are properly cleaned and sanitized. I use used supplies *all the time* without issue and it's saved me hundreds of dollars that I can then apply to necessary vet care!
#9 - FIND A VET - in advance of getting your pet!! NOT all vets will see rats and, even those that do have limits. It's not uncommon for males to need neutering (hormonal aggression) or females to benefit from spaying (tumors). Also, rats are notorious for respiratory infections that are EASILY treatable with antibiotics but you need to go get antibiotics - from your vet! Call around or ask your rescue organization for vet references to make sure you have someone on call BEFORE you need them!! Emergencies always seem to happen after hours and you don't want to be researching this while something crazy is happening at 2am!
#10 - TAKE YOUR TIME - There's no rush! Any responsible rescue will want to match you with animals that meet your needs. DON'T BE IN A RUSH!! It's crazy how often someone will reach out to Rattie Ratz asking about adoption and then write back in 1-2 weeks to say they "adopted" (AHEM - BOUGHT) rats from a pet store and THEN, 2-3 weeks after that, contact us AGAIN because now they have 1-2 girls with *at least* one litter of babies (please refer back to tip #2). Rescue groups are NOT your dumping ground. Our priority is matchmaking and - just like people, that doesn't always work on the first round! BE PATIENT!! We want to place these rats as much as you might want to adopt rats but we need these placements to work for the long term! If you're in a rush to adopt, please stop to really think about your motivations and priorities.
