Anyone know if Petsmart still sells rats?

I'm thinking about buying rats sometime soon (if my parents let me), and I've already done lots of research. I put together at least 20 pages of info and have looked up rat cages. I was planning on the New Large 3 Levels Ferret Chinchilla Sugar Glider Rats Animal Cage from Amazon. I know it's not the best, but I have a VERY tight budget, and I'm only planning on two rats (males). Anyway, I have everything planned out, but I'm not sure if Petsmart still sells rats. I heard they stopped a couple years ago, and if that's true then I'll have to find a local rattery or a nearby rescue. Since neither of those is readily available, I'm hoping that I can buy some rats from Petsmart. So does anyone know if they still sell them?

I believe Petsmart and Petco stopped selling rats because a few years ago a little boy died from a rat bite from a rat they got at Petco.. I call that bad parenting though.. Kids don't just drop dead from it.. There are ALWAYS signs before death..

It's best, if possible, to adopt. There are so many shelters that need to adopt out rats, or shelters that are for cats and dogs, but have rats surrendered to them. They need good homes. They are just as good as a pet store rats, and just as worthy of your love.

this is a Rat Rescue forum.

We do not support buying rats from stores or breeders - doing so means supporting animal cruelty and causes more rats to be bred

We encourage people to adopt rats from shelters, rat rescues or rats being rehomed
- helping rats without creating a demand for more rats to be bred

I hope instead of buying rats that you will consider adopting once you are in a position to get rats. Please do not ask about stores where you can purchase rats, if that is what you have decide to do there are other places where you can get that information

If you are on a tight budget, I would suggest that you do not get rats until you can afford them
Rats are expensive pets …. the initial cost for a good and very large cage, toys etc is only the start
You need a credit card or bank account with at least $300 for each rat, a bank accout that you keep adding to, as rats need prompt vet care, medications and surgeries

That cage is way too small for any rats.
You need to buy a cage that is at least 4 cubic feet in size (se an online cage calculator) with a base at least 30 inches by 18 inches (bigger is better) and levels. Make sure it is powder coated (paint is baked on) because galvanized cages will rust. A proper rat cage will cost you $100 - $200 new, plus you will need to outfit it with water dishes that can not be upset, a 12 in diameter solid wheel, corer litter boxes, a house, hammocks, chew toys, food dish, tubes, etc ……. you will also need a large rat safe play area where they can run and climb and explore and play and interact with you - the play area will also need to be outfitted with various toys

I would suggest that you consider the martins R696 powder coated with flip top lid (wire levels will need to be covered) martinscages.com and the Midwest critter nation cage.

Please see this thread on things to consider if you are thinking of getting rats: https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/thinking-of-getting-a-rat-things-to-consider.32306/

I am not as experienced in rat care as most of the people on this forum but I still want to help.

Rats are expensive pets to own, especially when they need to visit the vet (and it does happen). I would suggest looking for a bigger cage as rats do need a lot of space to run around when they are not outside of the cage. I would recommend doing more research and saving up so that you can get better supplies for your rats. You can see if the cage that you find is suitable for the amount of rats that you are getting on a Rat Cage Calculator site such as http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.shtml I would not suggest getting a cage with a grated bottom as that can cause bumble foot which is not good. I have seen people who just put cardboard over the bottom as a solution but I would still say to get a cage with a proper bottom.

Petsmart does still sell rats as far as I know depending on where you live, but as other users have said, it is recommended to adopt a rat as to not encourage chain pet stores to continue over breeding rats. I understand that not everyone has access to reputable sources though.

As for trying to convince your parents, maybe just slip some fun facts about rats into the conversation once and a while, or play videos of cute rat compilations when they are around or if worse comes to worse cry, no I'm kidding, don't actually cry.

Good luck!

_ratowner said:

Petsmart does still sell rats as far as I know depending on where you live, but as other users have said, it is recommended to adopt a rat as to not encourage chain pet stores to continue over breeding rats. I understand that not everyone has access to reputable breeders though.

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This is a Rat Rescue forum. (Please check out the rules etc)

SQ said:

This is a Rat Rescue forum. (Please check out the rules etc)

We do not support buying rats from stores or breeders

We encourage people to adopt rats from shelters, rat rescues or rats being rehomed
- helping rats without creating a demand for more rats to be bred
​

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By adopting rats from PetSmart, you are taking them out of an unfit situation and giving them a loving home. Are you saying by that rats from pet stores are not as deserving of love as rats from a rescue or shelter? Pet store rats are as deserving of love as any other. In some situations, people who are no longer able to care for their rats bring them into pet stores to be sold so you can't judge someone's situation if you don't know the whole story. What do you think they do if no one wants the rats? By adopting rats from a pet store you are preventing them from possibly being killed. You are taking them out of an unfit situation and given them a better life. What is wrong about that?

Thank you

_ratowner said:

By adopting rats from PetSmart, you are taking them out of an unfit situation and giving them a loving home. Are you saying by that rats from pet stores are not as deserving of love as rats from a rescue or shelter? Pet store rats are as deserving of love as any other. In some situations, people who are no longer able to care for their rats bring them into pet stores to be sold so you can't judge someone's situation if you don't know the whole story. What do you think they do if no one wants the rats? By adopting rats from a pet store you are preventing them from possibly being killed. You are taking them out of an unfit situation and given them a better life. What is wrong about that? Thank you

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You are correct, adopting a rat from a pet store that the store can not sell and for which you do not pay money is adoption, and would be considered a rescue.
Buying rats from pet stores or breeders is not supported or encouraged on this forum
This is a rat rescue forum.
If you want to encourage people to buy rats, there are many sites on the internet where you can do that

Thanks, guys. I'll look into finding a shelter or nearby rescue.

Depending on where you are, both PetSmart and Petco may adopt out rats. I adopted a rat from a rescue that was being held in a PetSmart in AZ and a friend adopted a rat through a Humane Society that was in a PetSmart in MD. My suggestion would be to call the local store if that is the closest place to get rats and find out if they have rats to adopt out from a rescue. (I personally wouldn't go in and look! That'd be too hard on me.)

I'm only saying this to clarify, not because I'm trying to encourage buying: I just spoke to a lady at our last event who works for Petco. The family of the little boy who died of rat bite fever lost the case (there were warnings on the paper when purchasing, plus the family waited to take the boy to the doctor). Petco is selling rats.

If you're not sure if there are any rat (or pocket pet) rescues near you, check out Petfinder. Use Find Other Animals, hit Small & Furry, and then select the "species" as rat. If nothing pops up, then make sure to expand your search from 100 miles to anywhere (if you're willing to go that far).
Animal Humane Societies typically take rats as well, but those guys are adopted out fast, or at least the one closest to me.
Even if this wasn't a rescue rat forum, I wouldn't recommend buying a rat from Petsmart or Petco. Those animals you see in stores are lucky to be alive thanks to the mistreatment and straight-up neglect and abuse that run rampant behind the scenes. Please do not support the cycle of abuse in these major chain pet stores. Just steer clear or major pet store chains that have animals for sale and not rehoming.
If you have to go to the store, first ask if they have any rats that need to be rehomed before you make a purchase. These stores will have unwanted animals in the back and not on display usually.
If all else fails, maybe check out Facebook. I don't use Facebook, so I'm not well-versed in it, but I'm sure if you search up your area and rats, something may pop up. See if anyone on there needs to rehome their rats due to allergies, living situations, or they're moving and can't take them with. I wouldn't usually recommend Craigslist, but I've seen people on there rehoming adult rats due to allergies, moving, living situations, etc. I ended up adopting a bonded male pair from Craigslist not too long ago. I don't generally go down that rabbit hole, but they were labeled free...
Of course, with all of these sort of sites, become well-versed in safety and whatnot. I usually would make Facebook or Craigslist a last resort simply because you don't know who is making those ads, but if there are no other rat rescues near you, it may not be bad to help others.

Make sure you research rats. Check out Youtube videos, such as The Rat Guru or Shadow the Rat. They provide great care and training tips. As SQ said earlier, expect to spend at least $150-$200 on the cage alone, not including the fleece/bedding, the food, toys, and hides you'll have to buy. I buy "remnant" fleece from JoAnne fabric store. I get fleece for cheaper and there's usually cute designs. This fleece will be used for hides, hammocks, cage liners, even stair liners. My rats like to use unused fleece as something to cuddle up and curl in, so fleece is very well used with my rats.
If you go the fleece cage liner route, don't be afraid to get litter boxes and actual litter (I use a recycled paper type of cat litter, so it's not harmful to their lungs and since it's cat litter, I get a bigger bag for half the price of small animal litter). Rats can be potty trained.

Good luck! Be safe if you choose the Facebook or Craigslist route. Really search and see if there are any rescues around you first.

Thanks for the help. I know of at least a few humane societies near me that I could try.

Geez, I totally just forgot to mention that www.RescueMe.org is also an option. Rescues, as well as individuals needing to rehome animals, can post there.

I recently learned that if a rescue does not log onto Petfinder for a certain time, their adoptable pets disappear. I was speaking with a rescue about a large rescue operation and was surprised that they had no animals listed. They didn't have any time to log on, so it looked like they had no animals, but they had tons.

ratluver said:

I recently learned that if a rescue does not log onto Petfinder for a certain time, their adoptable pets disappear.

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Wow, I didn't know that happened! Thanks for the heads up. Adopt-A-Pet is another option, though they generally have the same results as Petfinder.

The cage is very small and doesn’t offer any room for your rats to play. Some of my friends have male rats and they tend to get big, therefore that cage is way to small. Also getting a rat from any type of pet store that has rats usually doesn’t know how to care for them properly. Also I saw your profile picture and if that is the cage you are keeping your rats in you need to get a new cage A.S.A.P
Sorry if this seems a little mean or something but I do t want those rats to suffer. If you have a tight budget then you should not get rats. Rats are listed as “low maintenance” animals but that is totally untrue. If you are on a low budget then you are most likely buying the more cheap options which is not very healthy for the rats. Also it’s recommended you get males neutered and you can’t do that on a tight budget. In my opinion you should not have rats. Only when you can get a decent sized cage (like the one in the pictures preferably more wide) and you have more money to care for them. In case something happens have a vet ready to go to and money set aside for vet bills (which can get pretty high in price)
That’s my opinion

It looks like that's a hamster in that cage, not a rat. Amazon has tons of good, suitable cages for rats.

Bree said:

The cage is very small and doesn’t offer any room for your rats to play. Some of my friends have male rats and they tend to get big, therefore that cage is way to small. Also getting a rat from any type of pet store that has rats usually doesn’t know how to care for them properly. Also I saw your profile picture and if that is the cage you are keeping your rats in you need to get a new cage A.S.A.P
Sorry if this seems a little mean or something but I do t want those rats to suffer. If you have a tight budget then you should not get rats. Rats are listed as “low maintenance” animals but that is totally untrue. If you are on a low budget then you are most likely buying the more cheap options which is not very healthy for the rats. Also it’s recommended you get males neutered and you can’t do that on a tight budget. In my opinion you should not have rats. Only when you can get a decent sized cage (like the one in the pictures preferably more wide) and you have more money to care for them. In case something happens have a vet ready to go to and money set aside for vet bills (which can get pretty high in price)
That’s my opinion

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I mean, we could get into it how "hamster cages" are not suitable for hamsters, but I feel it's well-known that anything marketed towards a specific animal is generally not suitable for said animal, save for dogs and cats. However, I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt and think they were just misinformed and not genuinely malevolent towards their animals. Before I had rats, I had a hamster (years ago) and he lived in one of those hamster cages. Now I know better.