Hi-
Last week I adopted three female rats from a wildlife center I volunteer at (they were rehomed because there were not any programs happening due to covid). They gave me the rats, cage, and food for free so all I had to buy was bedding and toys. I had been wanting rats for months beforehand, and had done tons of research and thought I knew what to expect, so I thought this was the best possible scenario I could have asked for as a first time rat owner.
Turns out, owning rats is harder than I expected. I can't let them free range, and my parents are worried that they will soon be figure out how to escape the playpen they go in for playtime, even though I'm always in there with them. I'm also a college student, and right now I'm learning from home/commuting (yay, covid), but I do plan to move back into a dorm next semester. There's no 100% guarantee I'll be able to have them in the dorm, though, and even if I can my mom is worried that they'll be way too much to handle in a dorm.
I'm planning on giving it another week or two and contacting my school about them, but in the meantime does anyone have any advice? I absolutely love my girls and the thought of having to give them back is heartbreaking. I would also feel so guilty since the wildlife center trusted me to take care of them. Thanks, everyone!
Last week I adopted three female rats from a wildlife center I volunteer at (they were rehomed because there were not any programs happening due to covid). They gave me the rats, cage, and food for free so all I had to buy was bedding and toys. I had been wanting rats for months beforehand, and had done tons of research and thought I knew what to expect, so I thought this was the best possible scenario I could have asked for as a first time rat owner.
Turns out, owning rats is harder than I expected. I can't let them free range, and my parents are worried that they will soon be figure out how to escape the playpen they go in for playtime, even though I'm always in there with them. I'm also a college student, and right now I'm learning from home/commuting (yay, covid), but I do plan to move back into a dorm next semester. There's no 100% guarantee I'll be able to have them in the dorm, though, and even if I can my mom is worried that they'll be way too much to handle in a dorm.
I'm planning on giving it another week or two and contacting my school about them, but in the meantime does anyone have any advice? I absolutely love my girls and the thought of having to give them back is heartbreaking. I would also feel so guilty since the wildlife center trusted me to take care of them. Thanks, everyone!
