people... -good update p2-

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BlueSkyy

BlueSkyy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2013
Messages
481
Location
Colorado
Someone dumped 14 male rats in a cage at our loading dock today. No food, no water, and they were standing on top of each other, filthy; I have no idea how long they'd been out there.

The groomers and I washed as many as we could and set up a big ferret cage for them.

My manager is going to "whack them against a wall and sell them as snake food" if the "problem" isn't handled by tomorrow night. Our store does not have the resources for that many adult rats.

Surprisingly, all but one have very clear lungs. No sneezing or coughing or porphyrin, except for the oldest one of the bunch...

Damn damn damn. What am I going to do? I CANNOT take in 14 adult male rats. I did take one home, a plain agouti, since I figured the blazed "cute" rats would hopefully find homes faster, and Kyle said he would only allow another rat if it was "a brown one."

Once he's settled in and I'm sure he's not sick or gonna die on me, I'll post a pic or two. I'm still holding him at a distance until we figure out what's going to happen to his brothers. If I get attached to him, I'll have to go back and get his friends...

GAH PEOPLE WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH STRESS YOU JUST UNLOADED ON ME?! /headdesk
 
That's terrible. :/ Just remember you can't save everyone and it's not all on you. Make them comfortable while you can and see who you can find homes for.

Your manager should however be informed that there are much more humane ways to prepare a rodent to be fed to a reptile and on top of that, he doesn't know where these rodents came from or what they have ingested and I can ASSURE you that if one of those rats kills someones thousand dollar snake he's going to be in a lot of trouble. On top of that, most adult rats, males especially are too large for most reptiles (at least ones legal to own as pets) to ingest.
 
Unfortunately, his logic is "they're easier to sell if they're stackable and in a freezer." He's not incredibly concerned with being humane... He's kind of a huge jerk. But since he's the manager there's not much I can do to stop him.

I can only hope that because we washed them with mite shampoo they'll be unsuitable as snake food, since the shampoo has chemicals in it to kill mites and other creepy crawlies and snakes probably shouldn't eat chemicals...
 
Let him know they were washed with mite shampoo and that it could be poisonous to reptiles. You might buy those boys more time, and be able to save a few snakes/lizards who don't deserve to be poisoned, too. It's an all around win. :)
 
what a horrible situation! I certainly hope your manager doesn't kill them for snake food, especially after being washed with chemicals. can't believe he wanted to just wack them against the wall to kill them. Poor things! I'm glad you were able to bring at least one of them home. it's unfortunate that we can't save them all, isn't it?

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
 
Ugh. Your manager sounds like a nightmare to work with.

I hate the idiocy of people. Take them to a shelter or even a vet, don't just dump them outside a shop and expect them to deal with it! I really feel for you.

I hope a solution can be found. Maybe someone here will be able to help, or at least point you in the right direction.

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 520 using Tapatalk
 
look for a rescue to take them in and fast. That guys a jerkface. I would personally drive there and do a curb stomp on his flipping face.
 
Semi-good news... the rest of the staff and I escalated this above our manager so the rats are safe, for now. And the oldie will hopefully be receiving vet care. I'll be back in to work on Saturday so I will have to wait 'til then to check on them. I/We are now tasked with "dropping them off at a vet or a shelter ASAP."
 
Poor babies; it's good that you've bought them more time though, hopefully it will be enough to get them homes.
 
So here's the guy I took home with me... All he wants to do is explore. Any guesses as to his age? Is there any way to tell? I was guessing maybe at least a year.

[img=center:2ac52z0e]http://i43.tinypic.com/mvnimt.jpg[/img:2ac52z0e]
 
He's so handsome! It would be helpful for aging him if you have pictures or a video of him walking around, so we can see how he carries himself.
I wonder if he is happy to be away from all the other rats, or if he feels insecure being by himself.
 
Probably happy. He was popcorning around earlier; I've never seen an adult rat popcorn like he did! He has patches of fur missing and scratch/bite marks on his back. Like I said, there was not enough room in that cage for everyone to stand on the floor, so some were standing on each other... And probably not too happy about it.
 
What a stunner. :heart: He's probably thrilled to have some peace.

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 520 using Tapatalk
 
BlueSkyy said:
Semi-good news... the rest of the staff and I escalated this above our manager so the rats are safe, for now. And the oldie will hopefully be receiving vet care. I'll be back in to work on Saturday so I will have to wait 'til then to check on them. I/We are now tasked with "dropping them off at a vet or a shelter ASAP."
Click to expand...

oh good! I'm glad to hear they'll be going to a shelter. that's a relief!

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
 
The plot thickens...

The 13 boys went to the vet today. Baytril for everyone! Yay! ... It takes about 30 minutes to medicate everyone. Only two take it willingly. :p

While at the vet, we found out that the Petsmart up the street from us had a "dropoff" on the same day as our little catastrophe, except they got NINETEEN females. So some hoarder or backyard breeder must have just had enough and decided to dump them at the pet stores nearby. :-/ That's 33 rats total. Thank goodness they didn't have them all in one cage, and thank goodness we got the boys.

My little guy is doing well. He's on meds to help clear up any resp issues, since he's been sneezy since coming in. The vet (the store vet, not my personal vet...) gave the majority of his brothers a "probably-not-that-sick" diagnosis, so any sneezing will hopefully clear up soon.

Pics coming as soon as I can upload them... :D

[img=center:2tcmnt1z]http://i41.tinypic.com/s2fjnb.jpg[/img:2tcmnt1z]

[img=center:2tcmnt1z]http://i43.tinypic.com/a4omir.jpg[/img:2tcmnt1z]

[img=center:2tcmnt1z]http://i39.tinypic.com/15md56o.jpg[/img:2tcmnt1z]

[img=center:2tcmnt1z]http://i41.tinypic.com/2qcl5ee.jpg[/img:2tcmnt1z]

[img=center:2tcmnt1z]http://i44.tinypic.com/9fwbo8.jpg[/img:2tcmnt1z]

[img=center:2tcmnt1z]http://i39.tinypic.com/n1usmo.jpg[/img:2tcmnt1z]
 
wow! I can't believe so many rats!

the one you took home is adorable! have you named him yet? glad to hear they're all getting medication.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
 
That's an outrageous number of rats. Hope this mystery person keeps well away from pets in future...
 

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