I'm so angry right now I could cry!!!
I went back in today hoping to find Troy (male worker) only to find the woman there. It turns out SHE owns the store! I asked to check on the rats, and WHAT DO I SEE?!
20 babies, most high whites. Now there is more of a color variety, a few rexes... I wanted to cry. None had MC that I could tell, but there were a few tiny ones that had that "failure to thrive" look they get before they bloat. They were all about 4-5 weeks, NONE of Nina's siblings remained at all. SO many! I asked where she got them, (because obviously I was wrong and any babies they got WERE intentional, though not in house) she told me a reptile breeder and I told her about my experience with Nina and told her I was worried about his stock because he seems to be breeding an awfully high number of high whites.
Response? "Well their life expectancy once they get here is about a week, give or take, so I'm not sure it matters."
Me: "So you're telling me no one comes in here and gets pets?
"If they do I special order them pet rats. If you want pets, I can order them." I know for a FACT she lied; one of my sister's friends bought a pair off of her and made the intention CLEAR that they were pets. You can't tell me that someone won't go to the only pet store in town that carries rats and doesn't buy them for pets!
I told her I didn't want any, just that I was concerned and thought she'd care. I told her if he uses the same stock for his feeders as he does his pets, then she should really pay attention because if I was a customer I'd be pretty pissed if I had paid however much for a rat that was going to die a slow and agonizing death in front of my eyes.
"But they're *pet* rats." It didn't seem to matter that no matter how much I explained that they are in face the VERY same, just the reptile breeder had certain color/fur type/whatever to differenciate in HIS mind what constituted a feeder vs. pet doesn't mean they aren't the exact same animal with the exact same capacity to be a companion animal.
I'm not sure I can bother anymore; this new turn is just horrendous. My will power isn't that good to where I can continue to walk in, look at those poor babies faces and walk back out, KNOWING their fate. I have to honestly say that if I'd hadn't forgotten my wallet in the car, I'd have brought some of those babies home, as wrong as it is. I understand completely now why I've been going to the GOOD pet supply store. And they're only blocks away from each other; how can such evil be so close to a haven and people not REALIZE!!
I'm going to go talk to Troy (who seems to care a ton more than the actual owner does) and ask him to call me if any of the babies get bloated. Make it seem like I'm doing HIM a favor.