Why you should rescue and not support pet-stores or breeders.

[hopefloats]

It is always brought up here how we have saved a rat from a petstore. When you actually supplied demand and they will refill that spot with more rats being brought in from a mill/breeder. Believe me I was in this spot until I seen what happens to these rats. My first rats were in fact pet-store rats and I loved them to no end. I still miss them to this day and I am thankful for getting them and opening my heart to the rat world. I cannot stress enough the need for adopting from a rescue rather than supporting a breeder or a pet-store.

I have a rescue, full of babies, of old man-rats, Younger lady rats, and every rat that is taken from a pet-store or breeder locally takes those homes away from rats that have been saved already and who have been waiting for their happy ending.

I try my best to reduce the population of rats. Not by culling them off but spaying the second I learn that they were with a male. Let me explain the tears and heartaches it takes to make that decision because someone was careless and allowed a male and female to be together. It isn't an easy choice to make but one I am forced to make because I took on the task of becoming a rat rescue. I have to make this choice numerous times a year. I take these sweet faces to the vet to have them spayed the only thing that makes me go, is the quality of life these girls will have by being spayed. No more babies for them, reduced risk of tumors and PT. I can say I cry at making this choice and I wish I did not have to do it. I do it because I owe it to them to make sure their life is as a loved pet and not a baby making machine. I am here to change how rats are viewed. They are not lab animals or school projects, they are not a tool to make a fast buck or to feed off as some dinner for another animal. I am here to show how amazing they are, how loving they can be and just how great it is to be owned by a rat.

The flip side we have breeders who are making the perfect rat, the perfect color, the perfect baby. All of which are just filling rescues up at some point with more rat that will need to be rescued. These breeders do not generally keep track of their babies unlike me as a rescue I try to email a few times a year to make sure they are ok. While I am trying to fight to change the lives of rats and reduce the populations people are breeding faster than I can make a change, faster than I can home a litter and faster than I even imagine. So these new rats are being tossed on top of the 1000's that are in rescue, that need rescues or that are dying without a rescue. So you can see how hard it is for a rescue to keep up with a bunch of breeders. It seems for every 50 breeders there is one rescue. This number can be higher because with breeders I am including pet-stores who sell them, and the dozen of "oops" litters that pop up as well. So rescues are so outnumbered so it is scary when you really sit down to think about it.

I have rats on my petfinders from babies to seniors. Males to females, Spayed and neutered. I have lifers that will never leave and I am their happy ending. These are not rats I picked out and was excited over getting these are rats that were left sick, neglected, full of tumors, babies, and every other ailment you can think of. They are my sunshine though. They are the highlights of my days. When I am sad and down, they will always be there to pick me up. Just simply by running to the cage to see me or bite me whatever the case is.
I give up my days off weekly to care for these rats. I give up doing things for myself and others because I have a responsibility to these rats in my care. I come home from work exhausted but my day is not done because cages need cleaning, meds need done and rats need to be fed. This is every single day. I never miss a day and I cannot tell you the last day that it did not revolve around a rat.

Adoption fees help me survive. They help me save the lives of so many unwanted rats. What does that breeder or pet-store do with the funds you provide them? Does it go in their pocket? Are they seen as a profit to them? A way to make money? Chances are the answer is yes. You should rescue because those fees do not help us pay for our shopping habits or the car-note, in fact that rescues gives up part of his or her income to support these rats because there is never enough donations to keep them out of the red each month. But we are ok with that, because that month, some rat life was changed. All of a rescues fees and money are put back into the rescue. Buying food, meds, cages and supplies add up fast. Tumors pop up at a higher rate in rescues because we have more girls who never get adopted. Or ones who come in that cannot be adopted. Sick rats always come in and end up being lifers who require meds twice a day.

I want you to remember this when you are looking at the pet-store, or talking to that breeder. I want you to remember the pain and tears we pour into our obsession of saving these little faces we all know and love. Please support a rescue and not a breeder or a pet-store. Fight to make a change, tell the manager it isn't ok to sell them, send letters, fight to change laws, all of this we do have control over we just need people to be tired of this and not be so accepting of it. These rats do not have a say or a voice they depend on us to be that voice. Be the advocate for a rat today rather than one who is supporting the life they do not deserve.

 

[jorats]

Thank you Peggy... that's food for thought.
And the reason why this forum is primarily a rescue forum. Too many rats needing homes out there.

 

[Sheldon]

Sticky! STICKY!!

 

[AboutPetRats]

Great post, hopefloats! I'm currently looking for some rescues myself....wish I lived closer to you.

 

[trihkal]

That was a great post. You're right it's so important to support rescues and that includes adoption and adoption fees. Rats are an amazing species but really all animals deserve that.

I'm sure this isn't going to be a very popular statement but I do think there is a purpose for *ethical* breeders. They fit a different description than the one you provided and work to improve the species. That being said for every 1 ethical breeder there are at least 100 pretending to be and another 100 not even pretending. This is why my next rats are coming from a rescue situation. I liked that they needed an application. They clearly care where the rats are going and about the rats themselves. That's important because so do I. I want to support them for all the reasons you mentioned.

 

[Godmother]

Well said. It is heartbreaking to know of all the rats who never make it to a rescue or SPCA. I cannot bring myself to buy from a breeder or pet store. Two of mine had been bought as snake food, then the owners were at a loss when the snake didn't eat them.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

You summed it up perfectly!

 

[Carol Weekes]

I had assumed that adopting from a humane society was a form of rescue, as they take in rats from sad or bad situations. My current two boys, whom I've had almost two months (Al and Lester; named after their older mate, Aleister who passed away a month ago today and whom I miss incredibly) came from one of our local humane societies. Someone had tossed them out into a cemetery last April when the weather (Ontario, Canada) was still freezing. The humane society had listed them as 3 years old...in fact, they might be a year old. Lester has chronic bronchial issues from that experience; when adopted he was sneezing, wheezing, and side-sucking and both were underweight. They'd been with the humane society for five months (two of that in a petstore where they hadn't been adopted); they were in a small clean cage with shredded paper and a plain seed mix for food - the bare bone basics, but at least they were fed, warm, safe with the humane society. Lester is now on meds for the rest of his life; antibiotics, a small dose of daily theophylline; his x-ray showed clear lungs, but the vet said likely scar tissue anywhere from nasal passages, trachea, or into bronchial tubes. His brother, Al is luckier health-wise. Both are so loving and must have been so terrified being dumped outdoors like that. Apparently, Lester had had mites so badly that he'd lost most of his hair. The only medication they'd gotten in that five months was some Revolution for the mites. So, at about one year I am at 'square one' medicating them. But I felt that adopting from the humane society was also a form of rescue, for rats needing homes after dire situations.

But I agree with what you say. The pet stores support mill breeders who do not have health or concern for the rats in mind, although I will say in all fairness that our Petsmart here have great staff who are very diligent about who adopts their rats; they are on the 'alert' for snake people and will not adopt out to anyone suspicious, as I've spoken with them about these concerns.

Sometimes I just sit and say a prayer for rats because there are too many in need and still so much misinformation and prejudice against these precious little animals. You do excellent work and my heart goes out to your sentiments.

 

[marissaceleste]

My rats have always been rescues and I think I will always adopt from rescues. People assume that rescues are going to be difficult to deal with and have health and behaviour problems, but all of mine have been no worse (probably better!) than having to socialize a terrified pet store baby.

I wish it was illegal here to sell small animals in pet stores!! It's illegal to sell dogs and cats, which is AWESOME but I don't see dogs and cats as more or less important than rats, hamsters bunnies etc. and when they're coming from horrible conditions, they deserve to be protected just as much.

As someone who actually works in a pet store that does NOT sell any live animals (we only do cat adoptions and sometimes rabbits and birds from TAS), I can't count the number of times I get asked if we sell hamsters, guinea pigs, rats etc. I always try to point them to TAS or THS to adopt, but some people just don't see the point of adopting since it's faster and easier to pick one out of a bin at Petsmart.

 

[Joanne]

All of my rats have been from a rescue or Kijiji. The last big group I got was the nine Nakies offered up free, first come, first serve. I consider these guys a rescue because anyone could have grabbed them up and fed them off to snakes. I had no idea that most of them were in desperate need of medical attention until I saw them. But I feel good knowing that I am giving rats a chance at a real home, and not supporting mills or BYBs

 

[hopefloats]

Dont forget to open your home to the seniors. I have so many older rats that are always overlooked. It just breaks my heart. Some of these seniors have such amazing personalities.

 

[fumblesquid]

Thank you, hopefloats, for reminding us of how important it is to rescue. I always try to explain to people how awful breeders and mills are, even if "well taken care of." The over-population is seriously killing our beloved pets by the millions, as we breed them faster than we can find homes. There are statistics out there for dogs and cats, and it's scary to see how high the numbers are!

Rats and small animals are even more over-looked, in my opinion. People know that buying one at petco is MUCH easier than going through a rescue. I always try to persuade these people, first hand, into rescuing. Even if it's just picking up a free pair of rats off craigslist (not from a breeder), it's still better than nothing. Always re-home, rescue, and adopt.

 

[AboutPetRats]

Dont forget to open your home to the seniors. I have so many older rats that are always overlooked. It just breaks my heart. Some of these seniors have such amazing personalities.

I second this about seniors being great to rescue. Sometimes I get so tired of people oohing and aweing over the "cute little babies". Babies are totally unformed and "popcorn" around while the seniors do have wonderful personalities and so much soul.

 

[trihkal]

I love the senior stage of life. I didn't have access to internet when I first got interested in rats as a teen. I didn't even realize there was a such thing as a rat rescue or breeder. I thought one could only go to a pet store for small animals. I wonder if others don't realize either. For that reason it's great that so many feel so strongly about where we should get our rats.

 

[Sheldon]

I prefer to adopt adults in all animal types. Don't get me wrong, babies are previous. But...adults have control over their body functions, have usually made it past the danger age for weird illnesses, and show more affection usually because they are through the hyper stage.

 

[hopefloats]

I love the senior stage of life. I didn't have access to internet when I first got interested in rats as a teen. I didn't even realize there was a such thing as a rat rescue or breeder. I thought one could only go to a pet store for small animals. I wonder if others don't realize either. For that reason it's great that so many feel so strongly about where we should get our rats.

That is a very good point. That is typcial in life unless you are raised with "rescue" minded parents and depending how long ago there was not as many rescues as their are today.

I have a spay and neuter license plate and it says "ratluv" on it. I get asked all the time what the rat luv means. I tell them I rescue rats. They all say "I had no idea anyone did that" Or they say "I didnt know we had one around here" Or they get very confused and say something in this nature. "Like the rodent?" I am always explaining that they make wonderful pets and they can be overlooked as needing rescues like our bigger furry friends but they are just as mistreated and neglected as they are.

That is why we always stress about rescues and not breeders, sadly I wish there was a day where I could support a breeder but I dont see that any time soon as I care for all the unwanted rats that come in from my own state and surrounding states. It isnt about health with me, or the best tempermant because I rescue so it is about saving a life that desperately needed me and my rescue. We cant stop the neglect, or the breeders but we can help people understand why those of us who need help wth homes and funds are so important. We love the unwanted and unloved. Mean or happy, sick or healthy. Not one rat comes in here and get different treatment. We off them all the same love even when they are mean and dont want it We dont look at them because of their color or how horrible or great their attitude is. We find their personality and we love it. Regardless of what that may be.