[mishbob]

A few weeks ago I brought a baby rat home from Petco that was about to be sold as snake food. I asked the Petco employee if there was something special I needed to do, and if I needed to keep her separated from my three other girls. I was told "just drop her in - she will be fine". That was mistake number 1.
My advice.....Always do your own research and don't expect a Petco employee to know what they're talking about.

After a successful introduction, I moved the baby in. I did not quarantine. That was mistake number 2. The baby rat began sneezing and soon after all three of my girls started sneezing. They were eating, drinking, and still playing hard. Last night I noticed Macy struggling to breath. I sat up with her and when I checked on her at 4:00 am, she had passed.

Please learn from my mistake and always do your research and quarantine

 

[ratastic]

I'm sorry for your loss. Is Macy the Petco baby you got?

 

[Lesath]

Oh no!! So sorry for your sudden loss! I've had a similar situation during my 'uneducated rat owner' phase, brought home Stanley (the one on my signature with the black patchy face drinking from the bottle) and did a very very bad quarantine (in the same room! doh!) and stuck Stan in with everyone else in about 3 days after getting him. Unfortunatly I lost two rats within 2 days of putting Stan in with them. Stan himself never got really sick, but I did lose two rats to it, and I learned about why you HAVE to go to the vet for URI, it just won't fix itself like the common cold. You MUST get medicine for them.

The things we learn the hard way... Again, so sorry for your loss.

 

[Bandit]

I had a similar situation happen aswell a long while back. It's tragic but it is how a lot of people become better rat owners.

 

[mishbob]

Thanks for the kind words

The rat in the picture is Macy. She's the one that I lost. I actually got her from a breeder.

It was a hard lesson to learn - especially for my children. : (

 

[Mana]

I'm so sorry for your loss I hope your other rats will be okay.

 

[Meliss]

I am so sorry for ur loss--- We just had one of ours put to sleep because she was struggling to breathe so--- The vet said that she had a virus that she got from her mother-- from breastfeeding. We still have three and our enjoying them immensly,

 

[OnlyOno]

oh i'm so sorry to hear that! you should file a complaint with petco and how they do not advocate proper pet care/sell sick animals. i know it seems like a little thing to such a big company, but consumer complaints have gotten them in trouble before so hopefully things like will add up again.

your macy was a beautiful girl, i'm sure she knows that it wasn't your fault.

 

[SamsterAndRocky]

*hugs* im sorry for your loss

 

[mishbob]

Thanks!

The STERN letter was sent to Petco this morning! Thanks for the advice.

 

[yashu]

Did petco give you the "pet contract" thingie?

I went to petco the other day to get some mice... I have wanted to see how they are compared to rats... I have 4 rats... anyway... they sold me a sick mouse (I bought two), but when I went to return her, they said that I couldn't because I didn't have my "pet contract" thingie... well... apparently petco is so used to people just getting the rats and mice for snake food that they just assume that is what they are for. Petco does not do thecontract for snake food. So, the petco person may have thought you were just going to keep the rat for a short time and then feed to a snake.

I did get my mouse traded for a healthy one once I explained that they were for pets, but the whole thing made me wonder about their quality in general. (The sick mouse had some sort of infection and would only run in clockwise circles, for hours and hours... never doing anything else... a sure sign of a sick mouse)

The mice are doing fine, with the new healthy one they make a great pair, and are amazing me with their nest building and other cute things the rats don't do, but they sure don't beat petting a good ol' laprat bruxing and boggling away as I listen to music.