twitch, you've made a lot of good points.
All of my rats are either pet store rats/one generation from the pet store/rescues/accidental litters. I don't know the ages of several of them, but the oldest ones are probably 1.5 years. I'm deathly afraid that I'm going to end up with spontaneous deaths and massive malignant tumors. I've already got tons of URIs to deal with!
Twice everyday I give 5 (out of 12) rats antibiotics for terrible URI problems. Some of my rats have damaged lungs, resulting from *awful* respiratory problems from birth. There's nothing more heartbreaking than a 2.5 to 3 week old ratty sneezing, rasping, and gurgling when it breathes... and those rats have ended up stunted in their growth because their lungs couldn't keep up with the oxygen demands of a growing rat body.
As it is, I medicate my rats with medication that I've purchased and compounded myself. My vet is okay with that - and he helps me with dosages and treatment plans for each rat through periodic visits & the telephone. If I didn't do things this way, the cost of supporting all of these rats would be astronomical. Fortunately I spent a lot of time in a lab as a kid and I'm very comfortable compounding meds.
There's no guarantee that a well-bred rat won't have these problems - but well-bred rats are a heck of a better gamble than that cute bright-eyed guy in the feeder bin. I've partially ended up with so many pet store rats because there weren't any breeders where I previously lived (and I'm pretty sure there aren't any in my new city) - but honestly, it's more than worth it to drive a few hours or have rats shipped to you than deal with the problems that come from feeder rats.
Finally, two of my recent additions are two boys resulting from an accidental litter, but their parents were both bred by a respectable breeder in Chicagoland. These boys are *so* friendly and such beautiful rats that I'm sold - I will never be purchasing a rat from a pet store ever again. It's a horrible business that I don't want to support.
All of my rats are either pet store rats/one generation from the pet store/rescues/accidental litters. I don't know the ages of several of them, but the oldest ones are probably 1.5 years. I'm deathly afraid that I'm going to end up with spontaneous deaths and massive malignant tumors. I've already got tons of URIs to deal with!
Twice everyday I give 5 (out of 12) rats antibiotics for terrible URI problems. Some of my rats have damaged lungs, resulting from *awful* respiratory problems from birth. There's nothing more heartbreaking than a 2.5 to 3 week old ratty sneezing, rasping, and gurgling when it breathes... and those rats have ended up stunted in their growth because their lungs couldn't keep up with the oxygen demands of a growing rat body.
As it is, I medicate my rats with medication that I've purchased and compounded myself. My vet is okay with that - and he helps me with dosages and treatment plans for each rat through periodic visits & the telephone. If I didn't do things this way, the cost of supporting all of these rats would be astronomical. Fortunately I spent a lot of time in a lab as a kid and I'm very comfortable compounding meds.
There's no guarantee that a well-bred rat won't have these problems - but well-bred rats are a heck of a better gamble than that cute bright-eyed guy in the feeder bin. I've partially ended up with so many pet store rats because there weren't any breeders where I previously lived (and I'm pretty sure there aren't any in my new city) - but honestly, it's more than worth it to drive a few hours or have rats shipped to you than deal with the problems that come from feeder rats.
Finally, two of my recent additions are two boys resulting from an accidental litter, but their parents were both bred by a respectable breeder in Chicagoland. These boys are *so* friendly and such beautiful rats that I'm sold - I will never be purchasing a rat from a pet store ever again. It's a horrible business that I don't want to support.
