[rattusnorvegicus]

hi all,

five days ago, on the first day of winter, on december 22, i got my two ratties

i went to petco to buy them, though they were supposed to be my christmas present, my mom let me go out early to get 'em. all my old rats who have now past on were from breeders. my mom and dad of corse, don't know much about rats and where to get them as much as i do because on the other hand, i have been studying them for 6 years!! (i am turning ten in april so almost six years.)

i wanted and told my mom to get them from a breeder but she says no, no, no; she doesn't listen.

so i set out to the petco serching for two female rats and i found two females in the same cage. they weren't from the same litter (like they should have been) but they were the only females there. so we bought 'em but it wasn't untill we got home when we found out they were terribly sick. martha, was fine and has a GREAT personality, but is sick a little. eskimo, is VERY sick and has a horrible personality. our family thinks she is not gonna make it. martha bites eskimo back and tries to rip her tail and kill her, this is not playing.

my mom thiks i should take these rats back and get three sisters from a breeder that are from the same litter.

 

[OnlyOno]

Re: sick and suffering rats from petco

how does your mom feel about maybe taking popeye and eskimo to the vet? can you describe what they do that makes you think they are sick? many rats, especially petstore rats, can be a little sniffly when you bring them home because of stress and stuff.

i would give eskimo a few days to calm down, in hopes that maybe she is just grumpy from the move. rats don't necessarily need to be siblings to get along for life, and if you just want to take eskimo back and keep popeye, they will be okay. all rats fight and stuff, so unless popeye is actually drawing blood, there may still be a chance for them to get along.

EDIT: if you want to try and socialize eskimo to be a nice rat, there are many ways to do that and plenty of people here to help. not all rats can become nice rats, but many do with time and patience.

 

[twitch]

Re: sick and suffering rats from petco

what feels right to you? can you afford their care? if it were me i would not take them back because i know the pet shop will not take care of them i chose them so i am responsible for them. i would take them botht to the vet to get checked out (some vets are free if the animal is bought the same day or at least within 24 hours-bring the receipt). personally, i would keep them and work with them. but i don't know your situation. we can help you with the temperment issues but you are going to have to take them to the vet if you think they are sick.

however, there is something called the new home sneezes. this is where they are a bit sneezy the first week as they get used to the new smells. they are not sick, merely very curious.

 

[A1APassion]

Re: sick and suffering rats from petco

the post says they were brought home Dec 22nd

the option to return them to the store is long past

I would check your home & their environment.

What kind of smells are they being exposed to?
Candles?
Cleaning supplies?
Air fresheners?
Perfumes?
Hair spray?
Is there home kept in an area that may be a bit drafty?
What type of bedding are you using?
What type of food are you using?

There are so many things that can cause sneezing... you will have to start going throught the process of elimination.

 

[rattusnorvegicus]

Re: sick and suffering rats from petco

please read the following link:

http://www.ratforum.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=5695.html

goodbye eskimo

 

[Sami]

Re: sick and suffering rats from petco

the post says they were brought home Dec 22nd

the option to return them to the store is long past

Actually, for Petco it's not. You get 15 days to return pets for any reason, even if the animal has passed away you can get your money back if you still have the receipt. If you don't have a receipt, they'll offer you a free rat to make up for it, but that's probably not a very good idea. :/

 

[rattusnorvegicus]

Re: sick and suffering rats from petco

i changed popeye's name to martha

 

[rattusnorvegicus]

now i changed martha's name to arr