[20paws]

I was just wondering where everyone got their rats? My first rat I got from a pet store as a tiny baby. My second pair I got from a breeder (who no longer breeds ) in VA. The third set I got from a pet store and now we have this lil girl who also came from a pet store. I personally dont agree w/pet stores but it is SO hard to find a breeder anywhere in this area!

 

[Star]

I got my girls from petsmart. They are just the standered hooded color, but they are healthly and were obviously handle from birth .

I found out later, We have a rescue near me and I plan on adopting from them next time .

 

[JennieLove]

I got my first 2 rats from a little family owned petstore, they were feeder rats, about 5-6 years ago (Beavis and Butthead). My secound pair of rats I baught from petsmart just over a year ago (Jay and Silent Bob).

 

[twitch]

my very first rat (pocket) i got on impluse from a friend from school. she was the only dark rat and no one wanted her. she went everywhere with me, even to school. a few months later (after school ended and i wasn't going anywhere much anymore) i got her a friend from a pet store (Lyiint) after learning the hard way that rats could go through depression. my next pair (Dust and Myght) i got as a christmas gift from a friend so i'm pretty sure they came from a pet store too. after Lyiint died i rescued a rat (Nezumi) from the neaighbor's kid who had been abusing it for the last 2 months (i only found out when i took her in that she was even there). it wasn't long after that that Pocket died. it wasn't more then a week tops that i went out and got my next pair (Spider and Snicketts), again from a pet store. and this is where i experienced my first hazzard of getting from a pet store. BOTH of them were pregnant. 3 weeks later i had 24 more rats. i was able to find homes for everyone with considerable help. the last 5 boys left me when they were 5 months old. this is also the time that i found out that i was allergic to males. when nezumi was 16 months old she got sick and died at 18 months of age. my next pair i took off a ex-friend. she didn't want to accept any of my help and tried to pawn off all her females on me by saying she was going to set them loose outside even though she had many other options open to her. i ended up taking all her girls, keeping 2 (Iedani and her only surving daughter Kakushi) and sending the other one (Titana) to a rescue a few hours drive away as i didn't have anymore space in my cage. i brought them home about 2-3 days after nezumi died. a couple weeks later i found dust in the bottom of the cage dead. about 3 weeks after that Myght finally told me she had had enough and stopped fighting her cancer and died. a few days after that i had to put Snicketts down for cancer as well and that day i went to a pet store and bought Twix and Tween. i feel a little ashamed for getting them though i love them to death. i knew of a new rescue about 2-3 hour drive away but after losing 4 rats so close together i couldn't stand it anymore. its hard to explain but i HAD to get more rats and i HAD to get them now. this december my boyfriend bought me a hairless rat (sweetipie) as a christmas gift from pet unlimited. and i am currently training a rat (Violet) for a friend of mine. she got her from a pet store as well.

really i'd rather not buy from a pet store but until recently the closest rescue or breeder was a full province and a half away. i have recently found a breeder a city away and a i'm planning to use the rescue for the next rats i get. (though i would really like the find a breeder of Gambian or dwarf rats...) but that will be a while. i'm trying to cut back to 2-3 rats from my current 6 + 1. though i've been saying that for a while now... *sighs* they're just so addictive... and when the GGMR bug hits its SO hard to fight it. especailly if you know your cage can techniquely hold up to 9 rats and you only have 6 in there right now so....

 

[hjkaga]

I have gotten rats at pet stores before. The ones I have now were from a breeder and one was just a rescue i took in.

 

[Vixie]

All of my previous rats were from Petsmart(they take pretty good care of them, from what I see). Acid and Meromi are also Petsmart pups, both very sweet and were handled very well.

In fact, when I picked Acid out the girl helping me said she bought her and had to bring her back because she was too rambunctious for her taste. I loved how curious and explorative acid was, she made me like the Petsmart by my house.


Meromi was shy, but she's grown to be nearly as adventurous as Acid.


My two boys are different stories. I got Ed from a friend who's dad bought him and didn't know what he was getting into. Jake I bought from a local breeder(luckily I just caught her at her last litter before retiring from the ratting profession). ed doesn't like to be held much, I assume he was a feeder, but now he's grown to climb into my lap and let me pet him for a few seconds before darting off for anotehr adventure. Jake is the sweetest little thing, he was shy at first but now he loves hopping rihgt up to me and crawling all over me just to hear me squeal.

 

[nativemic]

mine are from a pet store that i work at. i do buy from some breeders to get specific rats like rex, hairless, dumbo but i breed my own hoodies out back. i actually have a couple nice sets of breeders. one set is a hairless female and a hooded /dumbo mix. another is a all gray female and a beige hoodie/ dumbo mix and they give me some very pretty babies. i do not breed them over and over again either. after 2-3 litters the are retired and they are given to some of my "rat" customers. all of the babies are handled from the beginning so they are very friendly and healthy. i actually just had my very first baby that was born with a tumor in his back leg and i was so bummed out because i love all of my babies and i am not sure what to do with him. the store vet said it would be best to put him done but i am having a hard time with that option .

 

[twitch]

how is the hairless female as a mother? i heard that they often are very good. some can't lactate and others just don't seem to have the right stuff to care for pinkies.

as for the baby, why is your vet saying this? is it because he won't be sellable or because he's in pain or unlikely to survive? if he's not in pain maybe you can wait until he's older and stronger and have the tumor removed. though it might cost him his leg as well and may be harder to find a pet home for. though i'm sure that an experienced rat owner or maybe even a newbi feeling bad for the deformed one would take him in. i know i would have him if i was closer and could have him neutered before he started creating buck grease (i'm allergic to it. makes me very sick). in any case i'd like to know what happens to him now that you've mentioned him.

 

[cupids_cuties]

ive gotten all my rats from petshops, except my first one who i adopted

 

[nativemic]

twitch i am keepin him around since he does not appear to be bothered by it yet. if it does i will have to rethink what to do with him as his health is more important then a profit to me.

as far as the hairless she seems to be ok but i actually have a second female in the mix and they share nursing duties. i know that alot of peope say you should not keep females together when breeding but i have never had an issue and i actually think it has bee better on them as they share the work load

 

[cupids_cuties]

ive gotten all of mine over the last 7 years at petshops except the first whom i adopted( so 6 from pet stores and 1 adopted)

nitelite r.i.p.
shadow r.i.p.
star r.i.p.
sox r.i.p.
george r.i.p.
pomplemousse
splash

 

[crapola]

i got both my rats from a pet shop. apparently there arent that many places here that you can get ratties from, and this pet shop comes highly recommended.

 

[Keackae23]

My first four rats (Keackae, then Calvin and Zyka, then when Calvin died Tuojiang) I got as feeders from Super Pets.

Then on impulse I rescued two PEW lab rats, so I had four at the same time. Then tragically they all died within months of each other D:

So back in November I got my three dumbo brothers (Fynn, Dume and Gazini) from Feeder Supply. They were the pups of this really nice lady that worked there's pet rat. So I got to know their backround and everything which was quite nice! Though I do like to get feeder rats because there are sometimes some very beautiful ratties in there that don't deserve to be eaten! Though none of them do, really....

 

[tasha]

I got both my girls from Petco, they both had bad diarrhea for a while but now are very healthy and friendly. They were somewhat socialized when we got them but are totally fun and adventuresome now. I looked online for about a week for a breeder nearby and had not much luck so we decided to go ahead with Petco (actually it was kind of a birthday surprise from hubby).

 

[AdventChild]

I got both of mine for my Birthday but they where from a local pet shop called NU-Pets, Dharte was the only dark rat for months in the store, and Skeetch was hyperactive. But theyhave no problems apart from the fact that Skeetch seems agrophobic, is that possible?

 

[Jinxies]

My boys are from PetCo. And my mom's rat is from a family owned pet store who got him from a Breeder.

 

[momtocuties]

I got my 3 from petland.

 

[hydra]

i got my first rat at a shop where they picked the rats up by the tail, one of the many reasons why i'll never buy there again.
my pearl and grace i got at an independent pet shop that buys from a breeder, who works there. grace is very active and happy, and pearl is sweet and docile. they are both my little rays of sunshine

 

[STUgirl55]

I bought Da Vinci and Picasso at Pets Unlimited, and Picasso came with 15 extra. (woops!... just to be clear, Da Vinci isn't a male)

 

[lilspaz68]

Let's see....
going by cage

Selene - local HS
Portia and Ariel - hoodies rescued from horrific situation where a theme park was breeding them in inhumane conditions as live food for the lynx and coyotes and owls, etc...

Bronwen - local high-kill shelter, 1 day left before euth...gave me 13 wonderful babies and I rehomed 9 of them
Talli - local HS, very old girl and her cagemate...cagemate passed recently
Angel and Megan - 2 of Bronwen's daughters
Kismet - oops litter adoption
Cleo and Tosca - oops litter adoptions
Fayth - rehomed to me after owner decided she couldnt' feed her to her snake. was to be returned to feeder bin

Faline and Dolci - local HS - were to be euth'd for overcrowding

Tucker and Bear - 2 sons of Bronwen (neutered)
Rennie - young ratgirl captured in Ottawa and I helped the animal loving but non-rat woman out. She came here with her 3 offspring, I rehomed the other 7
Teya, Beni and Ortiz - 3 of Rennie's babies, partially wild. (both boys neutered)

Dilbert - 2 week old boy bought to feed a herp, then owner decided to rehome instead...I took him in when Owner said I am going to "set him free in the woods"
Brie - local shelter (high kill)...horrible abscesses on her throat we thought were SDA
Valora and Vesta - local HS
Kamali & Kyrie - oops litter of feeder rats rescued in a another province (they don't have a lot of good homes for rats there), they went thru 3 provinces on a Rat Transport to get to me
Aura, Prima, Terra, Zuri and Lucine - Agouti rex mom and her 6 week old daughters about to be euth'd at high-kill shelter
Asha and Adia - rehomes I took in after managing to rehome the other 8 rats for a girl leaving the country.

Hestia - adopted from local shelter

Moth - my last pet shop purchase