Is it ok to buy PET rats from petco?
I would NEVER buy pet rats from petco ever again! It caused several heartbreaking, expensive problems. The first rat I got from petco ((ramses)) was a sweet little boy, but he came home with a RTI ((respiratory tract infection)) and no matter how much time and money I spent at the vet, he still passed away 2 weeks later. Two months ago, I was buying some bedding for my ratties' upstairs cage- and saw a beautiful, adorable baby self hooded rat with all the others ((Barley)). He was wrestling, playing, and came up to lick my hand and wrestle it. I fell in love, and took him home. I took him to the vet the day after so i could make sure he was healthy enough to be around my other rats, and they gave me maeds for him ((another RTI)) and sent me on my way. Then, that night he passed away. I think it was liver or kidney failure- as he was cold and twitching. I would not buy from PetCo for pets rats. I did some reserch, and as petsmart does- they buy their rats from a mass breeder called 'Rainbow World Exotics.' I looked it up on the internet, and it it made me sick- its basically a puppy mill- but for rodents, rabbits and birds. Most of those guys are meant to be snake food- so they are highly inbred. Even though I always picked the most active, healthy looking babies, they always got sick and passed away. It broke my heart. Petsmart is a tiny step above- at least the one by my house is constantly playing with their rodents and loving them. But, if you have the chance, I would really look into a breeder or a ret rescue, even an animal shelter. They have the best pets- I had a rat that passed away a short while ago that lived to be 6 years old! Good luck! ((Thanks for the edit (: you're sweet))
How much does it cost to buy a pet rat?
Of course prices depend on where you go and how you purchase but roughly the prices are as followed: Pet store rat $7-14 Rat from respectable breeder $25 for a pair (rats belong in groups of two or more, and a good breeder advocates this) Pet store wire cages can go from $50 to $80 usually, but not all being suitable for rats. Rats need to have 2-2.5 cubic feet each and, especially for younger rats, a bar spacing of no more than 1/2 inch. You may find some better and larger cages online, such as the popular Midwest Critter Nation and Martin's cages. Both are reasonably priced for the size and quality, though obviously more expensive than most pet store brands. The large Martin's R-695, for example is $120 (powder coated) for a size of 30" x 18" x 36". As for food, variety is recommended, but usually you will find that breeders and owners alike use pellets or blocks for the stationary diet, while adding fresh fruits and veggies as well as grains/pasta to the diet on an occasional basis. Example diets: http://exoticpets.about.com/od/careofrat... http://www.ratfanclub.org/diet.html As for bedding, the cost is generally $3 - $10 depending on the quantity and brand. Aspen and/or Carefresh bedding is recommended. Also, since you are wanting a female baby rat (which should not be allowed to be adopted until 6 weeks of age), you should get another female rat for company and general health/well-being of your other rat (from the same litter if from a breeder or same cage if from a pet store, although if from a pet store I would work on making sure there are no fights or tension between the rats by still going through a few weeks of neutral introduction). After the rats, cage, and supplies are bought you're looking at roughly $10-20 upkeep costs per month, which is very minimal. This cost excludes optional or needed (depending on the evidence of medical problems) trips to the vet. If you take on the responsibility of pet ownership whether it be dog, cat or rat you should have a vet (whether during your pet's life you visit or not, you should have one in mind and have at least one check-up visit) that is qualified and/or experienced in treating rats or exotic animals.
Where to buy a pet rat in new jersey?
Hi- Does anyone know where I can buy a pet rat in nj? i'm not so particular about variety but I know that I don't really want to buy them from petsmart or petco because of the way they treat them or care for them. Any ideas? Thanks!
Is it okay to buy rats from pet stores?
I did. Where else would you get a pet rat? When my daughter was 4 (she’s 31 now) I purchased one pet rat whom my daughter named. After several weeks we decided it needed a friend. This time we purchased it at a different kind of pet store, the kind where you can also purchase snakes, toads, mice and rats; where they also raise rats as food for pet snakes.We upped the size of the cage to three levels, but in a few short months we saw that the new one was taking everything in sight from around their cage and placing it together into one little pile. It finally dawned on me that this rat was pregnant.Wisely, we purchased another cage for the first rat so that it would have it’s own home and not have to worry about losing it’s comforts while the mama rat was making her nest. Mama rat had 11 babies. Very cute. We continued to feed both rats well, with mama rat getting a few more goodies as she nursed her babies.As they grew healthily and were finally being weaned, we decided to keep two males, separating them from mama, putting them into their own cage, and mama back in with her original female friend.Now we had four and they all lived to the ripe old age as rats do.
Were can i Order pet rats online?
If you live in the US try http://www.petfinder.com/index.html That way your giving a rat that needs a home a home :3 There might be a pair looking for a forever home in your area. Check out craigslist or classifyed newspaper adds aswell, you may find some looking for homes there aswell I hope this helps ^-^
Buying saline for pet rat's eye?
The weeping red eye is because of porphyrin production. http://www.ratbehavior.org/porphyrin.htm Excess production of porphyrin, enough to make you feel like you need to wipe it away, is a sign of illness in rats. Irritation of the eye by cigarette smoke, dust, cleaners, dusty bedding, perfumes, etc. will cause a mild production. Being overly stressed, allergy, and Mycoplasmosis will cause more production. Mycoplasmosis in rats: http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=My... Have you gotten to the root of the problem? Once that has been eliminated the porphyrin production will cease. You can make your own saline solution with table salt and distilled water. Wash your hands and wash all utinsels you will be using. Using a clean jar with a screw type lid, add 1/4 tsp. of non-iodized table salt to one cup of water. Loosely screw on the lid and place the jar into a sauce pan. Fill the sauce pan with enough water to cover 3/4 of the jar. Cover and boil for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the jar to cool. Tighten the lid. Refrigerate and keep it refrigerated. Commercial saline solutions: http://www.bausch.com/en_US/consumer/vis... http://www.pfizerch.com/product.aspx?id=534 Holistic alternative: http://www.healthmart2000.com/item388.htm Will clean the eyes and heal minor eye irritations. More on holistic medicine for rats. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/holistarat Note: all sterilized saline solutions easily become contaminated once they are open. spazrats "my life has gone to the rats
What should I know before getting pet rats?
What should I know before getting pet rats?What a wonderful question. Thank you for the question.We are talking about fancy domesticated pet rats, here not the wild rats.Rats are loving, intelligent, sensitive, they can be trained to do things , some what like a dog.Rats need a heater almost ALL THE TIME in the winter, spring autumn and cold days, cool nights in summer.They do not cost much less than a cat.Rats are very time consuming to care for.You need to wash there blanket bedding every second or third day, if they are not toilet trained.Rats are needy, they need your love kind of like a dog.They need a rat friend or more. They suffer mental illness with out a friend.Rats can get many things wrong with them. They can need vet treatment. You need to be able to afford vet bills to own pet rats.Pet rats need a fan or air conditioner in hot weather.Rats need ice in a plastic bag, or an ice pack in a cotton pillow case cover, to keep cool on hot weather, and to be out of direct sun light.Rats need an omnivorous diet because they are omnivores.If you try to make a pet rat a vegetarian or vegan, my experience and observation with rats is that they are not as healthy, and do not live as long.Rats do need a little red meat on a regular basis (at least every second day.) for iron, B12, taurine, and a range of B vitamins.Pet rats need a wide range of many different coloured vegetables.Rats need an extremely large cage, the bigger the better, for a happy life.They need games, activities, toys, to keep them happy and healthy.They need a soft floor on the bottom of their cage. ideally polar fleece, or cotton flannel, or clean wiping dish cloths, if you are on a tight budget.Rats need wool jumpers socks or hats to sleep in.They need apple wood, or some other suitable wood to chew on, to wear their teeth down..Their cage needs regular cleaning, more often, at least every second day, if they are not toilet trained.It can be hard to talk about your beloved pet rat, if your friends do not like rats.Pet rats can be challenging having a pet that not many people like to talk about them.Some rats have been able to chew the bottom of plastic bottom cages to escape, so they need a cage with a wire bottom .Some will run away when you play with them out side.They can chew almost every thing, your furniture , your clothes, power cords.I hope that this answer is satisfying.
Can a minor buy a rat as a pet from petco or petsmart?
my last 'feeder rat' that i got from the store you mentioned came to me sick and it turned into pneumonia. it was such a horrible experience for me and she was only about 6 months max when she died, i vowed never again to buy a feeder rat from a big store. they are bread to be feeders, not pets typically. my next two were babies of feeders from my friends daughter who bought a pregnant rat. my white one recently died at only 1 1/2 years old. i still have one from that pair and she has taken to her new siblings well. suggestion: look in the local classified ads like craigslist or ebay classifieds. my newest 2 additions actually came from a breeder. although this lady is new to breeding rats, the parents came from a breeder who moved to another state. they pick the parents based on lack of illness, longevity, etc. when it comes to dogs or cats or anything else i would never say go to a breeder! i think breeding animals is cruel when there are so many homeless animals who need love and a new home! but, when it comes to rats i believe it is ok to buy from a breeder. why? because rats are so cool and special. kind of like little puppies. you will love them as much as any other animal. unfortunately, they do not live very long to begin with. i have found the average to be somewhere between 2 - 3 years. you become so attached to them it is hard to let go so soon. so, i suggest finding a breeder. they will let you know if they have a litter ready to find new homes. you can have your parents talk to them and agree with your plans and then you can arrange to pick your new rat. i suggest researching on the sites tips to raising a healthy rat and signs to look for and pick up if for some reason it is sick...very rare, but you should know. i wish you a wonderful time as a rat owner. i am so glad your parents agreed. rats are by far the best of all of the rodents. they are very smart and trainable too. check out sites on how to do that too. your rat will love you and wish for you to pay attention to it every day. last tip: i bought this neck thing on a site called etsy. the lady calls them ratoobs. it is a fleece collar i can wear around my neck and carry around my rat or rats and do other things at the same time. they love it and they love getting to spend extra time with me...and me with them! happy new year. peace.