I like the way that rolls off the tongue: adoptable rodents. Adorable rodents. Rascally rodents. Yes I loves them, I do.

And so none should be without a loving home. Here's how you can find them.

Shelter and pet searches:

1. •AdoptAnAnimal.ca lists shelters and rescue organizations across Canada.
   

2. •Your local animal shelters. Don't forget to call the municipal pound! Some have internet adoption pages, but not all shelters and pounds do (especially for small animals), so you must call or visit to find out.
   

3. •The OSPCA branches are listed here.
   

4. •In addition, you can use these resources which help shelters advertise their pets for adoption:
   

5. ★PetHarbor.com
   

6. ★PetPostings.com
   

7. ★PetFinder
   

You may have to do extensive searches - sometimes "other animals" are classified as "cat."

     

PetFinder searches made easy:

1. •Ontario PetFinder search
   

2. •British Columbia PetFinder search
   

3. •Expanded NB, NS, NorthEast PetFinder search
   

4. •Go to the Small Victories page to look at adoptable Small & Furrys in Quebec.
   

Pet websites and forums

1. •GooseMoose pet forum for many kinds of pets
   

2. •There is also a forum called Adopt a Rat, Canada
   

3. •The Rat Shack forum for Ratties In Need
   

4. •The RMCA website and forum, for rats and mice
   

5. •The RatRescue forum
   

6. •…and just about any pet forum you can find
   

E-mail lists

LOTS of rats get announced on the Canada-Rat-Adoption and Rat-Adoption (U.S.) lists on Yahoo Groups. Lots of people who know where the "hidden" rescue rats are, are on the list too. There are rats all over the country that that are waiting for homes, so please join! You can also post homeless and home-seeking rats that you know of. Please join and inquire! Also, we sometimes get posts about rats and mice from the PetFinder Classifieds.

There are many Yahoo groups related to rats, mice, hamsters and other small animals. If you place a want ad, please beware of poachers - breeders who wait for well-intentioned people like you to rehome animals they brought into the world, displacing animals that truly need a home. The same rule goes for Canada-Rat-Adoption group above - I know that breeders are on the list, and they respect the rules regarding posting bred animals. But a "pet wanted" ad may get a myriad of responses. Use your discretion.

Homes wanted through classified ads:

Include them in your search. There could be an available pet a lot closer than you think! Beware of breeders looking to make money, however. Some are breeders looking to dump "undesireable" colours for free. Beware of ads for any kind of animal in Joliette! Joliette has a lot of backyard breeding. There is no SPCA in the Lanaudière region, although there is a no-kill refuge for cats in Repentigny.

1. •PetFinder Classifieds, which has a long list that takes a while to load (a minute or so). If you join Canada-Rat-Adoption and Rat-Adoption, a member there compiles the classified ads for rats and mice and mails them to the lists.
   

2. •your local Buy & Sell magazine
   

3. •LesPAC and dejavu
   

4. •Kijiji
   

5. •Craigslist
   

 

Some are unfortunate situations where the person is trying to be responsible, but it is heartbreaking how quickly some people want to get rid of pets - for too little and for free. "Free" ads are naive people who don't consider how little value free can be - and can put their pet in danger that way. There are a lot of hidden and so-called "legit" breeders, animal resellers, and unsavoury prospects in these ads. At the same time, lack of response to these ads can land the animal out in the wild to fend for itself! If you are strong of heart, willing to act quickly, not be bullied for money but to persuade others to do the right thing, and you prepared to take the animal to the vet, you can truly save a life. One of my sweetest rats came from one of these ads.

     

Always research a pet - and the place or people you get it from - before getting one.

Please try to get your pets from shelters and people giving up their pets, before resorting to breeders and petstores. Buying from petstores encourages what could very well be unethical breeding (which shortens the lives and weakens the health of domestic rats; if you brought a being into this world, wouldn't you want to know with whom it ends up?) and generally poor animal husbandry practices. Pet store employees are often misinformed, and then pass on misinformation to the public about how to care for their domestic animals. My list of good pet stores is here.