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| Why rescue rats are the best: they can be uncertain little souls that, with love and proper handling, enjoy their new friends and home with as much joie de vivre as anyone could have! To see their confidence go from 0 to 90 is thrilling. They may not always be healthy, but they know you're trying to help them. They may not always have been gentle, but they learn when they're shown understanding. They're endearingly cute when they sleep, cuddle and brux. And their antics at playtime makes you shake your head at the nutty things they come up with. Be prepared for a ratty couch throw or slipcover, a couple of IKEA cable protectors running along the wall, and a dog who wonders why her food bowl isn't as full as it used to be. This is a life gone to the rats! |
Finding adoptable pets
If you are looking for a pet rat or any kind of small animal, there are always some available if you look in:
- AdoptAnAnimal.ca lists shelters and rescue organizations across Canada.
- 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. The OSPCA branches are listed here.
- The RMCA Rescue board (US and Canada)
- The RatRescue forum and just about any pet forum you can find (mostly American; also over-populated with poachers, as defined below)
- your local Buy & Sell -type magazine
- Classified ads like lespac and lespacs and dejavu. Beware. 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. Anyone selling an animal could be a breeder, and a backyard one at that. 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, and 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.
- Yahoo groups related to rats, of which Rat-Adoption and Montreal_Rat_Rescue are only two. 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 my Canada-Rat-Adoption group above - I know that breeders are on the list, and they respect the rules regarding posting bred animals. But a "rat wanted" ad may get a myriad of responses. Use your discretion.
- Poils et Plumes.org has lists animals that need to be rehomed in and around, but not exclusively, Montreal
- PetHarbor.com
- PetFinder (you may have to do extensive searches - sometimes "other animals" are classified as "cat")
- PetFinder Classifieds, which has a long list that takes a while to load (a minute or so)
- PetPostings.com
Always research a pet - and the place or people you get it from - before getting one.
Please try to get your rats from shelters, people giving up their pets, and ethical breeders (few and far between, but worth the wait and the drive) before resorting to 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. For research tips or help finding one from an ad, feel free to ask. They are surprisingly simple (and legal!), if you're only willing to ask questions. Ultimately, go with your gut!
Homes wanted through ads:
I don't post classified ads from Kijiji, Buy and Sell, Craiglist, here anymore. Include them in your search. There could be an available pet rat 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 ads for any kind of animal in Joliette! Joliette has a small population for the number of petstores it has, and a lot of backyard breeding. There is no SPCA in Lanaudière region, although there is a no-kill refuge for cats in Repentigny.
PetFinder Searches made easy:
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