# So I stole a rat.



## VictorianVanity (Mar 18, 2010)

Okay. Firstly, let me say that this was not an intentional theft, so please don't be too angry with me. :

I work as a caregiver, and my client had just gotten a new puppy, so we needed to go get him some things. I despise going to pet stores, especially Petco, but unfortunately this is where I was directed to purchase his things. So while we're picking up some puppy items, we notice a little cage sitting out where they keep all their small animals with a lone albino girl in it. We go over to investigate, and see that while it looks like she has fresh bedding, all the toys in with her are totally filthy, and her head is totally stained with poryphin, so I have no doubt that her cage was probably rarely, if ever, cleaned.

So we fetch an employee and ask about her. Apparently some family brought her in, wanting to get rid of her, and they were trying to adopt her out. They'd give us her, her cage, and all her toys for $5. I do not like giving money to any of the pet stores around here, particularly this Petco because their care for their rats is revolting. However, after much inner turmoil, we decide we can't just leave this poor girl here. We inform the kid we'll take her home, so we snag her cage and take her up to the front where I fill out their little adoption form and we go on our merry way. It's not until we're driving off we realize the kid forgot to charge us the five bucks. We kind of considered going back, but then started giggling madly about how we were starting a revolution and got her home.

Our initial plan was to simply take her and then likely take her to a rescue or find her a home. We were pretty certain with all the staining around her head she had to be ill, but we were prepared to seek the veterinary care she needed. We cleaned out her cage properly, got her clean toys and some decent food. Surprisingly, she's fit as a fiddle, although the staining has never gone away. She's kind of squeamish about being touched, as I'm sure she was probably never ever played with by her previous owners. She just kind of moved in on us, and has made herself a permanent addition to the group. She is a little awkward with the other girls, so introductions are going slowly, but she's adjusting.

So yeah. I stole a rat. Viva la resistance. 

I've got to get a picture of her and post it soon, she's got such a sweet face despite all the staining.


----------



## Thistle (Dec 7, 2010)

Aww! What a cute story.
I'm glad she's in good hands now.
I find it odd though, that petco would treat an animal like that. I for one, have had no problems with that pet store.
(Though that may be the fact that I'm biased since my friend has worked there in the past and I work there at the current moment.)
I would absolutely love to see some pictures soon!
I hate when people buy pets then drop them off at pet stores :/ I don't approve of those at all.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

The staining is from porphyrin.. it comes out her eyes/nose, and she grooms, rubbing over her head, transferring it to the iniside of her arms, then she does the 2-handed scrub over her head, transferring it to her the back of her neck, and head. The extra porphryin could be from stress and will probably become less and less over time. She also may be older and older rats get a bit lazy with their grooming and aren't as spotless in their toilette.  Can't wait to "meet" her


----------



## VictorianVanity (Mar 18, 2010)

It has definitely cleared up from when we first got her. We at first thought she had some sort of odd markings or something from a distance because it was so dark and so solid all around the head and shoulders. It's much lighter now-a-days, I think she's just a bit lazy and doesn't want to bother. Haha. Perhaps I'll do a little ratty photo shoot this afternoon. /ponder


----------



## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

Hey, if the guy that worked there forgot to take your money then that is his fault as a cashier. And I am sure $5 to them is like nothing. Although I am not okay with stealing, this story is more like saving a life, then stealing a rat <3


----------



## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

I once wrote a complaint to Petco via the website and a regional manger called me back, asked very specific details and said he was going to address the issue. Maybe you can do something like that.


----------



## VictorianVanity (Mar 18, 2010)

@ begood: We've gone in numerous times and spoken with the managers about the quality of care they give the rats, suggested some things they could do and pointed out rats in their care that needed immediate veterinary attention (they ALWAYS have sick rats) and it doesn't seem to do much good, but perhaps I'll try writing in on the actual website and see where that gets me. Thank you for the suggestion. 

@ Alethea: Haha that was our reasoning. The kid forgot, and they had my phone number and address on their adoption form so they could have easily contacted me if they were terribly bothered. I think they just wanted her out of the store, since they didn't seem to know what to do with her. I also greatly dislike thievery, but I think I'll take the smidge of bad karma as my trade-off for her leading a good life.


----------



## Capistrono (Apr 12, 2010)

cute! Like everyone else I can't wait to see pictures.


----------



## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

Glad you could rescue her and get her out of there. You can try hydrogen peroxide to get the staining off her coat too.


----------



## VictorianVanity (Mar 18, 2010)

Hmmm, I didn't know I could use hydrogen peroxide on her coat. Experiment time, methinks.


----------



## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

VictorianVanity said:


> Hmmm, I didn't know I could use hydrogen peroxide on her coat. Experiment time, methinks.


Be careful that she doesn't lick it off her coat as they cannot vomit and it makes dogs vomit when ingested.


----------



## blenderpie (Sep 10, 2009)

Haha that's a cute story as to how you acquired her c: Thief  Kidding!

As far as Petco goes, I refuse to shop there. They always have sick animals in the worst care. My mom and I joke all of the time that "Petco is where the pets go...to die" because of their slogan.


----------



## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

I think that you are fine when it comes to karma. Your good deed, by bringing her into a loving and caring home is all the good karma you need to cancel out of the karma of forgetting to pay. If the kid forgot to do his job, that is there problem. I am just glad that someone such as yourself took her home, rather then her being purchased for food or by an uneducated person, since she was only $5. Too many people think that cheap pets equals no work. 3:


----------



## amruiz (Sep 30, 2009)

HAHA! One for the home team! Viva la resistance! 
Seriously though, that's adorable. They must not have given her much thought if they forgot to charge you the $5. Obviously she's in much better hands now.

I'm with everyone else on this: Can't wait to meet her!


----------

