# NE Ohio rat behavioral testing for adoption



## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

The rats have been used in behavioral research. If they have no homes lined up, they will be put to sleep Please share. https://m.facebook.com/A-Rats-Tail-Rescue-and-Sanctuary-1661669114063625/?__tn__=C


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Bump. They are friendly & healthy. Since they are lab rats, they won't everget mycoplasma/pneumonia


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## keykaye (Jun 11, 2015)

i wish i could take them in, but i'm not aloud anymore rats at the moment.. moms rules


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

Gribouilli said:


> Bump. They are friendly & healthy. Since they are lab rats, they won't everget mycoplasma/pneumonia


That is not completely true 

While lab rats do not carry myco the very moment they come in contact with another rat they will catch it.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

moonkissed said:


> That is not completely true While lab rats do not carry myco the very moment they come in contact with another rat they will catch it.


Oops, yes I know. I was focusing on the rats and didn't even think they might go join other rats, lol. Thanks for correcting me. Now that I think of it, they could catch it even if they don't join other rats if the person adopting them visits petstores...not sure how airborn and for how long mycoplasma is. I always read that a virus such as Sendai could survive on the clothes for a few hours and infect rats at home...Anyway, I hope they find good homes.


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## Munchies (Nov 23, 2014)

That rat is lucky. When I was in university, they wouldn't let me take home any of the rats we worked with in behavioural studies. School rules, they said. The perfectly healthy rats were all put to sleep.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Munchies said:


> That rat is lucky. When I was in university, they wouldn't let me take home any of the rats we worked with in behavioural studies. School rules, they said. The perfectly healthy rats were all put to sleep.


That's so sad I don't know when you were at the university, but fortunately animal welfare/rights improve a little bit each year, but chances are that many still don't find a home and get put to sleep at least some universities are at least opened to the idea to try to find homes for the rats they no longer need.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Actually some states have rules that require lab rats be put to sleep after experimentation is over. My university gave students the option of taking their rats home, which was actually unlawful at the time. To my knowledge, these rules didn't require any major record keeping and were rarely if ever enforced against colleges... so they pretty much played it fast and loose with them.

But yes, testing labs where rats are exposed to genetic modifications or pathogens are monitored much more closely, which is why we don't have GMO glow in the dark rats in the fancy yet.

There is actually a strain of GMO knock out mice that lives twice as long as normal mice that was developed in a lab for research purposes, there may even be a rat strain that lives 4 or better years... but we're not likely to get our hands on any soon or ever... and maybe these animals shouldn't get out of the lab, when you think about it...


Still I'd love a glow in the dark rat that lives 4 or better years...


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

Rat Daddy said:


> Actually some states have rules that require lab rats be put to sleep after experimentation is over. My university gave students the option of taking their rats home, which was actually unlawful at the time. To my knowledge, these rules didn't require any major record keeping and were rarely if ever enforced against colleges... so they pretty much played it fast and loose with them.
> 
> But yes, testing labs where rats are exposed to genetic modifications or pathogens are monitored much more closely, which is why we don't have GMO glow in the dark rats in the fancy yet.
> 
> ...


I think it just depends on what the rats were used for. There are ofcourse for health reasons some that have to be euthanized but people do get rats from labs quite often.

Interesting enough dwarf rats first came from a lab!


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