# Looking for our first ratties!



## lilyvalley (Feb 27, 2013)

Hi all! We have been reading RatForum for a few weeks now, and finally joined last night. We are a family of 5 humans (mom, dad, 2 daughters and 1 son), two dogs, and one betta fish. Over the years we have had a varied menagerie of hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, and mice. After recovering from the passing of our most recent hamster, Humphrey, a few weeks ago, my younger daughter and I began discussing whether we wanted to add another pet to our household, and what type(s) we should consider. She blurted out "chinchilla," and I took the issue to Facebook, asking my Facebook friends for feedback on possible choices for rodent pets. Overwhelmingly, I was advised that ratties are the absolute best. And believe it or not, despite our extensive experience with other rodent breeds, I knew virtually nothing about ratties. So we began the research. Needless to say, I am now thoroughly convinced of the awesomeness of pet rats.

We are planning to start construction on our Rattie Mansion this weekend, and we will be paying a visit to the local pet shop for some toys and making many others. Once we have our Rattie Mansion ready to go (I estimate it will take 2-3 weekends to get it all set up the way we like, which I'm sure will change frequently once we have our ratties), we will bring home a pair of rats. We are flexible on gender, although we will of course be bringing home a same-sex pair.

We live in the Milwaukee area, and so rats in the Milwaukee area, Chicago area, and possibly even the Green Bay area are within a few hours' drive. We are trying hard to avoid going to a pet store, so if anybody knows of ratties needing homes in our area, please PM us!

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience with us over these past few weeks.


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

Welcome and good luck finding your new babies! I believe there are some rescues in the Chicago area that you could look into.


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## Jenzie (Dec 26, 2012)

Sweet Genes is a breeder in Naperville (30-ish mins west of Chicago - and my hometown!). There are not rats available currently but you can get on the wait list if you're willing to wait. It is quite a drive from Milwaukee though. Unfortunately I don't know of any rescues in Wisconsin (I'm in Madison), but you can always check Craigslist and the Humane Society for any rats in need! Good luck finding some ratty friends!


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