# This has never happened.



## eddricksmommy101 (Jul 16, 2010)

So i was in Petsmart two weeks ago getting my babies food.
And there, in Eddrick's old cage. Is an agouti hooded boy. 
I was immediately drawn in. And he walked right up to the edge of the cage and nuzzled down and looked at me with those eyes.
I almost started to cry because he was so adorable. 

I had to leave.

Then i went back today for more food.
He was still there. And he remembered me. I sat down and he did the same thing as before. And i started talking to him, calling him Jerry.

And my mom came and said we had to go. I asked first (After we payed for the treats) if i could put one in his cage with him. And the store worker guy said yes. And i was dropping it in, he walked up to my hand, nuzzled it, took the treat and ate it. I almost cried.
I put hand sanitizer on and went home.

I'm sitting here all sad now because i know i'll never have Jerry.

Has this ever happened to you?
He has been there for two weeks now, it's like he's waiting for me. 
I'm sad.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Its sad, but his sale price will go towards putting two or three of his brothers and sisters in the same situation. Maybe you could leave your contact details with the store and ask them to call you if hes ever available for free adoption... if hes older and not selling they may consider it.


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## eddricksmommy101 (Jul 16, 2010)

I would but mom says i cannot have five rats. Not with the vet bill from bringing the boys home was 250 dollars.

And hes only like 7 weeks old at my guess, maybe younger.

(Sigh) If he is still there in a week, he will be mine. Mark my words.

But I'm just hoping he is adopted by a loving home, he's a sweet boy.


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## Kritter (Nov 5, 2010)

Awww, Jerry sounds like a real sweetheart.
I really hope you get him.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Please don't support pet stores.
as cute as he may be, if we all took home the lone sad looking rat at the store we would all have hordes of pet store rats.

The only way to save rats is NOT to buy them from stores.


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## hshelton (Feb 23, 2010)

Thats exactly how I ended up with Darla lol


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

i was gonna keep my mouth shut but i decided i cant

if we dont buy them it wont stop the pet stores from breeding or selling them. were only a minority against a whole chain of business supplying to the world. im just saying that if we even adopt from a humane society or something there is a 50/50 chance it will be a pet store rat. why not give it a home. as long as the person buys it not wanting to breed it... whats the issue. this person could give it a carefree life and stop its suffering in a petstore... petstore animals do suffer.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Yes but a Carefree "if i don't buy it someone else will' Attitude is how nothing gets done.


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

nothing will get done. people buy rats to feed snakes.... that will never change therfore there will always be a demand for rats. if people choose to buy a petstore rat it will avoid being snake food and will have a wonderful life... it is the buyers choice and the buyers alone. a petstore rat is no different than any other rat. genetics are worse but it the bond that counts. my rats were feeder rats but personally i see no differance other than bad genetics. my rats have opened up a new place in my heart and showed me that rats are sweet and lovable no matter there background or genetics. for gosh sakes its just a pet, friend and family no matter its origins


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

And for the sake of health, not adding 5 more rats to the feeder tank, and cost of vet bills. People should if possible, get rats from breeders and rescues.

Could we say the same about puppies? People will always buy puppies from a pet-store, But not buying that puppy and saving one from a shelter instead saves 2 lives.


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

in california our petstores no longer sell puppies or kittens (only fish, reptiles, birds, bugs)

yeah breeder people would be nice to buy from but then arnt you just paying them to breed more rats when there are so many (feeder/ petstore) rats in shelters who desperatly need homes. 

all i see is a big web of contradiction. you say adoption but the mojority of those are feeder/ petstore rats that people have bought and dont want anymore. and yeah sure ratteries breed for awsome traits etc but with so many homeless rats in shelters and why buy them there so more can be bred and sold. see there are so many rats and too little amount of homes. the breeding and selling wont stop no matter what we do


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Your missing the point.

Yes Breeders breed rats. the money they get does not even come close to enough to cover costs of breeding more rats. Good breeders do not breed for profit, and only breed for health.
And As for Rescues, yes many rescues have unwanted petstore rats, but Instead of buying from a store and condemning 3 more rats in it's place, you took one home and opened a spot in a rescue so more rats could be saved.

it's not a web of contradictions.


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

your opinion is your opinion and its the persons choice if he wants to buy the petstore rat. i refuse to argue about this topic seeing as it goes nowhere. my opinion will stay my opinion and we will disagree. have a good night and remember its the persons choice where and when he wants to buy a rat

i am not saying DO NOT RESCUE from a shelter- by all means if you want to that go ahead but at least 50% were petstore rats to begin with.

im just saying that it is not a bad thing to buy a petstore rat and our minority can not overpower snake breeders and petstore who supply them


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Ema (eddicksmommy) I hope i got the name right.
I think she knows the general views on pet-store rat buying. She has said herself she regrets buying Eddrick from petsmart. And she has 3 rescue rats.
I am not forcing anyones opinions. But it's a fact that rescue saves lives.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

overpower, no, but contribute greatly, yes. feeder breeders and pet breeders are an entirely different market. most scummy pet stores will separate the pretty babies with blazes and nice colors and whatnot and throw them in the "fancy" tank for pets... and the less-popular plain or hooded babies are condemned the feeder bin, even when they're all from the same litter. they just don't care.

can you imagine how much the demand and therefore supply of poorly bred pet store rats would drop if even just half of the people who gave in and bought from a pet store would have held out a bit longer and waited to find a breeder or rescue? you might not think just one rat would make a difference, and unfortunately that's what thousands of other people think, too, and that's why it's not getting any better.

if you go back to that pet store every day or every week or regularly and see that same rat in the same tank that is really a blessing in disguise. the workers in the pet store will see the exact same thing, and see that the rat is not selling, or decide that rats are not profitable because of their lack of popularity or whatever other reason, and order in less rats in their next mill shipment, or start breeding less, and so on. 

every single brick in the wall is a crucial part of it.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Jaguar said:


> overpower, no, but contribute greatly, yes. feeder breeders and pet breeders are an entirely different market. most scummy pet stores will separate the pretty babies with blazes and nice colors and whatnot and throw them in the "fancy" tank for pets... and the less-popular plain or hooded babies are condemned the feeder bin, even when they're all from the same litter. they just don't care.
> 
> can you imagine how much the demand and therefore supply of poorly bred pet store rats would drop if even just half of the people who gave in and bought from a pet store would have held out a bit longer and waited to find a breeder or rescue? you might not think just one rat would make a difference, and unfortunately that's what thousands of other people think, too, and that's why it's not getting any better.
> 
> ...


Here here!
+1. Said it better then I could


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

As Gandhi once said "You must be the change you wish to see in the world"
I true, and inspiring quote.


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## Rattus (Nov 2, 2010)

Well, in defense of Pet Smart, ours here where I live, does not sell any live feeder rats or mice. When I purchased my rat(s) at Pet Smart about a week ago, the first question they asked on their ownership form was, "What do you intend to do with these rats?" I responded, "These are going to be pet rats." The Pet Smart employee told me that was a good answer, and told me that if I had said a feeder, that at that moment he would have refused me the sale of the rat. Out of curiosity, I asked him about this, and he told me that was the reason they only sold their rats and mice in pairs, and only stocked them 4 at a time. I asked him how it was that they appealed to snake owners, and he said they only offered an assortment of "frozen foods". I did not ask for details on that matter. And I will say this, our Pet Smart here was taking excellent care of their rats. While I was waiting to purchase my 2 rats, the care taker came over and proceeded to talk to the rats and other small animals while he was changing their bedding and giving them fresh water. They also only use Care Fresh brand bedding for their small animals, which has great absorbency, very low dust, and no harmful chemicals. So, I would say that not ALL pet stores are as bad as some of you make them out to be. (Although all the others in my area other than this Pet Smart are.) I just wanted to share my personal experience. ;D


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

you have to keep in mind where they actually get their stock from, though - even if they take good care of the rats and are concerned about their wellbeing once they're in their posession, they're still buying from mills and backyard breeders and so all the post stocking stuff becomes irrelevant. a huge majority of the other petsmarts treat their animals like crap, so in the end, you're still supporting a chain company that has very little regulation on where they get their animals from and what kind of care they recieve past that point. it's quite a pickle.


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## Rattus (Nov 2, 2010)

You are more than likely right about where they get their stock, i'm a creature of fact though, so I will return to Pet Smart tomorrow and ask them for any paperwork or anything at all proving where my rats came from, I will hopefully have some paperwork to share sometime tomorrow night. Although I do enjoy speculation a lot and love to voice my opinion about things, I still like to have some facts to present rather than assume that all pet stores are the same. It's kind of the same concept as saying that because one person of specific ethnicity steals something, you automatically assume that all of them will.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

you can safely assume that a breeder up to our standards would never supply to a chain pet store like petsmart so don't be too surprised


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## TamSmith (Mar 1, 2010)

Jaguar said:


> you can safely assume that a breeder up to our standards would never supply to a chain pet store like petsmart so don't be too surprised


My thoughts exactly. You're not going to get any kind of pedigree or even a well bred rat from any pet store. I don't think it matters where they came from, if it's a pet store, it's no good


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

it doesnt matter if you buy from a petstore or a breeder if its just a pet to you....

*if your gonna plan on starting a rattery- then buy highly bred rats so you have really good genetic to start a breeding business*

*if its just your new pet- why does it matter where it came from. mine were feeders... i lost a few... it happns. tecnically a rat is no different physically than another... only genetically*

i took niggles, peaches, and hershey in to be tested as to why they died and the vet told me that niggles had cancer in his lungs which had almost totally distroyed them, peaches died from a respritory infection, and hershey should never have been allowed to give birth since her hips were positioned wrong and that caused her to bleed internally during birth. i did some research afterwards and this can happen to even the best rats


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## Legends Of Rock Rattery (Oct 18, 2010)

i went to petsmart yesterday to get a new cage and they had the cuuuuutest hairless babies. One was a split cap and one was black n there were some really cute siamese in there.. I was like "nooooooo" then one of the workers said they had some rats for adoption in the back. The place they get their rats from sent them a pregnant female n it had babies there...the babies spent their whole life (3 months)in treys in the back. One was a ginormous black dumbo boy and the others were PEW females. They were free so I took the male on the spot n my friend who runs a rescue took the spazzy females. I ended up adopting him out the same day...but bump getting rats from petstores its never a good idea.


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## TamSmith (Mar 1, 2010)

Elizabethm said:


> it doesnt matter if you buy from a petstore or a breeder if its just a pet to you....
> 
> *if your gonna plan on starting a rattery- then buy highly bred rats so you have really good genetic to start a breeding business*
> 
> ...


Genetical difference is a big thing. Rats that come from a reputable breeder are less likely to die young or get illnesses. Mammary tumors, cancer, respiratory infections... Plus the fact that if you buy from pet stores, you are supporting mills and back yard breeders. They come from HORRIBLE places (look up rainbow world exotics on youtube if you want to cry) and when you buy from them, they replace that one with many more. Supply and demand kind of thing. If we stop demanding, they will stop supplying.

They best way to get a pet store rat is by adopting one from a rescue. I have all rescues and I'm sure they all came from pet stores. All ove them have been seriously ill at one point and my current oldest is only 1 year old. I've had a tumor removed on my 6 month old Gypsy, Poppy had pneumonia at 3 months old, Sadie and Charlie have constant myco problems and they are both 6 months old, and Marla had a tumor removed at 7 months old. I've lost 3 rats in the past. Lily just died of a pituitary tumor last friday and she had just turned 2, Lucy died of the worst URI I've ever seen at 8 months, RatGirl died of cancer at 11 months, and Sally died of cancer at 10 months. After my current group, I can't let myself get pet store rescues anymore. At least for a while. It's too heartbreaking for me. I plan to get a couple of breeder rats so they can hopefully go a lot longer without an illness.


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

no one seems to understand that if there are snake breeders. there will always be a demand for rats no matter what we try to do. would you rather look at a petstore rat and picture it being swallowed by a giant snake or curled up on a pillow or lap until its time comes and it happily crosses rainbow bridge. personally i like the second picture. even if the rat dies young the person gave it a tiny window of happiness. 

i see buying petstore or feeder rats as saving them because a rescue is most likely exactly the same as a petstore/feeder rat just with the exception that the owner no longer wanted it and no matter what we do rats will always be in demand by snake breeders. no one sees my point wich i think is very obvious and easy to understand. look at the facts... not statistics


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## TamSmith (Mar 1, 2010)

I morally can't give money to the people who beed pet store rats.


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

then that is your choice. my thought is that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.


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## kissmyhorse (Nov 4, 2010)

Elizabethm said:


> no one seems to understand that if there are snake breeders. there will always be a demand for rats no matter what we try to do. would you rather look at a petstore rat and picture it being swallowed by a giant snake or curled up on a pillow or lap until its time comes and it happily crosses rainbow bridge. personally i like the second picture. even if the rat dies young the person gave it a tiny window of happiness.
> 
> i see buying petstore or feeder rats as saving them because a rescue is most likely exactly the same as a petstore/feeder rat just with the exception that the owner no longer wanted it and no matter what we do rats will always be in demand by snake breeders. no one sees my point wich i think is very obvious and easy to understand. look at the facts... not statistics



This is by far one of the most ignorant statemens I have ever read. No one has said that snakes do no need to eat. What you fail to see is that by purchasing pet store rats, you are not only condoning the horrible quality of care these pet stores provide (you're basically just telling them that you think the way they care for their animals is fine, and if you do, then I dont know how you could seep at night). By puchasing a pet store rat, you are only opening up another spot for another rat to suffer, and the rat that you "rescued" will never have a decent enough quality of life to condone that. You are paying thse companies to produce sick, unhealthy animals and keep them in below standard situatons. In essence, keeing these rats as personal pets only prolongs the suffering of the species and encourages the producers they came from. How you could see no wrong in that is beyond me.


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

you are being ignorant. i am only protecting those few pet stores who do care and treat their animals with the upmost respect and care. i was only stating that people buy rats to feed snakes and no matter what we do those uncaring petstores will not stop supplying.

there are few petstores out there who are caring. i now a couple in different towns who own a petstore and private inhome rattery (producing high quality rats- my peaches a dumbo hairless was one of those rats). they sell those animals in their petstore. i also know a few lizard/ turtle places that do the same with their lizards and turtles. they treat their animals as family and they even name and sell those animals, do background checks, etc. you all make these places seem like horrible places to buy animals because of the statistics on petco and petsmart. this is not so and for some it is just plain wrong. i try to explain that there are only *a few* good petstores out there but people keep saying they are *all* bad. i am just supporting the few good petstore/ breederies that i know of. *there are good places out there*


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## TamSmith (Mar 1, 2010)

Your posts had were not sticking up for the "few good pet stores" You were saying that it doesn't matter where you get your rats from if you aren't planning on breeding. 

I understand everyone is allowed opinions. I was giving the other side of what you were saying so if someone passing by this tread reads it, they don't think that pet stores are as harmless as you claimed. I wasn't trying to say you are completely wrong, I just wanted to give the other side of the spectrum for people who don't know.

I would still never buy from any pet store because most of them come from mills and back yard breeders. Regardless of how well the pet store treats them, they come from horrible places. And I still wouldn't get a rat from anyone who breeds and sells them at a pet stores because that is a major red flag. Are they really all that reputable? Do they have pedigrees? Do you know the history on all the other lines? If so, great. That's wonderful. Most places will not be like that. To me, it is better to warn people agains all pet stores because it is really rare to actually find one that sells rats from a REPUTABLE breeder. That's not profitable. 

I know in some countries it is illegal to feed live animals. Snakes don't HAVE to eat live and some places have already made a change according to that. I do think we can make a difference by boycotting buying pet store animals and keeping people informed on what really happens. By "saving" one, we give them money to breed 2 more. If we play it off like there is nothing that can be done so we don't care, it will continue. I work with someone who has been fighting to change how local pet stores keep rats and some have even stopped selling live animals all together. Something CAN be done if we care enough to try.


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

why tell them to avoid *all pet stores* when you can just inform them of the red flags and then have them ask the store people the backgrounds if the petstore seems ok to them (careing, clean, etc). that sounds alot easier and a much less argumentative topic. 

there are good safe petstores like the ones in my old town who breed their own stock by color, temperment, genetics etc. the places i used to shop before i moved do not sell the animals any other place than their petstore *but* they do offer tours of there collections, housing of the animals, breeders and litters also when i asked when i bought my first rat peaches they said all their first breeder rats came from a rattery (not sure wich one anymore since i asked a long time ago. he told me but i cant remember. all i know is that he said it wasnt in california)


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## kissmyhorse (Nov 4, 2010)

You keep changing your story up. First you were defending all pet stores, then just a few, now jut this one breeder who was in your old town. If you have a point to make then at least get your story straight befroe you make claims that could encourage someone to support the horrid conditions of pet store rats. When you buy a rat from a pet store or a breeder with a shady or non existat reputaton, you are then causing insurmountable ammounts of pain to other rats in pet stores and unstandardized breederies because you are supporting their cause and telling them that it is okay to continue doing what the are doing. By "rescueing" one rat, you are condemning countless more to suffer. If that's the way you want to roll, fine, but please do not push your swayed ideals onto oters who whould like to improve the humane treatment of rats.


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

it is not just one. there are 3 in my hometown. one specializes in rodents (mice, rats, rabbits, skinny pigs) another specializes in turtles and lizards and one specializes in snakes of all kinds but only feeds frozen rodents.


i just want people on here to post about the *red flags and then let people choose what they want to do* instead of bashing *all* the petstores. you make the good ones *(as few as there are)* sound bad. its just not right and there are some petstores who do alot of background and tours also to show people they are good unlike petco or petsmart. these business in my home town are not affiliated with those petstores and are family run and owned


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Breeding multiple species IS a red flag. Elizabeth, we know you love your rats and they can make just as fantastic pets - thats not everyones issue here. In fact most of us have owned and loved a pet store rat at some point. However buying from these places is NOT rescuing.. its a business and the 'net profit' goes back into producing and selling more - thats not how it should work with a breeder who cares. Your attitude that you lost a few and thats okay really confuses me. Did those rats not deserve better genetics wise? 

'Peaches' the rat you got from the ''reputable'' pet store died of a respiratory infection a little after you got her, still quite young? How is that any kind of quality bred rat? I'm not saying shes not a loving best friend, but imagine having 3-4 years with them all to enjoy them instead of all the illnesses and death you yourself have experienced. Imagine the money spent on vet bills and necropsy's going into hammocks and treats - wouldn't that be the kind of experience a pet rat owner would want? 

I'm not saying all pet stores are bad either, if theres an exception to every rule there has to be at least one good pet store out there. But I'll believe it when I see it and even then it wouldn't be enough to start changing anyones views on pet stores as a whole.


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

actually peaches was almost 1 year old i got her from that petstore when she was 7 weeks old. that could have happened to even a rat say you bought from a rattery. those 3 are family owned by different people which means its not just 1 person breeding all those types of animals. its the whole family in those 3 different businesses and im sure one person works with one breed and so on. oh well its your guys view. im getting tired of this post and everyone saying how horrible my veiw is so i will not be posting again on this topic. im gonna continue on my merry way and sleep just fine at night thinking my own thoughts (since someone on here did meantion "how do i sleep at night" to answer that i sleep just fine and all my rats are perfect no matter what people say about feeders and petstore rats). its the love and bond that matter... and i love all my rats even though their genetics suck and no matter where they came from or how long they live. i showed my deceased rats the love they never had before meeting me and thats all that matters


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## leesha (Feb 15, 2010)

Elizabethm said:


> its the love and bond that matter... and i love all my rats even though their genetics suck and no matter where they came from or how long they live. i showed my deceased rats the love they never had before meeting me and thats all that matters


I haven't read through all this thread, but I couldn't agree more with this statement.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Leesha said:


> Elizabethm said:
> 
> 
> > its the love and bond that matter... and i love all my rats even though their genetics suck and no matter where they came from or how long they live. i showed my deceased rats the love they never had before meeting me and thats all that matters
> ...


I actually find that quite ignorant. Many of us have explained we are not saying that can not be fantastic pets and companions.. in fact the majority of rescues came from pet stores. *Its their purchase price that is supporting/enabling the feeder breeder - who is the person that created the situation that rat needs to be rescued from in the first place!*. Its their 5 or 6 siblings that will be put in the place of the 2 that you bought just because they see an increase in that months sales. If you have a valid point stay and discuss it so everyone can better understand you - I can not personally get my head around how you can feel that way after all the heart ache you've experienced. Were not saying your rats are not wonderful or lower quality... they just deserves so much better and a proper upbringing. I'll always support the people doing this (rescues + good breeders) over pet stores and feeder breeders.


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

around my area petstore pet rats are no more than $3 and feeder rats are only $2.. that is why i think that. 

also rescue rats from shelters charge $30-$50 to adopt their rats. and since the majority of the human societies rats were once petstore/ feeders it is cheaper to get the same thing from a petstore for $2-$3


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

I have never seen a rescue charge $30-$50 per rat (unless they are spayed/neutered), its usually $10 and at a HUGE loss for the rescue. And for a pet, thats nothing :-\ I guess thats the difference you pay for your rat being handled, loved, fed right and kept on the right bedding whilst in their care. Honestly, I'd likely give them extra, which enables them to save even more rats.


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## Elizabethm (Sep 10, 2010)

well are shelters do manditory spay and nueter so we dont really have a choice in how much we pay. 

i took taz in for an exam on his eyes today and all i got was a $95 bill and "oh we cant do anything unless its so serious it has to be removed" they said his eye was fine for now and that it was a cornial abrasion that got infected


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## kissmyhorse (Nov 4, 2010)

emma-leigh - I couldnt agree mor wth wht you are saying! Fo the $3 a person pays for a feeder rat, the pet shop buys 6 more rats and the supplier produces 12 more. Save one, condemn 12, I can't see how it's worth it.

Elizabethm - the shelters that spay an neuter are by far the most helpful and influential shelters in the rat world. They take it upon temselves to make sure that the suffering of rats is not continued by careless owners producing unwanted litters. About your boy Taz, in aother tread you said the vets told you to medicate th eye with antibiotic ointments. I cant see how that is saying theres nothing they can do about it, they are telling you exactly what to do about it. What else could you fathom them doing, an eye transplant?


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

$30 - $50 for a spayed/neutered rat is such a good deal. If you had of gone that route you wouldn't of ended up with an accidental litter, another 11 rats bought into the world with TERRIBLE genetics. Your going to spend much more on those babies, and then their owners are going to spend a lot more on their medical bills. But its okay because their wonderful feeder breeder is going to try breed out the cataracts and won't sell them to public (except a young girl with no real breeding experience...) Can't you see the fault in everything your saying lately?

First you say your vet prescribes you eye drops that wouldn't do a thing and now he needs antibiotics. I'd love to have a chat with this vet.. does he have a phone number? practice name? Did you even see the vet? :-\


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

jeez, not to mention the huge health and temperament benefit the rats get from being spayed/neutered... especially females.

what does it drop the chance of mammary tumors in females, like 50-60%? in a rat that was never ever selectively bred to lower the occurence of them, that means a lot. that could potentially save you hundreds of dollars in future bills for tumor removals and potentially greatly lenthen the amount of time she could live. 

very worth it.


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## kissmyhorse (Nov 4, 2010)

If there was a rescue around me that charged $50 for a spayed/neutered rat I'd probably have 60 rats! That's an incredible deal omg Im so upset right now that you are taking someting so wonderful like this for granted.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

60!?!?  

Holy cow. I know mainly rat rescue gets a DISCOUNT and that is 75$. it's can be 100-300 per surgery per rat for an average owner. Dang if it costed 50$ ALL my female rats would be spayed.

Had to edit myself xD We gotta moderate ourselves sometimes can't be cursing xD


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## kissmyhorse (Nov 4, 2010)

haha well not literally 60, but I would certainly have quite a few


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Lmao, If I had the time/space/ and energy for that many rats I might as well xD


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## eddricksmommy101 (Jul 16, 2010)

Hey, sorry i haven't been on in a while.
(Eddrick was petoftheday yesterday XD)

I DO regret buying Ed from a petstore. So i would NEVER do it again.
I did not intend for this to turn into a debate.
Sorry :/


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

Yes... I met a sweet sweet PEW, sweetest pet store rat I've ever met, and when I went back a couple weeks later he was gone. I had named him Steve.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

KayRatz said:


> Yes... I met a sweet sweet PEW, sweetest pet store rat I've ever met, and when I went back a couple weeks later he was gone. I had named him Steve.


Holy Smoly, Old Thread Resurrection


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## killybutt (Nov 22, 2010)

Gotta say I agree with Kiko on this. By purchasing this boy, you'll be giving the pet store demand, and demand = supply.... so they'll restock more rats from horrible mass breeding facilities. The person who suggested that you leave your information with the store has a good idea.


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

lilspaz68 said:


> Holy Smoly, Old Thread Resurrection


Oh geez I didn't even notice, shoot me now >>


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## A.ngelF.eathers (Jul 6, 2011)

I have to agree that not buying will not solve anything. For the thousands of people who don't buy from petstores for that reason, there are millions that buy from petstores anyway.
If the rat sits there and isn't purchased, then eventually when they feel they can't make the sale, it'll either be put in a feeder bin, fed to one of the rats in the store, used to breed so they can sell rats they didn't buy, killed or set free then another will be put in it's place. 
That basically goes for all petstore animals. What really happens to those puppies in the window that are never sold but never grow old in the petstore? Are they sold to another store? Are they sold to labs? Are they just dumped somewhere? Are they killed?

I've always felt that not buying animals from a petstore due to health risks is one thing, not buying because you don't want to give that store money and keep a demand going is another. Whether we buy them or not they'll keep coming in. 

No, I don't support most petstore cruelty, I would prefer animals to be adopted or gotten from reputable breeders, but I have two boys that I've had for almost three years with no health problems, no behavioral problems and one I bought because he was adorable, the other was a sudden 'wow, that rat is bald. He's adorable' of course I found out he cost $21 when I went to pick them up, but it didn't stop me. The same day I bought them, three different people came in and out buying "rats fer [their] big snakes. herp."

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wow, I didn't even realize this had about five pages o.o 
Oh well. This is my first page read opinion, Lol


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

A.ngelF.eathers said:


> I have to agree that not buying will not solve anything. For the thousands of people who don't buy from petstores for that reason, there are millions that buy from petstores anyway.
> If the rat sits there and isn't purchased, then eventually when they feel they can't make the sale, it'll either be put in a feeder bin, fed to one of the rats in the store, used to breed so they can sell rats they didn't buy, killed or set free then another will be put in it's place.
> That basically goes for all petstore animals. What really happens to those puppies in the window that are never sold but never grow old in the petstore? Are they sold to another store? Are they sold to labs? Are they just dumped somewhere? Are they killed?
> 
> ...


Absolutely never say never.

Toronto (my city) just recently banned ALL sales of dogs and cats in petstores...they are only allowed to adopt out from rescues and shelters (animals come in store for that reason). I never thought this would happen. It did. One day we might be like the UK and have a ban on live feeding, and that means that rat market is gone. So never say never.


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