# Brought sick rats home from pet shop?



## Saures (Mar 10, 2012)

I've had my new rats for almost 2 weeks now, and they're ill with a possibly respiratory infection?

When I bought them, they ticked all their boxes saying they had given the rats a health check, which they hadn't offered or completed infront of me...
Should I take my rats back? 
Ever since they've come home, I've noticed them sneezing and poor little Yuri's sneeze is getting worse as well as two nose bleeds.


----------



## Flashygrrl (Feb 8, 2012)

Some stores will pay for you to take them to a vet of their choosing if you have an animal become ill within a certain period of time. Call them to check their their policy and get them to a vet ASAP. How long has this been going on for, since they got home? As for the nosebleeds, is it actually blood or porphyrin they can have from being stressed? Does it gush out or do you just notice red on her nose?


----------



## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

Can you return them if they are too costly to keep and treat? The place where I got my rats from was good, they offered to take my rats back (and give me a refund) if there was a problem.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Arashi said:


> Can you return them if they are too costly to keep and treat? The place where I got my rats from was good, they offered to take my rats back (and give me a refund) if there was a problem.


If the rats are too costly to treat, you probably should not have rats at this time. Rats get URI's and need to go to the vet, some more often than others, and if you cannot afford this, you are not ready to have rats. The petstore likely won't treat any rats you return though.


----------



## RatzRUs (Feb 5, 2012)

What I did was saved money for vet bills and put it aside just for that reason my bet is pretty cheap but dealing with all sorts of antibotics and finally figuring out its actually allergies kinda made it expensive. The allergy medicane alone was 36 dollars for them,but I do what I can for them no living thing should have to go through sickness or pain. If you cannot afford the vet then the best option is too find a new home for them until you are ready for them.


----------



## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Animals are not inanimate objects you can return to the store if they are defective. They are living, breathing creatures with senses and feelings and they should be treated as such. When you buy a pet, you are committing to the responsibility of providing proper care (including any vet costs) to said animal. 
Returning them to the store and getting new ones just to repeat the cycle over again is incredibly cruel, as mentioned above, sick rats in pet stores are often left to perish or sold/used as reptile food, as it is not worth their money to treat them.

If you cannot afford vet bills right now you may want to reconsider owning rats at this time. I know lots of sites claim they are cheap and low maintenance pets... yes, their maintenance costs are low, however they are highly prone to a multitude of health problems and it is very unlikely that your rats will not get sick and require vet care at least once in their lifetime.


----------



## RatzRUs (Feb 5, 2012)

I went through seven antibotics and two diffrent vets too find the cause of their sneezing and trust me I think I payed a good 400 dollars in the past two months


----------



## BasmatiRice (Feb 11, 2012)

Although you do have to be prepared for vet bills, specially with rats, I'd go to the petshop and ask about their policy for sick animals. Some pet stores do care about their animals and will be willing to take them to a vet or pay the vet bill if the animals went home ill. And you have nothing to lose in going there, if they dont want anything to do with it, thake them to the vet, but try to do all this ASAP as sneezing rats might escalate to pneumonia in a blink of an eye


----------



## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Judging by the post the OP made shortly after this one, the rats have already been returned to the store. How unfortunate for them...


----------



## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

Jaguar said:


> Animals are not inanimate objects you can return to the store if they are defective. They are living, breathing creatures with senses and feelings and they should be treated as such. When you buy a pet, you are committing to the responsibility of providing proper care (including any vet costs) to said animal.
> Returning them to the store and getting new ones just to repeat the cycle over again is incredibly cruel, as mentioned above, sick rats in pet stores are often left to perish or sold/used as reptile food, as it is not worth their money to treat them.
> 
> If you cannot afford vet bills right now you may want to reconsider owning rats at this time. I know lots of sites claim they are cheap and low maintenance pets... yes, their maintenance costs are low, however they are highly prone to a multitude of health problems and it is very unlikely that your rats will not get sick and require vet care at least once in their lifetime.


Wasn't implying that, the store I bought them from didn't intend for them to be pets, so you would understand why they would offer to refund.

I love my rats, they're like my family.


----------



## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

jaguar, i agree...how sad :-( im glad my husband cant return me, im sick all the time lol. Arashi how are your sweet angels doing? they sound extremely happy and healthy to me now!  and i think Sparty might have a crush on them, when ever i pull up a pic of your rats he starts to climb all over the keyboard! haha i told him its a long distance relationship thoo and it wouldnt work out..;-) lmao


----------



## RatzRUs (Feb 5, 2012)

That's so sad he returned them  that's not fair!


----------



## British (Apr 2, 2012)

Wow. That's heartbreaking.


----------



## Turkey brain (5 mo ago)

RatzRUs said:


> What I did was saved money for vet bills and put it aside just for that reason my bet is pretty cheap but dealing with all sorts of antibotics and finally figuring out its actually allergies kinda made it expensive. The allergy medicane alone was 36 dollars for them,but I do what I can for them no living thing should have to go through sickness or pain. If you cannot afford the vet then the best option is too find a new home for them until you are ready for them.


Hi,i have tried all antibios and nothing works,may i enquire as to what your rats allergies were and what meds did you use please.thanks.


----------

