# Pet store rats?



## wtfelvemage (Jun 7, 2017)

So after doing extensive research, I've pretty much come to the conclusion that there are no reputable rat breeders near me (new york city). The closest 2 I have found are about 6/7 hour drive away and I do not drive.
I'm going to look into adoption but from what I've heard, rats are pretty rare to come by in adoption centers in nyc (because of the overwhelming amount of wild rats we have apparently). My last resort would be the pet store, but not until i've exhausted every adoption center in nyc to find a pair of young healthy rats (or more if possible!).

Has anyone ever found that pet store rats are temperamental? The general consensus is that rats are pretty easily tamed and friendly to other rats and humans, but I do know they go through a lot in breeding mills and aren't bred for personality or anything like that.

I KNOW that pet stores aren't the best place to get animals but like I said it's only as a last resort. I really want some ratties 

Also I was at petco recently to buy some hammocks and stuff for my rat cage (i wanna have it prepared before I go and buy some rats ) and apparently they no longer sell rats! The employee told me they're not *allowed* to sell rats. Anyone have any information as to why this is?


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

I haven't gotten rats from a pet store, but all the feeder-bred rats I've owned have been sweethearts... It's obviously much more of a gamble when they come from any store whether pet or feeder bred, though some shops are definitely better than others. Since you considered rescue but have no luck with your local rescues adopting out rats, have you considered checking local ads on craigslist etc? Often you'll find people who are looking to rehome or have had an accidental litter. I think it's worth noting, actually, that many people do end up with accidental litters bringing home pet store rats.


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## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

Pet store rats can certainly still be amazing pets! Heck, all of my girls have been pet store rats, and while one was pretty shy, even she eventually tamed to a certain point. My 3 current girls are super tame, and they'll go completely limp when you hold them. They also all enjoy cuddling (to an extent - the younger girls would still rather play ), and they're super smart and easy to train.


My advise if you're going to buy from a pet store is to handle and meet the rats BEFORE you buy them. Basically, you'll want to ask to get them out yourself (I know at my local Petsmart, they'll offer to get the rats out themselves. I always decline the offer, as I want to meet the rats before adopting them). This way, you can determine (to an extent) the rats personalities, and see if any of them are outright aggressive towards humans. 


You'll want to go either in the morning or in the evening, as otherwise most of the rats will be asleep. I'd recommend going for rats that approach your hand, sniff you, lightly nibble you, or just seem generally curious. If any of them go limp when picked up (and are healthy), they'll probably be a good choice. (Of course, healthy rats (bright eyes, little porphyrin discharge, and smooth, sleek fur) will be your number one priority.) Go for the slightly older looking ones if possible, as the younger, newly weaned ones are more likely to get sick from the stress of being adopted.


Now, some pet store rats will have a few behavioral issues, but these can usually be overcome with time. With my last 2, one (Latte) was super friendly and tame from the start, and the other (Blackberry) had a nasty habit of territorial biting (basically she'd bite if you reached into her cage, or into anything that she was inside). Even so, after a month of being with me, she warmed up, and no longer bites anyone.


My only real problem with pet store rats is that they're prone to earlier deaths and more health problems. I've been lucky with my current group, as they haven't been ill in over a year. But as you can't determine the genetics of a pet store animal, they may be more prone to certain illnesses, and as such, you'll want to be prepared for possible vet visits (but with an animal as sensitive as a rat, this is necessary no matter where you get them from).


And this is certainly rare, but out of my first 3 pet store rats, 2 got pneumonia just 2 days after I bought them. Despite taking them to the vet for treatment, only one (Shadow) survived, and that cost me quite a hefty sum of a few hundred dollars (mostly due to an inexperienced expensive vet :/). Just be aware that you may need to dish out quite a bit if your rats get ill.


As for why Petco can't sell rats, its because a while back, a boy bought a pet rat from them. The rat bite him, and infected him with rat bite fever. He died just a few days later. This is a very rare case, and hamsters and other rodents can also give you rat bite fever. But due to the bad publicity they received from the event, Petco stopped selling rats, and even Petsmart stopped selling them (for a while). Petsmart now sells rats again, at least in my area. But as far as I know, Petco still isn't selling rats in any location.


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## Okeedoke22 (Dec 31, 2016)

White wolf rattery is in Long Island Coram. 1 hour drive from NYC on weekends. You can check them out.


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## wtfelvemage (Jun 7, 2017)

Coffeebean said:


> I haven't gotten rats from a pet store, but all the feeder-bred rats I've owned have been sweethearts... It's obviously much more of a gamble when they come from any store whether pet or feeder bred, though some shops are definitely better than others. Since you considered rescue but have no luck with your local rescues adopting out rats, have you considered checking local ads on craigslist etc? Often you'll find people who are looking to rehome or have had an accidental litter. I think it's worth noting, actually, that many people do end up with accidental litters bringing home pet store rats.


I'm sorry could you explain further on what a feeder bred rat is? I'm assuming rats bred to feed snakes? Where would you rescue them from? Sounds interesting!


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## wtfelvemage (Jun 7, 2017)

Thanks for the reply! Really helpful information! 

And oh wow I heard about that rat bite fever! I assumed that was mainly about wild rats though. Aw that's so sad I didn't know that happened.


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## wtfelvemage (Jun 7, 2017)

Okeedoke22 said:


> White wolf rattery is in Long Island Coram. 1 hour drive from NYC on weekends. You can check them out.


Omg THANK YOU!
I've been doing SO MUCH research on ratteries in nyc and I couldn't find any!!
Thank you I will definitely look into that.


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## Okeedoke22 (Dec 31, 2016)

Yeah Google doesn't pull that stuff up. I can tell you I have spoke with her and I like everything she says. Very responsive. Ask a lot of questions so you get your own feel.


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

You can also check out the Empty Cages Collective to rescue some rats in need of a good home. Petfinder shows that they currently have some boys in Brooklyn.


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

wtfelvemage said:


> I'm sorry could you explain further on what a feeder bred rat is? I'm assuming rats bred to feed snakes? Where would you rescue them from? Sounds interesting!


Yes, they're bred for snakes and some other animals to eat. Most places offer frozen rats for such a purpose but there are always places or people who breed live rats. While most reptiles etc. aren't picky and live rodents are unnecessary 99% of the time, there are still people who insist on feeding their animals live rather than frozen even in cases where it's not needed, so there are always some stores (or individuals) around who carry live feeder rats. They tend to be reptile stores or craigslist feeder breeders.

Feeder rats themselves aren't any different from any other rat, but like pet store rats, they don't tend to be bred carefully. That means you might run into issues with health or temperament more often. My experience with them has been, that they tend to be hardy like any other rat I've owned and I haven't had behavioral issues yet, and I've owned maybe 6? I had 1 baby who I took home covered in diarrhea and completely emaciated, and such a sweet little thing... She didn't make it through the week, sadly. So sometimes a feeder rat might come home sick since most of them live in suboptimal conditions, in pull-out bins and such. But I've dearly loved all of them, they've been so playful and cuddly that it sort of shocks me on occasion when I remember that they wouldn't have had a chance to live out their life as they do with me. Currently I own 3 "feeder" rats and 3 "breeder" rats. The only one who has problems (fearful) is one of the breeder rats, coincidentally... But also, I always take home feeder rats who are very young, a couple I've actually had feed formula via syringe, so they get sooo much socialization and spent time with me constantly growing up. I think that helped them grow into happy social individuals, while taking in an older feeder rat will likely give you an unsocialized fearful rat.

Anyways I think I rambled a bit. I hope you have luck with that breeder mentioned above, let us know if you get some new ratties! We like pictures. ;D


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## wtfelvemage (Jun 7, 2017)

Okeedoke22 said:


> Yeah Google doesn't pull that stuff up. I can tell you I have spoke with her and I like everything she says. Very responsive. Ask a lot of questions so you get your own feel.


Seems like she only has litters every two months and has a waiting list, which kinda makes me sad  understandable though cause breeders dont breed for demand I suppose.


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## wtfelvemage (Jun 7, 2017)

Coffeebean said:


> Yes, they're bred for snakes and some other animals to eat. Most places offer frozen rats for such a purpose but there are always places or people who breed live rats. While most reptiles etc. aren't picky and live rodents are unnecessary 99% of the time, there are still people who insist on feeding their animals live rather than frozen even in cases where it's not needed, so there are always some stores (or individuals) around who carry live feeder rats. They tend to be reptile stores or craigslist feeder breeders.
> 
> Feeder rats themselves aren't any different from any other rat, but like pet store rats, they don't tend to be bred carefully. That means you might run into issues with health or temperament more often. My experience with them has been, that they tend to be hardy like any other rat I've owned and I haven't had behavioral issues yet, and I've owned maybe 6? I had 1 baby who I took home covered in diarrhea and completely emaciated, and such a sweet little thing... She didn't make it through the week, sadly. So sometimes a feeder rat might come home sick since most of them live in suboptimal conditions, in pull-out bins and such. But I've dearly loved all of them, they've been so playful and cuddly that it sort of shocks me on occasion when I remember that they wouldn't have had a chance to live out their life as they do with me. Currently I own 3 "feeder" rats and 3 "breeder" rats. The only one who has problems (fearful) is one of the breeder rats, coincidentally... But also, I always take home feeder rats who are very young, a couple I've actually had feed formula via syringe, so they get sooo much socialization and spent time with me constantly growing up. I think that helped them grow into happy social individuals, while taking in an older feeder rat will likely give you an unsocialized fearful rat.
> 
> Anyways I think I rambled a bit. I hope you have luck with that breeder mentioned above, let us know if you get some new ratties! We like pictures. ;D



Thanks for all the info, that's all good to know!

Thank youuuu I hope so too. It seems like there's a waiting list though and I'm IMPATIENT AFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF haha


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## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

It is possible to get a social rat from a petstore if you take your time and know what to look for. I think the majority of the horror stories you hear are because petstores attract far more missinformed, irrasponsible and impulsive buyers. Impulse buyers and underhandled animals are not a good mix. And obviously a good breeder isn't going to sell to someone who considers rats a disposable pet.

I mean, I've literally witnessed people come into petstore, call an employee, point to the animal they like and have the employee catch it and put it straight into a box. Minimal interaction, no consideration for how the animal reacts to handling. Thats how you end up with an animal that shrieks in terror everytime you try to touch it.


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## WelshRat (May 3, 2017)

The most amazing rat I own is from a pet store. He didn't sell in the main part and was moved to the charity adoption section in the store. He was about 8/9 months old and I was advised to keep him on his own as he'd been on his own for months. However he was so obsessed with my cats trying to groom and make friends with them that I got him 2 baby friends who he took to straight away.

He is the most friendliest and fun rat I've met. He loves to wrestle with my hand, chase cats toys around the room, comes when called. I think the main reason he's done so well is that he loves his food and will do anything for it so if you want a really friendly rat I'd suggest looking for the one most motivated by food. The other 3 rats I have are friendly but just not in the same league as splinter.

There are also ethical pet stores around if you can find them. There's one in the uk called pets corner that only sells animals from local hobby breeders that handle and socialise them from birth. They sell them at cost price so they don't make money on the sale (the money is made from the cage/food etc) and take really good care of them and are careful who they sell to. There might be a store or 2 like this near you if you can find them.


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## Lady Isolde (May 7, 2017)

Tristan came from a pet store. (Petsmart) Simon came from there, too. I never had any behavior issues with Simon (other than the fact that he was sorta ADD) And, well, If you had any doubts about "pet store personality " you should have seen Triss last night. I got SO many kisses!  Want a rat? Get a rat.


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