# Hairless for adoption in Apopka Florida



## roliver (Mar 31, 2012)

Good evening everyone. I have a male hairless up for adoption. I am unsure as to his age but I have owned him for 2 years. His name is Wrinkles and he is great, we just honestly do not have the time to take care of him the way he needs anymore. He has lived alone his whole life and he is very curious when taken out of his cage ( as all rats are ). He eats a variety of different pet store seed mixes ( I know they are not great but despite being a rat he is pretty picky ). 

For the first 3 months that we had him he actually didnt live in a cage he had a house on a stand. He only fell off one time and that was due to getting "lost" in a paper towel. He loves the gerber puffs baby snack and when you shake the container he comes to the door of the cage. 

I honestly hate to get rid of him but like I said my husband and I no longer have the time ( or the energy to be honest) to keep up with the cleaning and the bathing required. 

I did not want to put this on craigslist because I refuse to give him to someone who will use him as food. Please contact me if you have any questions or you are interested at all. Thank you for your time.


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## Laisper (Mar 31, 2012)

Can you post some pictures? Orlando rat-lover here .


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Hi. I just wanted to say a few things. I don't want to offend you, but I am in this for your rat's best interest.

2 years is pretty much senior age for a rat. Few rats live to see past 2 1/2 years and even fewer make it to 3. Considering his lack of companionship and proper diet I am actually surprised he has made it this far without issue. Sometimes it's just not worth the stress of trying to find a home for a senior animal (esp. a rat - it's tough), and the stress on the animal having to go to another home when they've adjusted to the old one and bonded to the old owner for so long is unfair. If he is happy in his current home and we can give you tips on how to minimize cleanup requirements, please consider keeping him. 

However, on the other hand - with old age comes special care requirements. Think of it like someone owning a small dog for 15 years and suddenly rehoming it when the dog starts to get old and deteriorate, need special assistance, etc - I'm not saying this is the case, but... you committed to his ongoing care when you purchased him. Many male rats lose mobility in their hind legs and will need a proper cage setup to ensure they can reach their food/water and are not in danger of spraining a leg or breaking a tooth by falling off a shelf. They are also more prone to respiratory infections, tumors, etc. and if you cannot afford or aren't willing to pay for vet bills to treat him properly, it may be best if you surrendered him to a shelter or in the least had him euthanized when his quality of life starts to decline.

I don't see how cleaning a cage for a small creature that makes a small amount of mess is too hard - it takes me 2 minutes a day to spot clean my boys' cage, and about 20 minutes once a week to give it a full clean. That's about as long as a single TV program runs. Not long at all. If you want to learn how to minimize his care requirements we could help. Rats are incredibly clean and they can be trained to use a litter box, which reduces the amount of cleaning and waste you have to pick up. With a litter box trained rat, you can use fabric based liners that can be washed in a washing machine. Also, they should not need to be bathed regularly and if you are finding he and his cage are smelly, that is probably a reflection of the poor diet you are feeding him and will go away if he is fed a proper one.

If you post some pictures it may help draw eyes to your post as well.


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

I have to agree with Jaguar. Two is a tough age to try to rehome. Think you might be able to stick it out just a little longer???


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