# rat adoption application



## ratsoff2ya (Aug 19, 2013)

hi all,

i'm making an adoption application for my foster rat. the rescue i'm working through currently only has applications that are dog- or cat-specific so i'm trying to think of good questions to ask potential adopters to make sure daisy (or any future foster rat) goes to a good home.

the sample app asks questions about where this person lives, how long they've lived there, how many children they have, their income, etc. as well as:

- would dog have access to a swimming pool? if yes, is it fenced?
- % of time dog would spend outside, inside, in crate, other
- how long will dog be left alone, on average? maximum?
- outdoors, will you have a dog bed, dog house, other?
- how will you handle bathroom breaks when left alone for long periods? dog walker, doggie daycare, doggie door, other
- where will your dog sleep at night?
- if you travel, who will care for the dog? family in home, friend in home, pet-sitter in home, caged boarding facility, cage-free boarding, other
- do you have other pets? please list breed, species, and ages
- have your current pets been spayed and neutered?
- as an adult, have you had pets? for how long?
- if you do not currently have pets, what happened to them?
- if you can no longer keep your pets, or if your pets outlive you, what will happen to them?
- name and phone # of current veterinarian
- have you ever lost a pet or had one stolen from you? if yes, what happened?

what questions would you ask a potential rat adopter?


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## toke (Aug 28, 2012)

I filled out an adoption application for a breeder (that did not end up working out) and these are the questions I was asked:

1. Do you have pet rats currently? If so, what gender and how many?
-If you do not have another rat(s) at home, do you plan on adopting another to be a companion? 
2. What will your new rat's diet consist of? Please be specific with brand/ingredients.
3. What type of housing will your rat live in? Please list brand or dimensions.
4. What type of bedding will you plan on using?
5. Do you have a knowledgeable rat vet currently? If so, please provide name and contact information.
6. How much time a day can you dedicate to your new rat?
7. Do you have any other pets that would have access to the rat?
8. Is everyone in the home on board with adding a rat to the family?
9. Do you own or rent your home? If renting, please provide landlord's name and contact information.

It seems like a pretty detailed application, but of course I sure there are more things you can ask.


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## monster_paws (Jan 17, 2013)

Honestly, all these questions are pretty intimidating. I would rather write a small paragraph about myself and my ability to take care of an animal rather than answer a bunch of questions. If it was a kind of "Tell Me About Yourself" kind of screening, I would be able to say that I have the means to provide for the pet, give them enough attention, and would be a responsible owner. I feel like i'm being judged by a question like "how long will X be left alone?" I work and I do have a social life. This one girl I met raised holy **** when she found out that I go out on the weekend sometimes. Besides, I feel like with these kind of questionnaires, people will answer with what they think you want to hear.


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## watts300 (Aug 3, 2013)

I think the answer to question number nine is irrelevant to a person in your position. 


I've seen adoption forms that include instructions to bring the animal back to the foster organization if the adopter can't keep it in the future. With that in mind, the pet policies of a rented apartment play no part in how the adopter will take care of the animal. So it's a meaningless question. 

It comes across as policing rather than trying to be responsible in locating a home for a deserving animal. 


I'm suddenly reminded of renewing the state registration for my car. I have to have proof of insurance to be renewed. But financial responsibility for my car and surrounding objects are completely unrelated to the purpose of vehicle registration.. and that purpose is taxation. Insurance and taxation have nothing to do with each other and it's rather silly to require proof of insurance before charging a mandatory tax. 

That being said, it's still a good idea to have insurance, and it's still a good idea to not be breaking rules on a lease.


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## BlackBirdSeesYou (Nov 4, 2012)

I think it's okay to have an application but I'd remember to keep it short and not as if someone is adopting a child. Some questions, such as how you live, might turn off someone and make them decide they'd rather not go through all this to get a rat. Maybe a few quick, non-personal questions and a signature asking to return the rat to you if something comes up and the person is not able to keep the rat.


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

When I was first getting rats, I thought about running to the pet store and getting a pair. However, I looked into rescues first. Their application was so lengthy and there were so many intrusive questions that I felt were completely unnecessary (ie: personal income). I knew that my answers were going to be fudged a bit, so basically I was going to put down what the person reading my application wanted to hear because the truth (although normal for most people my age) wasn't really "perfect". I didn't go with a rescue per se and ended up getting rats off someone with an accidental litter on CL. 

I had the same problem when going to adopt a dog from a breed-specific rescue. Same intrusive lengthy questions that my mom and I worked hard on to make it as truthful as possible. They did a home visit and grilled my family. Our house wasnt huge, my parents worked, we had a yard but it wasnt an acre but it was fenced... anyway at the end of the day, we were told we could have dog 1 2 or 3 out of their list of 20. We went to the SPCA and ended up getting the perfect dog that fit our family.

Honestly, I think your best bet is toke's questions suggestions with maybe a small paragraph "tell me about yourself" at the bottom. Too many questions or too intrusive and people are going to be put off from even applying.


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## LeStan82 (Dec 31, 2013)

Thats why I do get my rats from petsmart, with adoptions you have to fill out questionaires and meet and greet and potential wait list. It is just easier to go pick out the one you want and help that rat in that pet store and give them a good life. Pet store rats need love too


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

LeStan82 said:


> Thats why I do get my rats from petsmart, with adoptions you have to fill out questionaires and meet and greet and potential wait list. It is just easier to go pick out the one you want and help that rat in that pet store and give them a good life. Pet store rats need love too


This exact reason is why rescues HAVE questionnaires. People go to a pet store and buy an animal on impulse and dont do their research/know what they're getting into and then the animal ends up in rescue. Last spring I passed on 2 boys from a local Petsmart. I actually had to stop shopping at that particular Petsmart because I really wanted to adopt the boys (but I already had girls). Six months later I'm on petfinder and they're listed under my local rat rescue. They had distinct markings and I also took pictures of them and compared mine to theirs, definitely the same rats.

I digress. Questionnaires work and they are great and we know they're to prevent the animal from going to a wrong home again but at the same time, no one is perfect. Try not to make anyone sell their souls when they are already choosing your rescue over a pet store.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

I would write the thing in an informative manner. 
Do you currently have rats? What gender are they? Rats are social creatures and need to be kept in pairs at least. 
Do you have an exotic vet that can deal with rats? They are prone to to respiratory infection so a reliable medical source is a must. This treatment, if necessary, can be costly. 
Do you have time to socialize with your rats? Rats need a minimum of one hour out of the cage daily. 
Do you have a proper cage? Rats need wired, multilevel cages with a minimum of two square feet per rat. 
Do you have a diet for your rats? Store mixes are often incomplete. Lab blocks or home mixes are the best options. 

Then ask for any questions and provide informative links or offer help. 

I don't like questions about where I live or my income and I will not have a home visit. 



Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

LOL....

Seriously folks... I'm thinking I've been internationally banned from adopting any rat from any reputable breeder since the day I posted my very first Fuzzy Rat photo on line....

And honestly... I don't take it personally. Some people actually want me to adopt rats from them in hopes that I can turn their rat into another Fuzzy Rat or Max... but for the most part if I attach the photo below and add the following caption I'm guessing most breeders are going to adopt their rats out to anybody else.



Insert your rat here....









Max is a true shoulder rat... and we are very skilled rat trainers.... 

But there's no leash, it's after dark, in the middle of a crowd of hundreds of people at a town fair and we're watching fireworks, front row with our rat... How could anything possibly go wrong?

Our rats are feeder bin rescues. And actually, I prefer it that way. Perhaps one out of a thousand rats get rescued from a feeder bin to find a good home and perhaps one out of a thousand rats has the potential to become a true shoulder rat.... And believe me, it's no easy life for the 'lucky' rat even if it's an amazing one... I love rats that beat the odds, but can understand breeders and rescues that would prefer their rats go to live in cages the size of nations and frolic in the safety of a rat proofed play pen... 

I suppose the only question I could ask anyone fairly would be "Do you want to love and be loved by a truly amazing animal?" If the person doesn't understand the question, I don't think I'd let them adopt a rat from me... Because if someone loves their rat they will give it the best life they can, whatever definition they have of "best life". 

Best luck.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

We have a very extensive application form for our group of breeders, honestly it does put some people off, but for us that’s not a bad thing. Those who take the time to fill out an application form and are happy to natter about there rats, how they care for them etc are the kind of people we want to take on our kittens, not least because to achieve our aims we need people happy to send us regular updates with important details on them like diet, environment, various temperament info etc. However just because ours is long and in depth doesn’t mean that if you don’t know the answers you don’t go on our waiting list, we’ve had a range of folk invited to join the family from new homes who can fill in very little, but been very willing to learn to extremely detailed info and responses where someone is clearly an experienced and probably obsessed owner, one wonderful one even included a video showing us around the rats new home with voice over. 

On that topic I think an application form should always explain its purpose, i.e. starting a dialogue and getting to know you, rather than being the be all and end all. Then the questions should be designed to start that dialogue, for example we ask about what cage type they have or plan on getting, in order to give advice, and often help them find cheap second hand bargain cages that are more suitable for rats. We ask about enrichment because our rats are brought up with it and need to be challenged in their lives, so if someone’s not sure we can give lots of advice about it. I will say that other than the persons address and contact details we don’t ask for land lord addresses or vet addresses, the questions relating to those are to make sure the owner has thought about it. More open questions that encourage chatty answers are one of the best way to get a feel for a new home, one worded answers or bland descriptions tell you very little about the stuff that matters. Take Rat Daddys example of letting a rat outside, ask a question specifically related to if an owner does that and he’d theoretically fail as you wouldn’t see the prep work behind it, however you ask how they spend their free time and socialise the rats and the real reasons and feel come through and you get better owners for it.

To be fair though I do think a rescues rehoming form isn’t going to be the level of detail and number of questions we have, as we can be quite selective and one of our aims is that pet homed rats get a similar level of care to what we would give (makes for more reliable data as well as being what they are used to). We also generally have a good sized waiting list and a family of owners who generally want more of our rats so we can be choose to be quite fussy, in a rescue situation that might not be the same.


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## Minky (Apr 4, 2013)

This is copied and pasted from agothicrattery.weebly.com. I think it's a pretty thorough questionnaire and not intimidating at all. You can use this as a baseline to make an adoption application that is relevant to you, and also to avoid copyright issues. At any rate, it gives you a lot to think about.

*Please Read*:

Please copy and fully fill out this form if you are interested in adopting any of my rats (babies, rescues, and retired adults.) Do not leave questions blank! If you do not currently have rats, questions like "what do you feed your rats" and "what kind of bedding do you use" should still be answered. If you're wanting pet rats, I'm sure you've done research and should know what to feed them and what bedding to use. And if you just don't know the answer, let me know! I will be happy to go over any information to make sure you know how to take care of your pets. Also, please *include a photo *of your set up. I have come across a lot of people who have been misinformed on the proper caging, so we can make sure right away that your caging is appropriate  

Your personal information will never be shared with anyone. 
Please e-mail your application to: *[email protected] *
Thanks! ~

I, ______________, agree to answer the following questions to the best of my ability. 

*Name:
City:
Phone number:
E-mail Address:
Date: *

*1. Are you 18 years or older? (Note: Adopters must be 18 years or older or have permission from parents/guardian to adopt rats and legal guardians must be present at time of pickup.)
2. How did you find the Rattery?
3. What litter do you prefer to adopt from?
4. What gender/ear type/fur type/colour of rat do you prefer?
5. How many rats do you wish to adopt? 
6. Do you own, rent, live in a dorm, or live with parents?
**7. Do you have permission from your landlord/parents to keep rats in your home?
8.Are there children living with you? If so, how old are they and how do they act around pets?
9.Why do you wish to adopt a rat?
10.How much time can you give your rat each day?
11.What other pets do you own? 
12.Are you prepared to separate other animals during rat playtime?
13. How much experience do you have owning rats?
14. Do you currently own any other rats? If so, what genders/types/age?
15. Have you ever bred rats purposefully before? Is so, why?
16. What kind of cage do you have and is it baby safe (please include cage and bar dimensions, number of levels, and brand if you can)? 
17. Have you checked to make sure your cage can hold the number of rats you will have?
18. What brand/type of shavings do you use? (i.e pine, aspen, newspaper)
19. What does you rat's diet look like? How much and how often do you feed them?
20. How do you quarantine new rats?
21. If something came up and you could not keep your rats, what would you do with them?
22.What do you plan to do if you rat's friend dies? (Would you consider getting it another friend?)
23.If one of your rats had an accidental litter, what would you do?
24. What are your plans for your new rat?
25. Do you use a vet? (please provide name and number if you do)
26. Would you be willing to let me know if your rat shows any negative health signs, behavioral issues, or anything else that seems important, as well as updates every few months?
**27.Are you aware that the waiting list fee is non-refundable? *
*28. Are you willing to return rats in the event that you can no longer care for them?*
*29.** Have you included a photo of your set up in this e-mail?
30. Are you willing to spoil your ratties and give them lots of love?*


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Minky,

That last application is not too bad. It pretty much glosses over some of the issues I commonly would have trouble answering.... 

I think I get into trouble when start asking questions about a rat's personality... 


It goes something like....
"Yes, I'm looking for natural brown eyes and good eyesight and I'm looking for a rat that doesn't spook."

"Spook?"

"Yes, like when a tractor trailer rumbles by at highway speed 6 feet from me at night when I walk to the gas station mini mart to pick up a midnight snack..."

"Tractor trailer?"

"Yes, I actually live on a Turnpike exit and walk down the shoulder of the ramp in the summer to get midnight snacks at the Shell station with my rats and rumbling tractor trailers, with big revving diesel engines and air breaks tend to upset some rats... so I'm looking for a rat that will keep it's cool.."

(And yes the house gently sways all day long and when I open the windows at night in the summer I wear ear protection to sleep.)

And usually that just about does it for the application process.... 

Maybe I'm just too honest, but I ask about a rat's personality not because I want to bring a rat into harms way, but rather I am looking for a rat that won't get itself into trouble...

~~~~~~~~~~ There's something strange going on... Max is running back and forth from the kitchen to her secret nest and there's crunching noises coming from in there....... Where's Amelia? 

Great.... I left a 5 lb sack of parrot food on the floor last night, now there's a rat size hole in it... The kitchen floor is covered in bird seed. Max is doing the rat fast food shuttle and Amelia is stashed away in Max's nest crunching away on sunflower seeds... ~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm sitting here typing about how competent my rats are and they are robbing me blind right behind my back... I know that Amelia is the mastermind behind the hole in the bag and is using poor innocent Max to do the lifting and carrying... 

Come back here you VERMIN!!!


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

I always ask about my rats personalities too, its really important to me, part because you want exceptional rats for breeding and part because I likemy ratty pr too. 

And your rats sound very much like mine lol. Kazoo is currently on a m uch needed diet, his netuer has affected his figure, so im feeding them in 2 lots as otherwise he hoovers up all the food before tam and the babies get any, I left half in a tub on there cage whilst im at work, come home and the tub is on its side empty, having been pushed from below, kazoo feels chubby and the babies and tam are waiting to get some food...


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## binkyhoo (Sep 28, 2008)

Some of the applications are way over the top. They have scared me away. Finding a good home is important, don't make it a deterrent to a good home.


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## Daize (Jun 8, 2013)

binkyhoo said:


> Some of the applications are way over the top. They have scared me away. Finding a good home is important, don't make it a deterrent to a good home.


I agree.

When I got Belle, I was told of her aggressive history(with other rats). I also had to sign a contract that if I wasn't able to keep her I would return her and her cage.... for a full refund of course. Their main concern was finding her a good home where she would be loved and not snake food. When I went to look at the cage they had listed on craigslist. There was no mention of a rat. I found out about Belle after I got there to look at the cage. Even after they told me about her history, I didn't hesitate to say that I'd give her lots of love and a forever home. 

With all the rats looking for good homes....... A contract that requires "too much personal information"..... That would definitely keep me from adopting from that breeder/rescue/shelter/person. In fact, it would probably make me go to a "pet shop" to adopt a rat.


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## jlhummel (Oct 23, 2014)

PaigeRose said:


> This exact reason is why rescues HAVE questionnaires. People go to a pet store and buy an animal on impulse and dont do their research/know what they're getting into and then the animal ends up in rescue. Last spring I passed on 2 boys from a local Petsmart. I actually had to stop shopping at that particular Petsmart because I really wanted to adopt the boys (but I already had girls). Six months later I'm on petfinder and they're listed under my local rat rescue. They had distinct markings and I also took pictures of them and compared mine to theirs, definitely the same rats.
> 
> I digress. Questionnaires work and they are great and we know they're to prevent the animal from going to a wrong home again but at the same time, no one is perfect. Try not to make anyone sell their souls when they are already choosing your rescue over a pet store.


Agreed. I just went through the adoption process for the very first time. I was a little put off at first by the questions BUT after I thought it over I was happier that they cared enough to ask these things. Too many people want animals to fill something missing in themselves and their life rather than wanting to fill a need in the animals life. It's a two way street...responsibility and care is give AND take. Just my personal opinion. If a person isn't willing to put themselves through a little bit of hassle to get the animal they won't be willing to put themselves through any hassle at all to take care of it properly.


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## Raturday (May 26, 2012)

I have filled out a questionaire for a rescue in Austin and I found it to be very thorough which I think is important. One of the questions actually asked if I was a member of any rat forums and if so, what my username was. I gladly told them I was a member here and gave them my username so they would know that I actually am very serious about rat care and I do a lot of research. Maybe it's a bit much, but I don't think it was a requirement to be considered. It was just an extra question to let them know if you are serious about ratties.


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## ponderosa (Oct 13, 2014)

I think adopting rats from a rescue is a wonderful idea, and I wanted to do that. However, my local rescue asks a line of questions that we found to be intrusive, and we were turned off. My fiance said no. I've also heard and read about a lot of people saying that they get turned off by dog rescues for similar reasons--too many questions, too invasive, being made uncomfortable by the home inspections, and/or being rejected by so many rescues that they resign themselves to getting a dog from a less ethical source. 

Don't get me wrong--I think a breeder or rescue SHOULD ask some questions, and I would find it troubling if they didn't screen potential adopters, since as we all know the world is full of people who mistreat animals. However, I also think overly intrusive questions may run the risk of lying because people will write down what they think you want to hear and it will likely scare away people who would provide perfectly loving homes, and possibly make animals harder to adopt out as a result. 

Disclaimer: I've never adopted out rats. But if I was running a rescue, here are some questions that I'd have:
Are you at least 18 years of age? 
What kind of cage/bedding/food will you provide for your pet? (If found to be unsuitable, like a too-small cage or bad bedding, and it appeared due to lack of education, I'd steer them in the right direction and tell them to come back when they have an appropriate setup.) 
Is your financial situation suitable to care for this pet and pay for veterinary care? (Without demanding to see pay stubs or contact their employer, because I think that will scare people off.) 
Does your landlord allow this sort of pet if you are renting?
Are you getting this pet for a child? How old is the child? If so, will an adult be providing most of the care and supervision?
What other pets do you have? Do you know how they behave around rats? If aggressive toward them, will they be kept away from them? 
Rats must be adopted out in pairs or groups unless they must live alone due to behavior issues or you agree to provide a companion. If adopting a lone rat, will this rat be provided with a companion of the same sex or a spayed/neutered opposite-sex companion?
Do you agree to not intentionally breed these rats or feed them to reptiles? 
How much time can you devote to giving the rats attention? 

I also think the questions that toke was asked to fill out are fairly reasonable. So is the idea of "tell me about yourself."


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

I agree that its more important to really get to know the adopter as a person rather than just a list of answers. If I were to put myself down on paper I wouldn't look to great. I'm a full time college student with a janitorial job and make very little. But I'm also extremely frugal and make every dollar stretch


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## JudeWriley (Aug 1, 2007)

I think that the best course for any rescue is to have an application AND do an in-home interview of sorts, then make a decision based on _both_. I disagree with an earlier reply, adopting a rat (or any pet) really is like adopting a child. You're taking in another life that's completely dependent on you for everything. You become responsible for their well-being, physically, emotionally, socially... That's not something you should just do on a whim. It's a rescue's *job* to make sure that anyone who wants a pet from them is a suitable fit, so asking "intrusive" questions really is proper for that type of work.

If someone can't be bothered, or are offended, at having to answer whether or not they rent, or what their income is, to help the rescue gauge their suitability to be a rat parent, then would the person really have a mindset to spend the money on vet bills and medical care should it come to that? "It's just a rat, why should I have to answer these questions?" isn't too far from "It's just a $2 rat, why should I have to pay $400 to make sure it's healthy?"

That being said, you can't reduce a person to a series of questions either. That's why both a questionnaire and a home visit are needed. Not only could an astute rescue find something wrong that pen and paper would miss, it can also be an opportunity for someone who looks bad on paper to show that they really can support having rats. (Even better if the rescue keeps track for a few weeks/months after the adoption to make sure things are still going well.)


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## annageckos (Sep 26, 2014)

I'm an extremely private person, I find most of these questions offputting or invasive and I will not answer them. Does that make me a bad owner? I've spent thousands of dollars on surgery for different animals when needed. I take them to the vets if needed and feed them the very best I can. I suggest just talking to the person, find out what they know and how they plan on caring for the animal. I think you'll get farther and people will not feel so intimidated.


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## 2ratshack (Sep 13, 2014)

I would mainly be concerned with making sure the rat had another rat friend, a sufficiently sized cage, good diet, and was interacted with for at least 1 hour per day.


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