# S.O.S. Advice and Help needed!!!



## kissmyhorse (Nov 4, 2010)

Craigslist add: 

i have 2 pet rats boy and a girl with 4 baby rats and i think she is pregnat again askin for small re homin fee 25 dollars ...text me at 

These types of situations kill me!!!! :'( I just want to rush over and take them all! I'm really bothered by this.. we all know the general condition these types of animals come from. I need some help with this one, big time. Sould I leave it and do nothing? Or should I take them? And if I do take them, how will I rehome most of them? Quarentine isnt as big an issue because I currently don't have the pleasure of sharing my house with ratties (had 6 about a year ago, just getting ready to start over now) so I dont have a mischief of my own to worry about getting sick. I'm really just not sure what I should do in this situation. Heeeeeelppp!! S.O.S. !!!!!!!! :-[


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

25 dollars is too much of an adoption fee. sounds like they're just trying to make a quick profit. don't go for it.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

If you are really in the position to take on those rats, financially and emotionally.... then contact them. But I would not give them a penny... it doesn't hurt to tell them you will be a last resort if they can't find a good home for them though. Generally I see adoption fees go down super quickly in these type of situations where the owner obviously cares little for their welfare and just wants rid.

Poor momma rat :'(


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Take all of one sex, best to take all the girls if that's all she will give up. Most times these are people trying to make a buck off of unwanted babies. No harm contacting her in the least.


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## kissmyhorse (Nov 4, 2010)

Thanks for the input guys, I wasnt planning on giving her the $25, I was just going to offer to take them off her hands. I feel so bad for momma! And I'm concerned.. when she has this next litter, her current bubs will only be about 3 weeks old... so will they have to stay in with her and the new babies and she will have two litters to nurse??? How does something like that work out? Sorry if I seem dumb about this, but I've only had pet ratties before and never bred them so the whole bub situation is new to me :-\


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

If mom is pregnant again, she was mated on her post-partum heat, which is within 24 hours of giving birth. Due to a delayed implantation the birth won't be until 28 days plus to give the current litter a chance to nurse and get strong with their mom. She usually will forcibly wean them a short time before she is going to give birth again. These type of pregnancies (back-to-backs) are very very hard on the mother.


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## kissmyhorse (Nov 4, 2010)

Ok, so she will have a short time in beteen babies. Next question, how do I rehome most if not all of these poor babies? I've never been a rat rescuer and have never dealt with this aside from dogs and horses. I wont be able to keep them all, so how do I get others to open their hearts and homes?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

your best bet is to get a scale and start weighing her once a day at the same time. It's the most accurate way to determine pregnancy at home 

Are you in an area that has few rat owners?


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## kissmyhorse (Nov 4, 2010)

Thanks so much for all your help. I wouldnt really say theres no rat lovers around me, I'm in south Florida, I just don't know where they are! I dont know maybe 2 other people who dont consider rats icky.. but that's about as big as my network gets.


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## kissmyhorse (Nov 4, 2010)

OMG I'm so sad fr these rats!!! The person just posted this (i know its the same rats cs it has the same phone number atatched):

1 female hooded 1 male bald rat 2 babies 2 weekz old and plastic tank text. ********** 20 dollars. will trade ps3 games. 

That means two of the current bubs have died in the past two days! I want to get them out of there so bad!!!!! :'( :'( :'(


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Thats so sad  I bet there *where* more than four of them to start off with as well. If you can take these rats, then please get them soon. As for finding homes, you can post ads on line and try reach out to a broader network. You could even look for rat rescues in the area that could maybe take some of them... or the one male. But don't take them if you can't meet their needs up until they find their forever homes.


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## eluin (Jan 25, 2010)

kissmyhorse said:


> 1 female hooded 1 male bald rat 2 babies 2 weekz old and plastic tank text. ********** 20 dollars. will trade ps3 games.


This is pathetic. I'm a gamer, dating a gamer and all of my friends are gamers and I'm disgusted by this. You DO NOT trade living things for video games! If you can take them, please do it. If I lived closer, I'd take them just to get them out of that house. If someone doesn't, they are going to be learning their multiplication tables via rat in the next few weeks. 
*gears up to go beat someone with her frozen hose and then looks around guiltily* Am I allowed to threaten death and distruction to these kind of people or will that get me a warning? I got one on GM for what I'd like to do to a dog abuser, and would rather not repeat the process. Though the threat still stands, with a few new things added to it. People like that should be restricted to pet rocks only. MAYBE plants.


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## kissmyhorse (Nov 4, 2010)

Alright... really dumb question...

I am currently living in my mothers house and will be moving out within the month, likely within the next week or two. Problem is my mother is terrified or rats. She has had nigtmeres about them. So, provided that I could convince her to let me keep this brood in the garage or on the patio (not even a chance in the house), would that be okay temporarily or would I just be doing more harm than good?


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

As long as its not too cold in either of those places it would be fine temporarily, much better than where they are by the sounds of things.

I'm a gamer too, dating an even bigger gamer - thats really sad to put them directly the value of a game to them :-\


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## kissmyhorse (Nov 4, 2010)

Thanks so much, I will talk to my mom tomorrow (prayers she says yes!) And I know what you mean, it makes me sick when I think about it.. trading live animals for a game :'(


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## hatchethottie (Nov 7, 2010)

I know it sounds stupid, but could you offer to spay one of the girl's rats for her (that costs around the fee price she's asking for, right?) Then take the babies, that way she won't have any more! She may laugh at you and shut the door in your face.....but if these litters are 'accidental' because she can't be bothered to spay one or keep them in same sex pairs, then it might be a good idea?


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## catsandscales (Oct 21, 2010)

Spaying costs at least twice that, I think... :-\


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

a spay could cost anywhere between 150 and 300 dollars... not really feasible for someone to do like that.


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