# Have to rehome this girl :(



## mrowfs (Sep 20, 2014)

Unfortunately, we have to rehome my little Mimsy. We rent an apartment and my landlord allowed us two, and found out we have four, so we have to get rid of at least one of them. We did our best to try to convice her to let us keep them all, but it didn't work out. Our lease is up in August, and hopefully we can get a place where we can have as many rats as we want!
This is Mimsy, our dumbo agouti hooded rex, she's about 10 months old. She's a little skittish with loud noises and a little shy, but she's very sweet. She loves getting pet, loves giving kisses, and loves grooming your hands. She definitely is the dominant one of our bunch and introductions with new rats have been a little difficult in the past, but she would be fine going to a new home with new rats and I'm not worried at all about her being aggressive or territorial in a new setting. We actually were going to rehome her a few days ago for other reasons but decided against it. However, with our landlord finding out about having more rats than we're allowed to, it's either we get rid of a rat, or she gets rid of us. 
We won't charge an adoption fee as long as she's going to a good home. 

I'm located in Mercersburg, PA and we're not able to travel very far due to my check engine light coming on and my car starting to misfire today. 

Anyways, here's a few pics of the sweet girl.


----------



## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

If she allows only two and you are keeping three, how is that going to work? I believe you can "force" her to accept all your rats if you get a note from a psychiatrist saying that they are therapy rats. Not sure how it works, but read about it on many forums before.


----------



## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

Gribouilli said:


> If she allows only two and you are keeping three, how is that going to work? I believe you can "force" her to accept all your rats if you get a note from a psychiatrist saying that they are therapy rats. Not sure how it works, but read about it on many forums before.


This is horrible for the people who actually need therapy animals and I would highly discourage doing so. Additionally, you would first have to be diagnosed with some sort of mental illness and have a prescription for them. It's always hard to have to rehome pets, and especially ones with such short lives. If you have issues finding a good home, look up some rescues in your area. I volunteer with MRR and know, since all of the rats live in foster homes, that she will be taken care of as family, with the potential to meet new friends. They do not euthanize rats for being in a home too long, and occasionally they end up with me if they have behavioral issues.


----------



## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

RatAtat2693 said:


> This is horrible for the people who actually need therapy animals and I would highly discourage doing so. Additionally, you would first have to be diagnosed with some sort of mental illness and have a prescription for them. It's always hard to have to rehome pets, and especially ones with such short lives. If you have issues finding a good home, look up some rescues in your area. I volunteer with MRR and know, since all of the rats live in foster homes, that she will be taken care of as family, with the potential to meet new friends. They do not euthanize rats for being in a home too long, and occasionally they end up with me if they have behavioral issues.


As I said I wasn't sure exactly how it works, except that people had great success with that strategy. I personally would do it even if I don't have any mental health issues. My pets are more important to me than any potential ethical dilemma. Furthermore, doing it won't keep people who really need it to do it anyway, so I don't see the problem- just less animals ending up being killed at local shelters, which is a good thing. Just my opinion, and I'm sure other people will be happy to know about that option in case it ever happens to them.


----------



## JAnimal (Jul 23, 2014)

RatAtat2693 said:


> This is horrible for the people who actually need therapy animals and I would highly discourage doing so. Additionally, you would first have to be diagnosed with some sort of mental illness and have a prescription for them. It's always hard to have to rehome pets, and especially ones with such short lives. If you have issues finding a good home, look up some rescues in your area. I volunteer with MRR and know, since all of the rats live in foster homes, that she will be taken care of as family, with the potential to meet new friends. They do not euthanize rats for being in a home too long, and occasionally they end up with me if they have behavioral issues.


Yes I agree. There are some people with dogs that fake them being guide dogs as well and it really hurts the people that actually need them as well. As to answer the question for the OP could you have someone foster all of them until you find another apartment. I would be worried about how the single rat you are rehoming because then she will be away from everyone and the others will worry about where she is. If you have to rehome one I would rehome two so that they still have company and each other when they start missing the other rats.


----------



## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Therapy animals as in emotional support animals! Big difference.


----------



## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

Gribouilli said:


> Therapy animals as in emotional support animals! Big difference.


They're still in the same groupings. ESAs, PSDs, and Therapy Animals are all under the support animal category, though each provides vastly different services. Falsely claiming to need any of these isn't just an ethical dilemma of lying, it is also a matter of respect. People with mental illnesses fight (tooth and nail) for their rights to have these animals with them where they need them. Every time someone illegitimately claims to need one of these animals and is found out, that is one more nail in a coffin. So, not only is it lying, it's just rude and disrespectful. Have I considered doing it even before I was sent to a shrink? Yes. But in doing so, I'd be making a mockery of people with disabilities like my friends and grandmother.

Besides, the most you can usually have in terms of ESAs is one, though you might be able to claim two since rats biologically need companions.


----------



## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

And I wouldn't doubt, if you offered to make a donation, that any rescues would be willing to place two of yours in a foster home until you found a place to relocate to.


----------



## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

It is an option, and I pointed it out, that is all. No need to argue. That post isn't about ethics, is it? Everyone will make up their own mind. To me my animals will ALWAYS be more important than a little white lie. Just my opinion.


----------



## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

Gribouilli said:


> It is an option, and I pointed it out, that is all. No need to argue. That post isn't about ethics, is it? Everyone will make up their own mind. To me my animals will ALWAYS be more important than a little white lie. Just my opinion.


But it's _not_ a "white lie." *It's not harmless.* Yes, this post isn't about ethics, but just letting it go suggests that it's okay to _blatantly disregard_ the struggles of thousands of disabled people *and* abuse a system meant to help them. All while simultaneously putting an already vulnerable population at risk of losing the help they need. (Hypothetically, OP would be representing the disabled community.) And it's not like this is going to just be read by OP and three other people. Some of these posts get hundreds of views.

I can think of plenty of other "white lies" and questionably ethical solutions that are significantly less problematic than this one. Hiding them in a closet while the Landlord is visiting; putting them in boarding during an inspection and pretending they never existed; placing them in a well ventilated/insulated outbuilding instead of the house; completely ignoring the request to remove them and hoping nobody says anything; or just never mentioning them in the first place. (None of which, for legal reasons, will I be endorsing.)

My animals are important too; I've given an arm and a leg. However, there are about 300 other ways to have your cake and eat it too without endangering others.


----------



## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

RatAtat2693 said:


> But it's _not_ a "white lie." *It's not harmless.* Yes, this post isn't about ethics, but just letting it go suggests that it's okay to _blatantly disregard_ the struggles of thousands of disabled people *and* abuse a system meant to help them. All while simultaneously putting an already vulnerable population at risk of losing the help they need. (Hypothetically, OP would be representing the disabled community.) And it's not like this is going to just be read by OP and three other people. Some of these posts get hundreds of views.I can think of plenty of other "white lies" and questionably ethical solutions that are significantly less problematic than this one. Hiding them in a closet while the Landlord is visiting; putting them in boarding during an inspection and pretending they never existed; placing them in a well ventilated/insulated outbuilding instead of the house; completely ignoring the request to remove them and hoping nobody says anything; or just never mentioning them in the first place. (None of which, for legal reasons, will I be endorsing.)My animals are important too; I've given an arm and a leg. However, there are about 300 other ways to have your cake and eat it too without endangering others.


No one is endangering anyone. Thousands of pets are dying in shelters each week that wouldn't have to because people don't know about that option- that is worse in MY OPINION than any other POTENTIAL future consequences that most likely will never happen. Calm down. Jeez, it was just a suggestion. Can we please ALL be adults and agree to disagree. Thanks.


----------



## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

And I NEVER said your animals weren't important to you, so please stop taking a simple innocent suggestion to someone else as a personal attack to your integrity or whatever.


----------



## mrowfs (Sep 20, 2014)

If you or anyone you know can take her, please let me know. We're running out of time to get her a new home and I'd hate to hand her off as a feeder, but I don't have much choice left at this point.


----------



## Kokorobosoi (Jan 14, 2016)

Where are you located? I got sidetracked and don't remember if you said.


----------



## JAnimal (Jul 23, 2014)

Kokorobosoi said:


> Where are you located? I got sidetracked and don't remember if you said.


It said Mercersburg, PA.


----------



## Coconutlepers (Oct 26, 2014)

You are absolutely endangering people. You're endangering the war veteran who needs his dog for his PTSD, but ends up not being able to take him where he needs because some person thought lying to keep their pet was more important. Or the teenager who has panic attacks and needs her ESA cat to keep her calm, but her apartment won't let her parents keep it because so many people have lied about it that ESA are a gigantic hoop to jump through for people who really need it.


----------



## Katrianah (Apr 13, 2016)

Not to mention the abuse legit disabled people endure. So many people are faking it these days, that people with invisible disabilities are getting chalked in with the fakers. I've seen this one first hand, and it's awful. Being told they're liars, getting dragged into lengthy court cases to prove they need the animal because a skeptic challenged their animal. Every person I know that has wound up in court having to prove their disability because some person decided they were just another faker, agree on one thing. It was the worst experience of their life. Many choose to just let themselves be kicked out of places, to avoid having to go through it again. It's a huge mess.

People faking it don't often see things from the other side. They think it's not hurting anyone, but it is.

With that said, I went through **** and back again to keep my cats this past summer, including a bought of nearly being homeless and sleeping on a friend's couch for two weeks and state hopping my way to Ohio. They meant the world to me, and I wasn't going to get rid of them no matter what it took. There's ALWAYS an option out there if we look hard enough. We don't need to resort to options that harm OTHER people and THEIR pets.

@Mrowfs:I know a rat rescue group that has some connections to an animal shelter out in PA. I'll see if I can find out where it is, and they might be able to give you a hand.


----------



## Katrianah (Apr 13, 2016)

Oh... never mind. Didn't notice that coconutlepers bumped this thread and that it's old.  Hope you worked everything out.


----------

