# Someone abandoned 3 rats on the side of the road!!!



## dingosm8 (Jan 10, 2008)

My husband went to take a jog this evening, and came home with a large cage that was covered in 3 towels. He found it on the side of the road.

Inside were 3 male rats. With no water and just a crust of bread inside their dirty cage.

















I cleaned their cage up, redecorated it, added food and water. They drank water for ever, they were so thirsty.
















I've been sitting here wondering what type of person would do this. These three boys are very sweet and tame. 

There is one older male PEW with a smudge on his nose. He's also got some scabs around his head and under his chin.








Then there is this young little PEW. He's very curious about his clean home and new toys. He seems to love the little house I put in there.

Then there is this other young dumbo eared cream/white little guy. He's very curious and affectionate.








I already have 2 males (Roo and Zeddy). I'm thinking about keeping one, and putting the other 2 on craigslist for adoption. I think this cage is too small for all three, but two should be fine. I'm trying to decide which one to keep.
They all seem to get along great despite their experience.
Any suggestions?


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## JulesMichy (Apr 8, 2007)

My only suggestion is that I wouldn't trust Craigslist for anything. Too many psychos on there. Ratrescue.com and ratsrule.com have been great resources in the past for me when trying to find homes.


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## junior_j (Jan 24, 2008)

I can not believe some one would do that

Lucky them for your husband finding them!!

Jess x


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## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

i'd keep them all. they're lucky your hubby is a fitness junkie...


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## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

I'd keep them all too - after going through what they've been through, they are the three amigos! But that's just me, I'm a soft touch. I'd say it was fate that they found your hubby!

And you mentioned scabs - maybe a mite treatment may be in order? The face is a great place to notice the first signs of a mite problem


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

I too would probably keep them. I'd do like the pp did and look out for mites, but considering their living conditions, no water, little food, and a cramped cage it might just be healing wounds from a rat fight.


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## JulesMichy (Apr 8, 2007)

lovinmyworm said:


> I too would probably keep them. I'd do like the pp did and look out for mites, but considering their living conditions, no water, little food, and a cramped cage it might just be healing wounds from a rat fight.


Revolution is cheap, and if she explains to her vet that she found them living outside, she might even be able to get it without an exam fee. I'm cautious, I say treat them all.


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## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

Thanks for saving them. I hope you can keep them all. One is already an older rat and I hope that he can live out his retirement with you. Onces they all have a clean bill of health, maybe they can live together?
If you decide to re-home them maybe do it through the vet clinic, a trusted pet store might know someone. Ask people to show you their cage.
But the best thing is to keep them, it was meant to be otherwise he would never have found them


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## SamsterAndRocky (Jul 24, 2007)

i would keep them together too if i was u. they deserve to stay together.


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

Good for you and your husband! Poor rats, I wonder who does these things? Yikes. 

I too think that you should keep them together- they're all adults, they might not take it well to be separated at this stage in their life. 

As for Craigslist... yeah there are some crazies, but if you just put a little time into doing a home visit, asking some basic questions (have you had rats before? What were their names? How old were they when they died?) and look for inconsistencies and hesitations that might indicate lying, you should be fine. I got Lola from Craigslist, it's a good tool if you take care with how you use it.


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## TheFuzzWhisperer (Mar 24, 2008)

poor babies!
it's good that your hubby found them.

I myself would keep them, but if you can't or just don't have enough room there are a few options. You can decide which one you want to keep, then after quarantine see if they get along with your other ones before you decide on keeping one. If not, then there's a bunch of different places you can use for adoption other than CL. Petfinder.com is pretty good, and there's a bunch of other rat specific rescues.


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## AceYourFace (Jan 4, 2008)

Watch someone goes back out to that spot. SOMEONE TOOK MY RATS! I just left for a second to get them clean water and some food! lol nah The scabs are most likely mites. Luna had that when I first got her. I would keep them all! One big happy ratty family  They are all so cute. I love their coloring and markings. I just don't understand how people could be so cruel. How can anyone look at those faces and just leave them to die with one crusty piece of bread.


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## dingosm8 (Jan 10, 2008)

Do you think that 5 male rats can fit into a single level ferret nation?
I may be able to keep them (would like to). My husband might disagree with me though. He recommends I drop them off at the animal shelter.

Here are some videos I took of them last night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8W9hbUfJTg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v8baj2xTY8

I currently have a 3 level ferret nation, with 7 girls in the top 2 levels, and 2 boys in the bottom. They are separated.
I was planning on getting the boys neutered when they were old enough and have them all together in the joined 3 level. But now with 5 boys? I'm not so sure.

I was thinking about removing the hardware cloth on this cage. I think it's making them smell more. I think they are old enough/large enough not to escape. I was also thinking about finding another cage to attach to this one to make a franken cage. Does this one look too small for 3 rats?
The cage dimensions are 12" deep, 24" wide, and 25" tall. So according to the rat calculator, only large enough for 2.


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

I just plugged the FN 141 into the cage calculator, and assuming 25 inches for the height (a rough guesstimate based on the photo on ferret.com), it said you could have 6 rats! So I think five would be just a lovely number. Six would probably be pushing it, but I bet all the fellows could live in harmony pretty well.


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

oh my goodness those rats are so lucky. how could anyone do that?! i'd say if you have the space, go for it! and yes, a single-level ferret nation would fit them all just fine. of course, 3 more rats means 3 more rats' worth of vet bills and food, etc. so ultimately it is up to you. and even if you do just find them all a new home, at least you took the time to do so! you are an angel to these little boys.


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## HylaW (Mar 14, 2008)

I would get them into the vet for a general checkup, hopefully it wasnt cold outside and they were not out there too long. So proud of your hubby for doing the right thing! Good Luck finding homes or keeping them!


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## Kimmiekins (Apr 14, 2007)

6 is the max number in a single FN. A double can hold 12, a triple can hold 18. 

I'm so glad your hubby found them in time! Those poor babies. Lucky to have found you, though!

If you can handle 3 more, have the time and money, I'd say go for it.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

there's nothing more i can add that has not been said already. but i too would like to congratulate you on your big heart. they're previous owner was depending you or someone like you to save them or was waiting for nature to take them (or the trash man not to notice there were live animals inside. *Shudder*). i'm very glad that they found you whether you keep them or not. as a person who has had 9 and now has 12 there really is no difference in caring for them day to day. i see the vet perhaps a bit more often because i have the gambit of ages and personalities but if keeping them is the route ou decide to go there really isn't much a difference in care or a noticeable difference (at least for me) in money spent on them. 

however there is the husband to convince. i don't know what your husband is like, maybe he's a big push over that has to make the token objection just for the ego (my dad and my partner are both that way) but actually want the animal as much as you do. maybe your husband means what he says when he says he doesn't want another one (i have yet to meet such a man but i have heard of their existance :lol: ). in any case, you are the one that has to live with the man and you are the one who knows him. so keeping them is up to you and your husband. if you decide to find them homes over keeping them i'm confident you will ensure that they are going to a good home that will love them for the rest of their lives. 

whichever way you decide please keep us updated


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## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

This will make a good story for the local newspaper and might get you people for adopting them. If you cannot keep them , you can also request they'll be adopted together.
I know our local paper loves these stories, or you could write an editorial.
If you let your husband see all our replies, he'll probably agree with keeping them, there must be a higher reason he found them.


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## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

you could always lay the guilt trip on your hubby... "you found them and brought them home, therefore they now belong to us..."


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## dingosm8 (Jan 10, 2008)

I've taken some new photos of the street boys...and given them names

This is Yeti...the oldest one

















This is Zip

















And this is Gizmo


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## RoRo (Mar 10, 2008)

That would be sad to split them up since obviously they went through their worst time together


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## AceYourFace (Jan 4, 2008)

They are so beautiful! they look very sweet too.


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## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

you've named them.... now you have to keep them!!! that directive came from my daughter, and i agree


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## lostbutnotforgot (Apr 19, 2007)

First, I'm so glad there's wonderful people like your hubby that actually brought them home and didn't just leave them there even though he saw them (I know a few people who would...). Second, for wonderful people like you who have the knowledge to care for such animals that come to you in such odd ways. They obviously have some good karma/luck/someone watching out for them if they ended up with you. Third (and off topic, I know), I love your photography skills (or awesome camera). They showcase your rats beautifully!

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!


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## Squeak (Sep 4, 2007)

They are the cutest boys ever, and those a lovely names!


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

What great little boys! My first rat was named Zip, he was such a good boy! And I love Yeti's look, he seems like such a huge squish! And I can't forget Gizmo, what a cute little blaze!


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## TheFuzzWhisperer (Mar 24, 2008)

Awwww, they're very cute! It's awesome that they came to a rat person


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## portkeytonowhere (Dec 24, 2007)

They're adorable! If you've given them names then you have to keep them just a given there  Also I can not believe someone would actually leave 3 adorable nice rats outside in the cold it's just awful! I'm so glad your husband came along and rescued them!


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## BoyzRcrazy (Feb 18, 2008)

Yeah, I had the same situation. Somebody dropped off 3 rats, and I decided to only keep two. Then after placing the other in a good home, I bought the Martin Rat Skyscraper. Now after visiting the websites that calculate how many rats you can keep in a cage, and discovering I could actually have 5, I want to kick myself for letting the one little guy go.

I just didn't know anything about rats or cages or anything at the time. So, that said, thanks y'all for teaching me! Now I can go rat-wild!

And also, I agree, you and your husband are their guardian angels. They are SO VERY LUCKY!


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