Adoption Guidelines
- Don’t shop for a rat with a certain appearance.
Some adopters make the mistake of saying “I need an XX type rat on XX date.”
Rather than look for a specific rat, look for a certain breeder. Connect with a breeder you feel shares your top criteria for breeding and wait for a litter to become available through them. If the breeder doesn’t have any rats available, you can also always ask for a referral to another breeder or rat rescue in your area.
In general, good health and agreeable personalities are much more important traits for pets than fancy markings and colors. A rat, like any other pet, is not a fashion accessory. Pet rats are living creatures that rely on you for food, water, shelter, safety, and social interaction! A well-intentioned pet owner values a happy, healthy animal whose company they can enjoy over a “fashionable” one.
- Introduce yourself thoroughly.
The initial e-mail should be lengthy and detailed. When you initiate contact, clearly communicate three things:
- You are ready for a pair of rats. You have an adequate cage and healthy diet prepared before you bring them home—if you need advice for choosing a great cage and a diet that your pets will enjoy, check out the resources on my website and feel free to ask questions.
- You understand how to properly care for rats—and what their needs are and how to meet them. Do your research!
- You understand that keeping pet rats is a real commitment for the life of the animal, just like adopting a cat or dog.
Describe your plans for these rats; be truthful. If you plan to breed said animals, please be up front with your intentions. If you don't plan to breed, say so.
- Be willing to be told no.
Not every person is the right match for every rat. If a breeder says no, ask why. If the answers make sense, don’t keep calling breeders until you finally get one who will sell you a rat. Consider if rats are right for you and your family’s lifestyle.
- PLEASE DO NOT GET ON MORE THAN ONE WAITING LIST!
Unless you are up front about it! I hope my rat adopters are just as in love with the rats as I am. I post pictures, write care instructions, update my website and social media pages, and research everything about them from pedigrees to genetics to bring out their best potential and attract adopters who find them as wonderful as I do. I want all of my babies to have amazing homes waiting for them! If you need to bow out of your reservation or be removed from a waiting list, please communicate your situation ASAP so I can still place the whole litter in a timely manner.
- Please do not expect to choose your rat.
While I try to let my adopters choose their rats in the order they appear on my waiting list, things are not set in stone. Please note: I reserve first pick of the litter to properly plan for future pairings. Rest assured you will be happy with the rats you adopt from me, even if they are not your first pick.
To best guarantee the good health of their rats, good breeders commonly maintain quarantine at their rattery and do not let adopters choose babies in person. Instead, you’ll pick babies from photos and information conveniently collected on the website. This is the usual routine for adopting from breeders.
My responsibility as a breeder is to the animals first.
- Please finish your transaction with one breeder before beginning one with another.
If you end a conversation with me saying “Well, this just all sounds wonderful, and I’m going to talk it over with my wife and we’ll call you about getting on your waiting list,” and then you hang up and immediately call another breeder, that’s NOT okay. If you don’t feel like you click with me, or you want to keep your options open, please be honest with me so I don’t hold a rat (or another eager potential adopter) in limbo waiting for you to confirm or cancel.
If you are on my waiting list, and you decide that you don’t want to be anymore, email me AS SOON AS YOU KNOW and say “I’m so sorry, but our life has gotten a little crazy and I need to be taken off the wait list.” I’ll remove you from my list without a fuss. If you decide you want to get a different pair of rats, please feel free. I only ask that you let me know before you open communications with another breeder. That way I can let the next person on my list know which rats are available.
In the end, “Be excellent to each other,” as Bill and Ted so perfectly stated. Honesty really is the best policy.
