# My 2 ratties



## Vidobi04 (Jun 14, 2011)

While letting my rats have some free time outside the cage I thought to myself how ace they are. I read somewhere on here that you shouldn't get animals from [email protected] as they aren't as good a pet compared to getting them from a breeder. Well these people are wrong. Yes they come from horrible farms and treated badly but surely it's about the people who take care of them when they leave [email protected] My 2 are very active, playful affectionate and fun. As much as I would have liked to get rats from breeder I like others don't live near one. These kind of pet shops will never go away but at least if people like me do buy them from there then at least they go to a loving home.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

Vidobi04 said:


> While letting my rats have some free time outside the cage I thought to myself how ace they are. I read somewhere on here that you shouldn't get animals from [email protected] as they aren't as good a pet compared to getting them from a breeder. Well these people are wrong. Yes they come from horrible farms and treated badly but surely it's about the people who take care of them when they leave [email protected] My 2 are very active, playful affectionate and fun. As much as I would have liked to get rats from breeder I like others don't live near one. These kind of pet shops will never go away but at least if people like me do buy them from there then at least they go to a loving home.


I beg to differ that we're 'wrong' 

You may believe you have done these rats a favour, but all you are doing is perpetuating the existence of these establishments, as is every single misguided person who buys from pet shops.

Sorry to burst your bubble but all you are doing is showing these disgusting places that there is a market for badly bred, farmed rats.


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## Vidobi04 (Jun 14, 2011)

Well like I said in my post not everyone can get pets from breeders. The whole "wrong" thing is about a post I read saying that rats from [email protected] are basically boring, don't do anything an aren't affectionate. My point is that isn't the case.


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2013)

Vidobi04 said:


> While letting my rats have some free time outside the cage I thought to myself how ace they are. I read somewhere on here that you shouldn't get animals from [email protected] as they aren't as good a pet compared to getting them from a breeder. Well these people are wrong. Yes they come from horrible farms and treated badly but surely it's about the people who take care of them when they leave [email protected] My 2 are very active, playful affectionate and fun. As much as I would have liked to get rats from breeder I like others don't live near one. These kind of pet shops will never go away but at least if people like me do buy them from there then at least they go to a loving home.


Well I'm sure that the mothers of your rats are jumping with joy, oh wait, she won't be able to jump in the tiny cramped little box she is kept in to be bred over and over and over and over again :frown2:

So just because you happened to buy two what about the thousands and thousands of others that are also bred, what about the ones that don't even make it to the pet shop, what about the ones that end up very poorly who don't go to knowledgeable people, what about the ones that don't even make it to their first or second birthday?????????

Now I could go on :frown2:

Pet shops like this will never go away because people like you will contine to fund them :mad5:

This is what you are funding.... Rodent Farm


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

Vidobi04 said:


> Well like I said in my post not everyone can get pets from breeders. The whole "wrong" thing is about* a post I read saying that rats from [email protected] are basically boring, don't do anything an aren't affectionate.* My point is that isn't the case.


I have never seen a post on here that says that about them, maybe you could link us?

The fact is, you are playing Russian roulette every time you buy rodents (& rabbits & any other species) from a pet shop- you might get a healthy, nice natured one, you might get one that's plagued with issues, both with health & behaviour.

It doesn't really matter though, because either way the ethics of pet shops stink.


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## Vidobi04 (Jun 14, 2011)

I've seen the videos. But like I said not everyone lives near a breeder. So what are these people meant to do? I was making a point in that my rats are very happy etc and I got mine from [email protected]


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2013)

Vidobi04 said:


> I've seen the videos. But like I said not everyone lives near a breeder. So what are these people meant to do? I was making a point in that my rats are very happy etc and I got mine from [email protected]


Err travel, or pay for a courier, or ohhh I dunno, go to a rescue 

I'm glad your rats are happy, shame you don't care about the thousands that won't be....


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## fatrat (May 14, 2012)

They may seem happy, and I'm sure they are and you are doing a brilliant job with them, but unfortunately you are pumping money into companies that will use it to buy more plastic boxes to fill with breeding females. Not better cages for the ones they have, but MORE females to produce MORE babies. Sorry, but it's the truth.


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## Vidobi04 (Jun 14, 2011)

I don't drive it have the money to be getting trains to places. I can't remember what the post was about to link it. Yes I agree that the animals are treated badly but if you read my previous post I was mainly making a point that not all rats from pet shops are scared or don't do anything.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

Vidobi04 said:


> I've seen the videos. *But like I said not everyone lives near a breeder.* So what are these people meant to do? I was making a point in that my rats are very happy etc and I got mine from [email protected]


And this poses a problem because? I know people who don't have cars & manage to get rescue rats from the other side of the country, so it is doable, with time & effort.


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## Vidobi04 (Jun 14, 2011)

And like I have said not everyone has time or money to travel.


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2013)

Vidobi04 said:


> And like I have said not everyone has time or money to travel.


If you don't have the money to travel then I hope to god your rats don't become sick :frown2:

This girl was a [email protected] rat........ She is on meds for the rest of her life... http://www.petforums.co.uk/rodents/298191-booo.html


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## fatrat (May 14, 2012)

I've never heard anyone suggest they are - my George is a rescue from [email protected] and he is the nicest, silliest rat imaginable. But the point is, for every happy rat you see, there are millions more in horrible conditions, getting terribly sick and dying before reaching old age. Not all farmed rats are bad pets, far from it, but the majority of then never get the chance to know what a happy life is. 

No one is attacking you, it's just something that we all feel strongly about because, while you may have rescued two lucky rats, these companies will still go on on a massive scale.


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## Vidobi04 (Jun 14, 2011)

Well it's certainly feels that way. I would have liked to get rats from breeders but it just isn't possible for me. If one of my rats fell ill I would find money to pay for them. I had to pay £90 for an X-ray for one of them once.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

I had two male rats from pets at home and yes they were lovely and very friendly one even used to clean my teeth with his tongue (grosse as it may sound but that's how sweet he was) but Otis died at only 13 months old very suddenly from a stroke. 
And cole died at only 17 months from a pituitary tumour. He was unable to hold food in his paws or climb he lost a lot of weight! 

Breeder rats are the way forward or rescue.

But be prepared for ill rats when bought from pets at home due to the fact they aren't bred for health.


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2013)

Vidobi04 said:


> Well it's certainly feels that way. I would have liked to get rats from breeders but it just isn't possible for me. If one of my rats fell ill I would find money to pay for them. I had to pay £90 for an X-ray for one of them once.


So you can "find" £100+ just for the appointment any meds on top will be more for an emergency appointment, yet you can't fine £50 odd for a courier....hmmmm...interesting :skep:


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## Vidobi04 (Jun 14, 2011)

If there were any breeders close to where I live then yes I would get them from there. The problem I have had in the past though is i have 2 rats and if one of them were to die the other would be on its own and I have seen how quickly rats can become depressed when on their own.


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## fatrat (May 14, 2012)

I don't want you to feel that way, and I don't think anyone meant to upset you or make you feel bad, but this topic is kind of a sore subject for most of us here. 

If you want breeder rats in the future, you can always ask on here for help, people are usually very happy to help out with transport runs etc, and some breeders will even come to you


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

B3rnie said:


> So you can "find" £100+ just for the appointment any meds on top will be more for an emergency appointment, yet you can't fine £50 odd for a courier....hmmmm...interesting :skep:


It's always the same though isn't it? :frown2:

Not used a courier, so I've no idea of prices, but I'm pretty sure it'd be cheaper than the vets visit I had on Tuesday with 2 of my rescues


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## Vidobi04 (Jun 14, 2011)

I paid the £90 when I was still living at home and had to pay it over 2 months whereas now I'm renting a house and don't earn enough money to be able to pay for a currier. If there was an emergency then I would find a way.


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## Vidobi04 (Jun 14, 2011)

Tbh fatrat you haven't made me feel like that. I did ask a while ago about breeders but the ones which were "local" we're too far away.


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2013)

Vidobi04 said:


> If there were any breeders close to where I live then yes I would get them from there. The problem I have had in the past though is i have 2 rats and if one of them were to die the other would be on its own and I have seen how quickly rats can become depressed when on their own.


There are breeders on the NFRS list in Wigan, less than an hour from you :001_huh:

The second issue has nothing to do with these rats or your initial post, if you had purchased a rat from [email protected] for those reasons then no one would have questioned you.

But to come on and say we are all wrong when many of us are the ones that pick up the pieces from [email protected] is just......well....... inflammatory at best :skep:


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## Vidobi04 (Jun 14, 2011)

I said that people who say rats from pet shops aren't as happy etc as those from breeders were wrong as mine were very happy. Not that they were wrong about the way they are treated.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

Vidobi04 said:


> I said that people who say rats from pet shops aren't as happy etc as those from breeders were wrong as mine were very happy. Not that they were wrong about the way they are treated.


You said 'boring' as opposed to 'happy' in an earlier post. Big difference.


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## Laura123 (Aug 6, 2012)

I don't think I've seen many people saying that pet shop rats are rubbish. When I first had rats it was MANY years ago and I got them from [email protected] I didn't know any better. I didn't have internet access and didn't know how to contact a breeder. This time round I know more and for all that I loved my last rats they were quite sickly and none of them ( we had 5 over a couple of years) lived to make it near 2 years. They all had to visit the vets regularly. I only got back into rat keeping last year. These boys are breeder boys. My boys are 10 months and I have only had to visit the vets once and only for mites. With internet access this time I could see for myself the terrible conditions that pet shop rats come from and would not want to give them my money or custom.


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## fatrat (May 14, 2012)

Have you checked out Stovokor rattery? They are in Wigan. I'm not sure how far that is from you but I know that they are very nice rats there


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## Vidobi04 (Jun 14, 2011)

I also said etc as I find myself having to repeat everything I'm writing cause people don't seem to be reading previous posts. Wigan is a bit too far for me as I don't drive.


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## LostGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

all of my pet shop rats have died well before their second birthdays, my breeder rats well one is now nearly 3 and although slowing down shes still very healthy 

nearly all my rescues were pet shop rats aswell. I only have one pet shop rat left shes around 16-17 months now shes still going strong and is very cheeky she is a rare one I feel, and I know when/if she gets poorly with her breeding she is more then likely going to need to be pts as I doubt she'll be strong enough to fight it unlike a well bred breeder rat who the breeder has taken care to ensure that it has good DNA etc


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## Laura123 (Aug 6, 2012)

Vidobi04 said:


> I also said etc as I find myself having to repeat everything I'm writing cause people don't seem to be reading previous posts. Wigan is a bit too far for me as I don't drive.


Have you no friends or family that drive?


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2013)

Vidobi04 said:


> I also said etc as I find myself having to repeat everything I'm writing cause people don't seem to be reading previous posts. Wigan is a bit too far for me as I don't drive.


Then you use a courier :cornut:

It cost me just over £50 to transport 4 rats from Wales to Huddersfield which is a much longer distance....

I repeat if you can't afford that then I really do hope you have struck lucky, but then only time will tell 



> I paid the £90 when I was still living at home and had to pay it over 2 months whereas now I'm renting a house and don't earn enough money to be able to pay for a currier


This has worried me deeply considering how much I have had to spend out recently :frown2:


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## Vidobi04 (Jun 14, 2011)

I'm not repeating what I have already said on this thread.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

B3rnie said:


> This has worried me deeply considering how much I have had to spend out recently :frown2:


Me too

OP, say you have to take your rats for an emergency appointment- maybe after hours, or because you wake up & find one of your rats is ill? How will you get the money together for it? Are your rats currently registered with a vets?


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## Laura123 (Aug 6, 2012)

I don't believe you mentioned anything about friends or family and their access to cars.


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## halfeatenapple (Jan 2, 2013)

Vidobi04 said:


> I've seen the videos. But like I said not everyone lives near a breeder. So what are these people meant to do? I was making a point in that my rats are very happy etc and I got mine from [email protected]


I would bet you any money I live further away from a breeder than you... I am saving for the travel to my next boys (a years time or more).


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

This is it people seem to think rats are cheap to look after and yes you can buy them cheap or free but its the vet fees that can cost especially when you buy from unethical places.

As mentioned in bernies thread I've spent more money on my rats in the past and present than I have on my 8yr old german shepherd!


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## LostGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

blade100 said:


> This is it people seem to think rats are cheap to look after and yes you can buy them cheap or free but its the vet fees that can cost especially when you buy from unethical places.
> 
> As mentioned in bernies thread I've spent more money on my rats in the past and present than I have on my 8yr old german shepherd!


snap the dogs have cost me about £120 vets fees (not jabs etc but being poorly) the rats well id guess £300-400?


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

blade100 said:


> This is it people seem to think rats are cheap to look after and yes you can buy them cheap or free but its the vet fees that can cost especially when you buy from unethical places.
> 
> As mentioned in bernies thread *I've spent more money on my rats in the past and present than I have on my 8yr old german shepherd!*


Same here, the rats are probably the sickliest pets I've had, not that I hold it against them, they're worth every penny


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## LostGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

simplysardonic said:


> Same here, the rats are probably the sickliest pets I've had, not that I hold it against them, they're worth every penny


except when you think a poop is a chocolate chip


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

a bit about [email protected] and rats...
i have 3 [email protected] rats- one was ex-stock who they lost in the quarantine area for over a month before re-catching her; by that point she was too big and old to be sold on the main floor, so was an adoption. i bought her as a boy, which means they mis-sexed her twice :skep:
i recently had to buy two babies from [email protected] after one of my boys (a bred-from-pet-shop-rats) passed away at only 8 months old. while i am on a waiting list for my closest on land breeder (co.cork) - and planning to travel to the mainland to get some boys in the nearish future- i had to get Gideon company quickly this month as he started to self mutilate, so i got from [email protected] i bought two boys, but instead ended up with one boy and one pregnant female.

so yes, they are fantastic pets when treated right, but as has been said, what about the people who buy on a whim? and what about the breeder rats? have you ever thought How they have such good temperaments? more than likely because any of the breeders who show undesirable traits become snake food (as do Many of the babies  ) and are replaced.
ok thats Kind of how good breeders get temperaments as well, except they simply retire those who shouldn't breed and Maybe re-home them (but it seems most have groups of non-breeders as well because they just Can't part with them!!).

no-one is disputing that [email protected] rats have good personalities... but thats a rat thing, not a [email protected] thing.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

LostGirl said:


> except when you think a poop is a chocolate chip




PLEASE tell me you haven't accidentally eaten a rat flavoured 'chocolate chip'


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## LostGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

simplysardonic said:


> PLEASE tell me you haven't accidentally eaten a rat flavoured 'chocolate chip'


mmmmm no?


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## fatrat (May 14, 2012)

LostGirl said:


> except when you think a poop is a chocolate chip


Or when you accidentally get a tail shoved in your mouth :thumbup1:


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## halfeatenapple (Jan 2, 2013)

LostGirl said:


> mmmmm no?


:shocked: :frown2: :lol:


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## spoiled_rat (Mar 24, 2008)

Vidobi04 said:


> And like I have said not everyone has time or money to travel.


I really do hope that your rats never get ill...as seriously, this is a very worrying statement in itself.

BTW, train fare to my local main station is £15.20 return...but that's irrelevant, as quite frankly, I wouldn't have homed to somebody who can't pay for vet bills anyway.

The saying 'if you can't afford the vet, don't get the pet' is so damn apt sometimes. My vet bills are between £14-£280 per month depending on what rescues/numbers I have at the time and I have a very cheap vet...he is also pretty hot too, so the eye candy does soften the blow on my wallet a little


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

spoiled_rat said:


> he is also pretty hot too, so the eye candy does soften the blow on my wallet a little


i know the feeling laura  certainly does help dosent it. lol.
over the past 4 years i have spent around £2,000 on vets bills alone for my rats, that is mainly injections for resp. i have had very few surgeries considering the ammount of rats ive owned in that time. 1 operation to remove an inch from a tail, £70 with meds. 1 operation to remove a burst eye, £80 with meds. 1 operation to sew up a bite wound, £60, with meds. 
as for traveling to breeders, i wanted some rats from brammocks rattery so badly that i waited months and months on the waiting list before being offered one rat,i then travelled 230 miles there and back (round trip) to get my 4 boys. and tbh i would do it again.


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

spoiled_rat said:


> I really do hope that your rats never get ill...as seriously, this is a very worrying statement in itself.
> 
> BTW, train fare to my local main station is £15.20 return...but that's irrelevant, as quite frankly, I wouldn't have homed to somebody who can't pay for vet bills anyway.
> 
> The saying 'if you can't afford the vet, don't get the pet' is so damn apt sometimes. My vet bills are between £14-£280 per month depending on what rescues/numbers I have at the time and I have a very cheap vet...*he is also pretty hot too, so the eye candy does soften the blow on my wallet a little*


i used to have a vet in the practice like that... then he opened his mouth and word vomit came out :mad5:


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