Updated 2/3/10
Please check our new Pet Forum. This is for ppl looking for supplies, Lost and found pets, rehoming, wanting to buy pets and just about everything pet related. While it is not directly related to rats, I am one of the Admin on the site and This where I will post my cages and such that I have available for sale first, before placing them on here. Place A Pet
The long anticipated Rat Care Guide is finished!!! It is $6 for the Guide, proceeds of which go to help support the rescue. Get a sneak preview of it here
Join our Yahoo Group now: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/socialrats
I am not currently taking in male rescues. I am currently filled to capacity with males and need to find homes for those whom I already have here. If you would be interested in adopting, please let me know at tami@socialrats.com
Social Rats Rescue is a volunteer based rescue network that takes in, rehabilitates, socializes and cares for rats which are no longer able to be loved and/or cared for by their previous owners. We also take in accidental litters and pregnant mothers. We work to find homes for those who are in need in the Chicago area. We do screen all of our prospective adopters to be sure that each rat adopted will find a permanent home with them.
The main home for Social Rats is located in the city of Chicago, on the South Side. Our zip code is 60632, to give you an idea of where we are located. Because this is located in my home, I will not post my information here. However, if you would like to set up a time to meet the rats we have for adoption, please contact me at tami@socialrat.com or you may call or txt me at 773-934-9949. My name is Tami.
We do not take in aggressive rats, since some of the fosters, myself included, have young children and trying to work with aggressive rats with young children in the home is not an easy task. What we do work with is pet rats (not feeder rats, this is based on temperament and what they were bred for, not color or markings). We do not go to pet stores or animal shows to "rescue" as this is not a rescue but a purchase. We only take in owner surrenders. Although some of us have taken in rats that we have been called about, from pet stores, this is not the same as purchasing a rat from a pet store and calling it a rescue.
Our adoption fee is $15 for a single rat and $10 for each additional same gender rat. The proceeds of which go to support our rescue efforts. Adoptions fees for our rattery bred rats is the same as for rescues, as we do not value our own rats any more or less than our rescues. Each rat is the same, priceless and invaluable to us. The proceeds from our adoption fees for the rattery bred also go into helping to support our rescues. Food, fleece for bedding, washing the laundry, hammocks, treats, toys, cages, vet bills, all need to be paid and we work on constantly increasing our ratty fund for this purpose.
We also sell carriers to take your new rats home in, which are reusable, for $5 each. If you do not bring a carrier with you, you will be charged for a carrier before you are able to take your rat from our home. We do not allow someone to just walk out with the rat(s) without being in a safe cage or carrier. We also sell food for the rats as well, which is a combination of Brown's Tropical Carnival rat mix, plus lab blocks. It equals out to a 2.5 lb bag for $5 each. You are welcome to buy as many bags as you like when you adopt and you are also welcome to return to purchase more. The proceeds of which also go into our ratty fund.
Social Rats Adoption is a home based rattery that works with the Social Rats Rescue network. I am the director (for lack of a better word) of the rescue, although I prefer my work with my rattery. As there is no actual head of the rescue, since we all work together socializing and finding homes for the rats.
If you do not have consistent Internet access or an email address, you can reach me, Tami, at 773-934-9949. You may use this for rescues and adoptions. Currently we do not have room for any more rescues, unless it is an emergency situation. We have more rats than fosters, so if you would be interested in fostering with us, please send me an email at tami@socialrats.com or call me at 773-934-9949 and I can get some information from you and see what we can do to get you set up with fostering for us.
If you need to contact us about taking in a rescue or some rescues, you can contact us at rescue@socialrats.com Please include name(s) gender(s) color, markings, and any current and past medical and behavioral issues. Please also include if there is any chance of being pregnant if it is a female. You can also call Tami at 773-934-9949
If you are thinking of only adopting or owning 1 rat, click the video. Rats do better in pairs or groups because of their social nature. Imagine living alone and no job, no store trips, only allowed outside for a short time and even then you only get to spend time with a dog or cat, no other humans. You would get lonely and this is how rats feel being housed alone, even with being played with for a few hours a day, every day, is still not the same as a ratty friend to cuddle with.
Our rats are also given plenty of time to socialize with humans, which helps to ensure a loving pet from day one, which is our goal. They are let out to play, either as a group or given attention on a one on one basis. We try not to house our rats alone, as this is not healthy. The only rats housed alone are pregnant mothers, in which case, are not alone for long. I do not recommend housing a rat alone, if at all possible. Rats are social animals are thrive better with that companionship, which is why we rather adopt them in same sex pairs. Because of the issues that can come with trying to introduce males to each other, we do ask that when you adopt males, that they come from the same cage and, if you are adopting for an existing rat, that you adopt one froma group rather than 1 of a pair.
Our rescues may be a bit skittish or shy when you come to meet them or adopt them. This may be due to how they were when they first came to us. They may also seem to be skittish, simply because they do not know you, but will change once you get them home. We work very hard to get their socialization levels up and make SURE they will not bite you when they go home with you. They are ONLY up for adoption if they are making consistant progress and are close enough to being socialized that a few days of work will bring them fully out of their shells. This usually will happen during the bonding process with their new family.
Our rattery bred rats will not be too skitish, as they are handled every day since birth. As we work with our lines, we may have periods of less breedings or limited breedings while we are giving our girls a rest or waiting for a particular female to be of breeding age. We will NOT overbreed our girls, nor breed them less than 6 months old. While there is alot of dispute as to the ages that a rat can or should be bred. I will breed at 6 months old, no sooner, to give them time to become a fully grown rat. I have seen, all too often, a rat that is bred too soon and her growth becomes stunted and can cause health issues due to this. I will give my girls, no less than 2 months rest between weaning and being bred again. If I have to use one of my girls for a foster, to help out with another litter, then she will get even more rest time. All of our pregnant and nursing moms get a special diet to help keep them from losing weight and to keep the vitamins and calcium up in their bodies.
There may be times that we have more rescues than we have room for, at these times, I may be forced to put my own breeding on hold, until I have room. I do not breed unless I have room for all of the babies, as they grow into adulthood. While I do not expect to have them this long, it is possible, so I must make sure that I have room for them.
Besides being social, rats are also very intelligent. Rats like to explore, cuddle, groom, ect. If a rat is alone and bored, they will either become lazy and just lay around, this may be depression. Otherwise they will try to escape, putting all of their energy into finding a way out of their cage by chewing and finding ANY weakness in the cage and exploiting it. Rats, especially males, if left alone for too long may not take to a new cage mate too easily, if at all. This is why we suggest always making sure that you have a cage mate for your rat, unless you intend on spending 6+ hours a day with it.
Please keep in mind we are pet owners/rat lovers first and foremost and a rattery/rescue second. We do not adopt out aggressive rats, period! IF, by chance, your rat does become aggressive or bites, please let me know immediately, so we can try to figure out not only why it became aggressive, but also the safest solution, not only for the rat, but also for your family. To keep our costs down, and to keep our adoption fees reasonable, we do not vet check UNLESS there is an issue that needs addressing, such as an illness or such. If this is the case, you will be told, when you adopt, if your rat(s) have been to a vet while in our care and, if so, what for. You will also be given the option to receive the rat's vet records as well. You will also be given the name of the vet that your rat was seen by so you may follow up with them, if you wish.
I ask that any pet store that will not allow you to hold a rat before adoption, that you reconsider purchasing from them. Please do not go to animal or reptile shows expecting to find pet rats there, as most of them are feeders with possibly very little socialization. If you want to find a good tempered pet rat, look to rescues, shelters or breeders. These rats have been housed and cared for in a way to help to ensure that they are healthy and well tempered. Always make sure of the return policy when adopting. Here, at Social Rats, you are always welcome to bring the rat back if circumstances change, either with your family, or with the temperament of the rat. With rescues, we can not make any guarentees as to their genetic background, if you experience any issues with your rat that you adopted from us, please let me know and I will see what I can do to help
To inquire about adoptions, you can contact us at adoptions@socialrats.com
In the future we will be setting up a page to learn more about rats from markings and coloring to how to care for your pet once it is home. I hope that you will check back to read up on this info and learn more about this wonderful pet.