Two pet male rats in need of home IMMEDIATELY! (VA)

[mudflower]

I am in the process of trying to find some help placing my two beloved pet rats. I will be moving soon in order to persue a job and a second degree in college and sadly will no longer be able to care for them.

I have contacted twelve or so shelters, rescues, and humane societies with no luck. Either they don't have the proper facilities to house rodents, I must be a resident of their county, or they are just too far away.

I live in very southwest Virginia, but in two or so weeks I will be moving to Radford, Virginia. It is possible that I can have them transported even to Pikeville, Kentucky, or even northern Virginia, as my boyfriend lives in Fredericksburg.

These rats are my babies, and I am having a very hard time dealing with the fact that I have to give them up. I want to make it clear that I am not giving them up because I do not love or want them, because I DO. I just feel like they deserve better because I will not be able to provide the attention and care that they need after the move.

As moving time gets closer, I am becoming extremely desperate. If it comes down to it, I will either have to give them up to a pet store, where they are likely to become snake food, or I will have to have them put to sleep.
   
If ANYONE has suggestions for me, please contact me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I can provide pictures and background information.
   
Brandi
betta_120@yahoo.com

[edited by TheChicagoCrew to include location in title of post]

[Reverend Sin]

Can you please post descriptions or pictures? I'm sure many are going to want  it!

[battousaihemora]

Yes, I for one would like descriptions. I sometimes make it to Pikeville, KY. I'm not sure when our next trip would be though. As much description as possible, color, personalities, age, health history, etc.

[ekw4petrescue]

Brandi,
I live and work in Radford, VA, and I currently have eight pet rats.  Would you be able to bring them with you when you move here?  If you were able to get them here, I would be happy to adopt them.     Would you please pm me with more information about them?
Thanks,
Emily

[mudflower]

I do apologize for keeping everyone interested in my boys waiting in the dark. I have spent the last couple of days running to Kentucky and back to get my ten year old dog neutered because the high level of testosterone he was producing had caused a painful cyst that also had to be removed. He is home and recovering now.

I had already typed up a long document that included my rats' background information. I advise anyone interested in them to read it carefully, as it is as detailed as I could possibly get it. I am working on getting pictures of them today, and they will be posted within a few hours.

Anyway, here is the document:

Yes, well, you asked for it. This post may, in fact, be a little long. Once I get started talking about my rat babies, it’s hard to shut me up.

Let’s begin with Bleach. I hate to play favorites, but Bleach was my first ever rat and I fell in love with him the moment I laid eyes on him. He has more personality to him than I ever thought a rodent could have, and he has kept me constantly laughing for nearly three years at his clever wit and cunning rat pranks.

With his age, though, also comes the fact that it is very possible he may not live too much longer. Being already two and a half, he does require special attention and care.

He is a pink-eyed white.

Bleach is very territorial and will not tolerate other rats at all. For this reason, he must be kept separate from any and all other rodents. He gets along well with all other animals as long as they get along well with him. Being spoiled from the beginning, he was given free range of our entire home as he wished, which was shared with two other dogs and a cat.

That said, we made the mistake of feeding him tidbits through the bars of his cage when he was a baby, so naturally now he thinks that anything that passes through the bars is food. Beware of fingers for this reason. He has never bitten anyone for any other reason than this, and that is my fault. Not his. He is an extremely loving rat, and he loves to be talked to and cooed over just as much as he loves to be scratched and petted.

Splinter, however, just began life a little over a year ago. His disposition is far more bashful than that of Bleach, but it isn’t due to lack of socialization. He isn’t aggressive toward anything I’ve found yet, and even though he’s more introverted and passive, he longs for attention and I think even companionship. Because I knew Bleach would tear into him if I ever tried introducing him (it’s happened before), Splinter is also a loner. However, I think it is very possible to get him used to other rats.

Splinter adores affection, and he is the first to greet me when I enter the room. Because of his sweet temperament, his nickname is Baby. He melts everyone’s heart.

His coloring is very beautiful, in my opinion. I’m not an expert on trying to define what the technical term is, but the closest thing I can compare him to is a very pale champagne broken hooded. His back stripe as far as I can tell only goes about halfway down his spine, but then again, his coloring is so light that I honestly cannot tell.

While Bleach has striking, long and lovely features, Splinter has a handsome rounded face with charmingly rotund characteristics. His tail has a peculiar kink at the very tip, and I can’t imagine what that is even from, but it somehow suits him.

I will be honest and state for reference that Splinter is an escape artist and loves to try to interact with Bleach. Though I keep them in separate cages, they are extremely close so that they can at least see and smell one another. There was one time that Splinter got loose and ventured to Bleach’s cage. Bleach didn’t like it at all and grabbed the baby’s back foot through the bars. It was a mess after I heard him scream. He was trapped between the wall and the cage, and after I got him out, I stayed up with him all night caring for his foot. He is completely better now, but I have always been cautious about something like arthritis setting in that particular foot as he grows older.

My rats have been raised from the beginning on fresh foods only. They have never been given any type of rodent food because a breeder told me that because rats are prone to tumors and cancers, the chemicals in most packaged foods could actually increase the chance of developing one of these problems. This doesn’t mean they get pizza and cookies. Everything they get is natural, with the exception of the occasional sweet.

This doesn’t mean that they can’t be switched to rodent food if a potential owner wanted. It was just a choice I made for myself to bring them up on my own terms of nutrition.

They have also never been housed with wood chips, as I know this causes respiratory problems among other things.

These rats are not for breeding stock!! They are for companion pets only! They both were pet store rescues, which is a completely different topic and I know promotes more bad than it does good, but if I hadn’t bought them, I wouldn’t have the two precious boys that I do today. I do not regret purchasing them, I only regret that my life has played out in a manner that is unfortunately going to prevent me from enjoying their company for the rest of their lives.

I am not asking for money for my rats. All I am asking is that if it is at all possible to keep in contact with me, the potential owner tries. Again, these rats are my babies. I’d like to know how they are doing every once and a while.

I really am to the point of begging to get them new homes. After my move, I won’t have the sufficient time to take care of them the way they need to be taken care of, and I honestly feel horrible about not being able to find a better way around it. When I bought the rats, I was in the process of pursuing my first college degree. Now that I am going back to school and also trying to pursue a career at the same time, I feel the responsible thing to do, even if it is also the hardest, is to give them to someone who can give them the devotion and affection they deserve.

Thanks,
Brandi Parrigan

[ekw4petrescue]

pm'ed you. 

[ratsrule77]

Hi, I live in Northern Virginia, and have 12 rats I am trying to find homes for, so I wouldn't be able to adopt your rats, but there is a rescue place in frederick, MD, called Small Angels Rescue, and they take care of any small animals (rats, mice, gerbils, etc.), so if you cant find homes for them you can go to http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MD179.html and email or call them. They are very nice because we have been emailing them about our baby rats that need homes. I hope you find great homes for your rats.

[mudflower]

I appreciate everyone for their concerns and suggestions, however I do believe Emily (ekw4petrescue) is going to adopt both of my boys on Wednesday of this week. I'll post an update of how it goes.

Thanks,
Brandi Parrigan

[ekw4petrescue]

I picked up these boys from Brandi this evening.  Such sweethearts! 

So the mods can lock this now, if that's the protocol.   

[mudflower]

Yes, the meeting went well. Bleach and Splinter are off to wonderful new lives. I don't think I could have picked a better person to adopt them if I had searched the world over.

I just want to thank you again, Emily, for all you've done for me. It may not seem like a lot to you, but it has taken a huge burden off of my shoulders. At least now I know that my boys are going to live the rest of their lives in a home where they are loved.

Give them lots of love for me. I miss them terribly.