URGENT! 4 Females need a home now! OTTAWA, ON Canada MAYBE TRAIN?

[beautifulescapee]

Hello,
Well, for the past two weeks my fiance and I have called every airline that currently exists on this earth, to find one that will ship our ratties to our new house, and NO ONE will do it. Therefore we have to find the a suitable home before the 19th of July

I have four females, all approx. 10 months old. They can be split into pairs if necessary, but I would rather not if I don't have to, as they are all bonded. I have an agouti hooded, named Martha, a black hooded dumbo named Monkey, an albino named Harriet, and a blue berkshire, named Blue.

They would come with their large cage, and mountain of supplies and hammocks...and toys..treats, food, etc..etc... We are asking $30 for rehoming fee, although it is even negotiable to the right home. We are not in it for the money at all..

I do have pictures if interested, and we can only give the cage to one person, so if you want a pair, you may not have a cage..The pairs would be Martha and Monkey together, and Blue and Harriet together. They are most bonded to each other.

If anyone is in the area and interested PLEASE let me know. E-mail! beautifulescapee@yahoo.ca

Thanks!

[lilspaz68]

I emailed a friend in your area about the girls.

[sierra]

How far away are you moving?  You might be able to arrange a train of wonderful forum member drivers to deliver your girls to you. 

[beautifulescapee]

We are moving from Ottawa, ON Canada to Phoenix, AZ U.S. however, if everyone was able to help get them to Montana, we could pick them up there, as we are driving. We can't take the little rattie girls across the border driving, due to me having trouble with border crossings, and we don't want to draw attention to ourselves at all. We already have a cat crossing with us. (we are supposed to be going on vacation, not moving (*wink wink*).

We are flying to Calgary, AB on July 19th, and will be in Montana that evening, we are staying in Kalispell, MT. If ANYONE COULD HELP I WOULD BE MOST EVER GRATEFUL, AND I CAN PAY PAY PAY$$$

[beautifulescapee]

I emailed a friend in your area about the girls.

Thank you kindly:) It is most appreciated!

[lilspaz68]

I emailed a friend in your area about the girls.

Thank you kindly:) It is most appreciated!

Sorry, it was your friend Alex I contacted.   

[beautifulescapee]

I emailed a friend in your area about the girls.

Thank you kindly:) It is most appreciated!

Sorry, it was your friend Alex I contacted.   

Haha...thanks just the same!

[trillium]

Hi

If there were a train, I could help with London to somewhere in Michigan transfer (cross border at Windsor). I don't have anywhere separate to keep them for an overnight as I have ratties too, but if they are healthy girls who haven't been exposed to other rats they could likely stay overnight as well if necessary.

Karen

[beautifulescapee]

Hi

If there were a train, I could help with London to somewhere in Michigan transfer (cross border at Windsor). I don't have anywhere separate to keep them for an overnight as I have ratties too, but if they are healthy girls who haven't been exposed to other rats they could likely stay overnight as well if necessary.

Karen

Yay:) Hopefully more people will post! I was wondering though, what kinds of questions will the border patrol ask me when if we try to cross the border with the ratties?

We don't want to draw attention to ourselves as we are supposed to be going on vacation to the glacier national park in Montana (*wink wink*) not moving to the U.S...and I overstayed in the U.S. for three years..therefore if there is any reason for them to be suspicious and look up my name, I will be denied entry and flown back home...we don't want that to happen, therefore we are afraid to bring the rats. We already have a cat coming on vacation:P

Do you think they would make a big deal out of it? Do you know of any excuses we could use as to why we have four rats with us on vacation?

Of course this is only if you have crossed the border with rats before:P Sorry to bug you!

[trillium]

No problem at all -- I actually have dragged the boys cross-border on several occasions. How much trouble you run in to depends on the customs officer you encounter. I've had wonderful conversations with some about why I would possibly want rats as pets, to the point where they've had me haul someone out of the cage so they can see a pet "rat" up close and personal... and I've had others who have pulled the car over to check me/it/them out more thoroughly.

You don't need any sort of "papers" (like the rabies vacc. cert. for dogs) to take them across, but many customs officers don't know it because they so rarely encounter rats, so they do have a tendency to be a bit more curious/concerned.

They generally just ask where I'm going with the rats. There's a really amazing vet in MI that I like to visit for any tricky medical problems, as the vets in Windsor, ON have very limited experience and they charge exorbitant prices to do any sort of health check and none have any surgery experience with rats.

Hope things work out smoothly at the border for you. Sounds like it will be stressful all around. As for potential excuses, I think the fact that it can be very difficult to find a ratsitter and that ratties have very delicate constitutions  and need consistent cleaning/care to remain healthy might work, but I do think they would draw some attention to you as you cross... of course, then the officers might be far more interested in the rats than anything else going on... I think pet rats are illegal in Alberta, but I'm not sure if that is relevant or not for you.

[ratqueen]

Pet rats are indeed illegal in Alberta.

They are not regulated animals WRT a border crossing, so there should be no issue in driving them across. When I have crossed with rats in the past I haven't made a big deal of them, nor have I hidden them. No one has ever asked more than a passing question about them.

I will say, however, that the forum (and I personally as a legal immigrant to the US from Canada) does not and cannot condone any kind of illegal immigration. It's wrong for you to take advantage of an unsecured border like that.

I am locking the thread. Members who may have information that would assist the OP in rehoming or transporting her rats can send her a PM.