anita1216

I just quoted this because I think it sums up the argument pretty succinctly.  The emotional cost of not supporting rescues far exceeds the financial costs for me.  

It is true that the rat mills won't know or care whether I buy a rat from them or not.  But I'll know.  And that matters.

If there are a few rescues in your area without websites, then why not offer to do it for them or find someone who can? I don't know of many rat rescues that DON'T have website (and I network with quite a lot of them), so your generalization is limited to a very small number when looking at the larger picture. Even those without websites have web space offered to them on Petfinder, and many do just fine with that.

The rescue database is a wonderful idea. Why not do it? Take your idea, and build a network. I'll be the first in line.

Everything else are things rescues DO. 95% of running a rescue is getting the word out, educating the public, holding events... Again... If rescues aren't doing these things perhaps they need more volunteers to step in and help.

Rescues are run by people just like you. Some are foster networks, and some are single people or families running out of their own home. We rely on the support and help from people like you. We are often very busy people outside of running our rescues, and even more busy running our rescue. We can't do it all, much as we'd like to. If you're noticing a lack of anything with a single rescue, or rescues in general, then it's a great opportunity to jump in and do something. I'd be nothing without my volunteers. We really can't exist without them.

Maybe if people would spend more then 20 minutes researching their new pet they would find out about rescues. It's not that hard to learn that you can rescue rats or to find rescues. I think I already said this, but I got my boys from halfway across the country, because I took the time to LOOK for rats and transport was already set up. Tons of people are willing to drive to get other peoples' rats to them. And honestly, if someone doesn't know that already, they should spend some more time reading about rats.

Most rescues have petfinder listings, too. So they ARE accessible.

Right now, I'm actually in a no-pets apartment. They found out about my rabbit and were NOT happy. As my job has fallen through because of the economy, and my apartment plans have fallen through because of my job, adopting rats wouldn't be fair right now. If I ever get back to a place where I have the ability, I'd adopt--but right now, it wouldn't be fair. Though what rescues are you talking about? I know of one in Austin and one in Huston.

As to volunteering, again: I have no transportation. I'm not a web designer, and while at some point I'd love to volunteer, I'm just not in a place to do so right now.

Your sarcasm is unnecessary. I'm saying that if you want people to make ethical choices, show them how. Make yourself obvious. If you're going to say its the individual's responsibility, stop whining at people when they don't make the choice you want. Define a universal set of ethics for me, and then you can apply it to everyone on the board.

No, I think the sarcasm was completely necessary.  If you found this forum, then you simply chose not to do the same research in finding a rescue near you.  Google is a fantastic thing and it takes the ignorance argument away.  If you read any of the threads on this board about petstores or rescues, of which there are many, you would know about the ethics of rat mills and pet stores that get their small animals from them.  Your implication that rescues, who have websites, who hold adoption fairs and whatnot aren't doing enough is simply wrong.  If you type "pet rat" into google, you get pages of information about rats, and on those pages there are plenty of mentions of responsible rat breeders, rat rescues and accurate rat care.

Ignorance of the truth doesn't make your mistakes okay.  And defending pet store rat acquisition over putting a tiny bit of effort into finding alternatives is simply disgusting.  You have the time and effort to argue that you can't find a rat rescue, but not the time and effort to google it?  Please....Who do you think you're kidding?

I wasn't gonna get involved, but I have to say this.  How don't rescues make themselves available?  Spend 10 minutes on this board, and you can find them from coast to coast.  They have sites, they are active, will answer any questions, whether or not they're local.  I don't see how anyone can say they're not available, not out there.  I'm thoroughly puzzled by that.  It's not like they have some kind of secret password, or handshake.  They're not restricting adoptions to six-figure-income households, particular backgrounds, ethnicities, etc.  They're not charging two thousand dollars to adopt...

On top of the official rescues, but take a look at your classifieds, or pet adoption sites.  Take a look at THIS adoption board, here at Goosemoose.  These are the outlets I've gone through for 5/7 of mine. Rats are everywhere, someone, somewhere has to rehome, or give a rat up for adoption.  Someone's snake wasn't hungry, and now this reptile owner has this rat hanging out.  There's a million situations out there. All better options than buying from a petstore.

Buying any pets from a petstore is an outdated and barbaric practice, and I can't wait to see it end.  Pets are companions, and the agreement to which we enter when we take them into our homes should be a little more well thought out than going to a place and purchasing, like a pack of gum.  Many of us have done the petstore thing, and it happens.  It's not the best way, is all.  My first two rats were from a feeder bin.  Since then, I haven't gotten one from a pet store.  Adoptions and rescues across the board.  This forum and the people here have taught me, and just like I would -NEVER- think of purchasing a dog, or cat, now I wouldn't even think about purchasing a rat. It seems wrong to me.  Buying a companion...weird.  

Ad hom. attacks such as this seem incredibly unnecessary: where did I say I didn't want to make their lives better? And how is getting a rat from a pet store not making that rat's life better? Honestly, I call you out on sarcasm and I get this in response? Not cool.

Animal companionship should be open to everyone who has the ability to provide proper care. If that means that I care about carbon emissions and thus don't want to drive hundreds of miles when I don't have to (not saying that I don't, an example) who are you to judge that? Regarding origin, most rescue rats are petstore rats first and foremost. As to care, I don't see how where you get the animal determines its care.

As to googling "pet rat," yeah, you get loads of things. Google "rat rescue near Dallas" and you get a much different picture. You get ONE website about a rescue that serves Texas, more importantly the D/FW area, which is located in Bedford. That's a LONG drive for some of us, particularly if we work or go to school all day. Sometimes taking days off isn't an option. The nearest rat breeder is in Austin: again, a day's drive. I rarely see rats on craigslist, and the nearest one to me according to petfinder is in Tulsa. Rescues in my area are sure as hell not making themselves available. Search the adoption boards for Texas, then: there's one in Austin, but that's about it. Yeah, petstores aren't the best options; neither are breeders, though, if you want people to go rescue the rats. But sometimes, there ARE situations where there aren't other options. Mine isn't one, I know that, but it DOES happen.

It isn't about choosing not to do the research. I did the research. Frankly, we're arguing a concept--personalizing it is ridiculous, which is why the sarcasm is unnecessary. And your comment about being "disgusting" isn't much better. I don't have rats at this point, because the economy has rendered me incapable of finding a job and thus finding an apartment. Again, you're personalizing a concept, and that's what's disgusting.

Threads like this might help educate, but who are they educating? We all know not to use pine bedding, and how to feed. We all have that information. We're not educating here; this is a debate. If you want to educate, go beyond the core group of people who already have rats, who already know how to care for them, and reach out to people who don't. How many of us have complained to the legislatures about the awkward legal state of rats as animal cruelty? How many of us have actively protested at pet stores?