This is something I've been thinking about for a long time, so I designed A PEW awareness ribbon. 

A lot of people don't seem to realize the extent of the bad hand dealt PEW rats.  They are the most likely to be tested on or find themselves to be snake-food.  They are the most likely to be found at pet-stores, to be abused and (due to their lack of novelty appeal) they are the least-likely to find homes among real rat-fanatics that make a good home.  They are the ones most likely to enter a rescue, and the least-likely to leave.  Any rescue will tell you, PEWs are hardest to place! They are difficult to take pictures of without "evil glowing eyes" so many people looking online pass by their pictures for more appealing rats.

So if their temperament is the same, why are these rats so overlooked?  At best, most people only have one PEW in their colony if any at all.  Some describe them as "creepy" due to their eyes.  Other people just find them boring.  Many just have trouble telling them apart!  To a lot of people, white rats remind them of labs, a trait they find unappealing.

PEWs are often born in unplanned litters, due to the fact that it is a phenotype created by many combinations of genes.  They are among the most common color of rat, if not the most common.  Often these guys sit at rescues and shelters and in the worst-case scenario, they are euthanized to make room for "prettier" rats.  In many pet-stores with pet and feeder tanks, the PEWs are seperated at an early age and plopped into a seperate snake-food tank with a much lower price-tag than those born with color.  Same litter, different purpose in life =/.

How you can help:

Next time you have room for a rat, and are considering a rescue, don't just go for the pretty colors.  Everyone loves the merles, nekkids, champagnes etc and they are almost guaranteed homes.  Instead, do a rescue and a rat a favor and choose the "Plain Jane" in the litter.  Not only will you be helping an oft- overlooked rat find a home, you'll find that they are the same inside as the pretty ones!  If you do adopt one of the "pretty ones" consider adopting a PEW to go with it.

A lot of people have no problems lecturing on the adoption of cats over kittens from the SPCA, and yet have no qualms about walking away with the prettiest rat in a rescue litter, leaving the PEW siblings and mother behind!  Don't be that person!

Other types of rats that have difficulty: normal wildrat-type agouti and black hoodeds.  Just too common!

Luckily PEWs do have one break.  Due to some states, such as Alaska and Nevada (or is it only some cities in Nevada?) only allow PEW rats.

Feel free to copy and paste this anywhere you wish,or to use the ribbon. You don't need to credit me.  Below is a signature-size ribbon.


For cuteness, here's my little PEW boy making faces at me in the playpen:

I hang my head in shame 

I am one of those accused of passing over PEW rats for the colorful ones. I do, however, have ONE PEW rat in my mischief. She is a little girl that lives with Bunson. She is one of the most charming rats I have ever had.

I will take this Ribbon and Statement to heart and make a more conservative effort to add more PEWs to my mischief in the future.

Thank you so much for making me aware of my shortcomings.
Dianne
Rosie's Mom

PEWs have personality!  Strangely enough, I rarely see them around here.  So opportunities for adopting them are slim.  I did rescue a few, though, once!  They've all left me now, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat!  Go PEWS!!

I love pews!
its my husband that doesnt..

I'm going to put the banner in my signatures in all the forums that I attend. I will definitely try for more PEWs they are actually one of my favourite colours of rats and the first rats that I fell in love with were PEWs. I only have one PEW though not because of discrimination but because she is the only who has crossed my path. I understand where the evil thing comes from (darn hollywood stereotypes) but Maggie(my PEW) is my sweetest and kissiest rat. <3 I have heard lots of people ask me if she was evil just because of her red eyes. 

And because she is so cute, Maggie.

Aw!  I love PEW love threads.  I love my PEWs, which make up half my rats.  I really love them, I know my house will never be without one or more awesome, beautiful, special, snowy white babies.  This is a great thread.

My worst complaint is that they are a royal pain in the tail to take pictures of.  They come out as bright white glowing balls with demon flaming red eyes.  Which is cool, but doesn't exhibit their best side...

Hey SP those are the PEWs I fell in love with <3 Squirt and Nemo

hey is this overkill I made a little page on my website:
http://www.freewebs.com/jazztherat/pewawareness.htm

Moondust: if you want your real name up instead just please tell me and I will change it. =)

wee companions has some GORGEOUS sweet big boy pews > I wanted one sooooo bad
I might be able to convince my husband to let us foster a few <.<
hopefully
if not i might cry

My first rat was a PEW! Rushmore was a happy little rat and loved nothing more than to sleep in my shirt or on my lap under the laptop computer. I've been kind of skittish about PEWs though because a lot of them seem to come from inbred lab stock. Rushmore developed a rather aggressive breast cancer that, unbeknownst to me and the vet, spread to her other organs and she passed at one and a half years old.

However, I would love any rat that I was so blessed to have the honor to take care of. PEWs are adorable!

I absolutely LOVE this! 

You can add me to the other frustrated rescuers who are saddened by the lack of interest PEWs get. I fostered a trio of PEWs for over a year until they finally found a home with amazing people who didn't care who they were getting, simply asked which ones were in rescue the longest! 

Every time we get in a pair or trio of PEWs it saddens me knowing that they'll be with us for a long time. One PEW is bad enough but a pair is even worse since then the whole "I want two or three rats that all look different" into play as well. So PEW and two/three that look the same.. that's major strikes against them.

We were just recently discussing what we could do to promote PEWs so this is wonderful!

I wish people would give them a chance because they are just wonderful, pretty little things 

We currently have a litter of 10 mostly PEWs and amazingly they are now almost 5 weeks old and most of them have homes lined up thanks to major PEWs lovers... that's a first, I was sure we'd have them for a long time.

I think the reason they were adopted so fast is that they have a very special rescue story:
http://apps.littlemischiefrescue.org/Blog/?e=10108&d=05/31/2008&s=Mica%27s%20Story
http://apps.littlemischiefrescue.org/Blog/?e=11003&d=06/18/2008&s=Mica%27s%20babies%20are%20growing%20up%21



Besides the sad thing that they are clearly often not wanted.... it also means that we often have a foster home that is essentially stuck with them... while other rats tend to move in and out... they do take up much needed foster space. We'd NEVER kick them out of course, we do adore them but it sometimes means that we cannot use that foster homes for another pair or trio for month after month so with the foster home that is not freeing up, we can't take as many rats in during that time as if they weren't PEW so it also affects other rats needing to come into rescue.

I think this is such an awesome thread, thank you so much for starting it!! My Shadowfax is a PEW, and a rescue from CL. Now that he is over the bad case of mites and recurring URI's he was suffering from, he has so much personality and is such a sweet boy. I am so glad he chose me for his mommy.

Oh, and I'm taking the ribbon, too.

That's a wonderful thread 
Our rescue just got in 3 PEW boys from the PA lab (out of the 70 they were trying to adopt out). I am not fostering them but my first thought was - poor boys, I bet it'll take a long time until they find a home since they are PEWs.
I don't care about the colors at all (although I started out with rats from a breeder however it wasn't about the color it was about the health issues). They are all beautiful to me. It's about the personality  . I'll see the 3 PEWs at our adopt-a-thon tomorrow.  At the adopt-a-thons people come by and look at all the "exotics" we have. Everybody goes googoo-gaga over the guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets etc. and when they walk by the rat cage most of the people go "eeeew! Rats are gross... and that tail!" They usually do the same about mice and they think my foster gerbils are mice (people are so clueless sometimes) . So tomorrow I'll make sure to give the 3 PEW boys extra extra attention!