Please help -- please (Cherry Hill, NJ)

[yukidomari]

Hi, I am part of the animal rights group at my high school, and this fall I'll be going off to college.  There is a rat lab program at my high school where they run psychological tests on the rats such as rate of learning, reactions to normal stimuli, etc, nothing chemical or traumatizing.  Anyway, at the end of the year, (this is the first year they've had a rat lab and a certified teacher), they realized that if they were to repeat this lab next year, they'd need new rats that have not yet been exposed to the same material.  They were going to let these rats go as feed material.  Now, because I'm part of the animal rights group, and I know that usually snakes and other animals that eat rats eat small, baby rats, not grown, cognitive rats.  I volunteered to take them home with me.  Now, you must understand, I'm a senior going on to college in the fall (ie not living at home, can't bring them with me), a girl (parents don't like the rats) and the sheer number of them is a big burden on me because the school does not support them anymore.  There are 10.  They are all male, white albino rats.  They are highly socialized and will even play with dogs and cats (if they don't get attacked, of course).  They really like my dog (who is a doberman pinscher...) I've kept them for about an year already, and now my parents have really been getting on my case because of me going off to college.. they don't want to be stuck with all the rats.  Although I know that male rats should not be kept together, I keep them together by the sets because they seem to like it that way.  They've grown up together, and they may even be brothers.  I know that they probably are not bred in any special way and I know that they are probably considered "old" in rat years, but they are very nice and clean creatures.  I've attached a picture of eight of them on a picnic table.. they're very nice, sociable animals.  Please help me!! I don't know what to do with them if I can't find homes for them by the end of summer..... I don't expect someone to adopt all ten (you'd be crazy or incredibly nice, like me..) but I would like it if you adopted atleast two.  They are long time friends!    I live in New Jersey, about ten minutes from Philadelphia.  Please respond...

http://www.geocities.com/yukidomarix/CUTERATS.jpg

if you copy and paste the URL and not just click on it, it'll work.  (hopefully..)

[fly_away]

I can't help you but I hope you find someone that will!

I just wanted to say that male rats CAN live together, and do!  It is a myth that males can't be kept together.   If you could keep them, it would be possible to get a big enough cage and keep them all together.

Best of luck to you, I'll keep my fingers crossed!

[NJartRat]

When will they be available? I live 30min. from cherry hill. I can most likely find homes for all 10 of them within about a month. If not, I can bring them to the 4-H fair at the end of July, and find people who would want to adopt them. I will ask around. Worst comes to worst, I will foster them until I can find them homes. Let me know when you need them out of your hands at the latest....

[yukidomari]

Hello NJartRat

Thanks for responding..they are available anytime.  Although I do love them a lot and they are very cute, I do need them adopted by the end of August (when I leave for college).  If you would like furthur information, maybe it would be better if you contacted me through email.  Thank you!!!

[yukidomari]

again, thanks a lot for trying to help me.