Im re-homing my rats and need advice?

Question

Hi, i advertised my rats via a website as i need to rehome them.

because my new house wont accept rats.. today i got a phone call from a girl saying she was interested and asking if there was 4 rats, i said no only 2 of the males ( which i advertised 2) but i do have four other females aswell which need rehoming. and she said oh right well im willing to take them all. but then i told her one of the females has a tumor so i was guessing she wouldnt want to take that one. as it hasnt been sorted yet, and may cost money, but she didnt seem to care and said thats fine she can sort that out herself. so i thought that was a bit strange. and now i am worried that she wants them to feed to a snake or something... ino im thinking the worst but it does seem weird that i advertised 2 and shes ringing saying she will take 6 including one with a tumor. although i do really desperartly need to rehome them, i dont want to give them to a bad home,

things that make me think she doesnt want to feed them to snakes is she was asking about the size of cages and about how long the rats had the tumour etc.. which if it was going to a snake wouldnt really matter. but still im worried!!! anyone have any opinions on this. x*x

Answer 1

offer them to an animal rescue centre first, many people want rats for pets especially if they are already tame, don't take the risk (rat lover)

Answer 2

An adoption fee would be best, anyone who would care properly for rats would be more than willing to pay this - especially if you said that it would be donated to an animal charity!

Are you giving the cages away too?

Personally, I wouldn't adopt a rat with a tumour, I'd rather pass it on to someone who would have alot more knowledge of how to deal with it.

Ask if she belongs to the Rat club, or if she's a breeder. If she lives near you, ask if you could maybe see where she would like to keep the rats, find out if she has any other pets.

It does sound quite iffy if you ask me, ask a lot of questions to be sure. If she seems put off at all by this, then she's probably not interested in the welfare of the rats.

Answer 3

How old is she. If she is a grown woman, ask her the purpose of the rats at her home, she will probably tell you the truth, if she is young, as in still living with parents, ask to speak to one of them to get a real answer.

If your still not sure, tell her on the phone you don't mind if she uses them to feed snakes. tell her you had one, but it died a few days ago, and now these rats are spare. she'll soon confess if she is. :). if she says no definatly not to feed snakes, laugh and say just testing you.

Answer 4

its a sad fact that some people take them because they only want the cages, and she DOES seem interested in the cages my gut instinct is Suspicious

Answer 5

I would suggest adding a cost to the rats to avoid people calling who might just want you rats as free food to snakes.

You could try quizzing her on rat knowledge or what she plans to do regarding your rats.

Another option is to give your rats to a local humane society if you can't find any acceptable owners.

I know it sucks having to find a home for your rats without knowing much about the person.  I wish you luck!

Hope that helps!

Answer 6

The best way to ensure that they aren't fed to snakes is NOT to adopt them out free. You should adopt them out with a fee. Adopt them out at a higher price than the pet stores around you are selling feeders.

Be careful that she isn't planning to breed the rats. You might want to adopt out only one gender to her.

You should ask if you could see her home rat set up as well.

Answer 7

An adoption fee is a good idea. That usually weeds out people who want them for snake food, because they can find rats cheaper elsewhere.

This person sounds quite suspicious to me. Someone who's just willing to take them all, without knowing there were others, seems fishy. Especially if she is someone who doesn't seem to know a lot about rats (I'm guessing she didn't because she was asking you for help about cages). I would ask her a lot of questions and charge her an adoption fee. Or at least just TELL her you're going to charge an adoption fee, and see whether she's willing to pay it or not.

If you feel weird about it, just don't do it. She may want them for dishonorable purposes, and she may not.. but if you aren't sure and don't feel good about it just wait for someone else.  

Answer 8

Ask her if she has other pets, because your rats are nervous around other animals.

Ask if you could see the cage she wants to keep them in. Tell her that she needs to have a completely set up cage before they can go with her. Ask her to bring a picture or go and see the cage for yourself. No one would spend a ton of money to house an animal if they want to feed it to a snake. If her cage is nice and has everything it needs then you can be sure that she wants them as pets.

You may want to ask if she's had rats before.

She could be taking all 6 rats for breeding purposes.... I would only let her take rats of the same gender.

Answer 9

See if you have a local rattery/rescue that will help adopt the rats out to QUALITY homes.

If your gut dislikes this person, go with your gut.

Are you charging for the rats & their cages? If not, I would suggest charging a small fee because most people hunting for feeders won't pay much for them.

I would be concerned about the idea of her wanting to turn your rats into breeding stock, though.

P.S. A tumor isn't an ''unadoptable'' trait, in my opinion.

Answer 10

dont soubd write to me i wouldnt want a rat wwith tumor not being rude she could be a breeder which is y she wants them so bad up to u wever to trust it

Answer 11

It sounds odd, i know i wouldnt take a rat with a tumour...

Perhaps ask her alot of questions and then slip in "do you have any other pets? or do you own a petshop?" or something like that....

Answer 12

im glad you stuck to your guns and found decent homes for them but don't ask for money for them as i am sure a good home that will give them the love and attention that you have bestowed on them is worth more than any amount of money good luck