Where To Take Unwanted Pet Rats?

Fancy rats make beautiful and adorable pets. Pet rat owners love to play around and watch their cute little furry friends being smart and curious, exploring everything around them. However, It is not always possible for pet rat owners to house and take the best healthcare of these little fur babies. In such scenarios, we have to let them go. But, this certainly does not mean that you have to leave them into the wild.

So, now if you ask me where exactly you can take your unwanted pet rats, the answer will be: You can take them to animal rescue homes and healthcare centers. Most of them are always willing to accept fancy pet rats from parents who can not take any further care of their pet babies. Besides, you can also look for people who are willing to adopt and take care of new pets. But in both cases what you must do is to verify the genuineness of their will.

No matter how much we love our pets and make them a part of our family, situations get tough sometimes. Pet parenting comes with its own set of drawbacks as well. In this article, we will discuss the hard topic of where to take unwanted pet rats. I encourage you to have a good read to do the best you can for your unwanted pet rat. 

Take Your Unwanted Pet Rats HERE

Fancy pet rats belong to the rodent group of species. They are wild and have sensitive respiratory systems. Rats are also highly prone to tumors and other chronic diseases. 

In such situations, we pause and try to decide for our pet babies. Surgeries and health care processes are often expensive. Not all pet parents can afford such healthcare details for their pets. 

This is right where we need to make the hard decision of letting go of the unwanted rats. Letting go of our beloved pets is always difficult and emotional. But, with our help only, these beautiful rats can find healthy homes.

If you have an unwanted pet rat, start by doing your research work. Go online to find licensed animal rescue homes, healthcare shelters, or a friend who loves rats and can afford the much-needed healthcare. These places have their doors open to all animals and their pet parents who need help. 

However, if you have an unwanted rat, it is my earnest request to not leave him into the wild. Your pet rat deserves every ounce of a beautiful life. Leaving them freely into the wild, when they are sick, is a cruel act on our part. 

Instead, dropping our unwanted pet rats to a proper healthcare center will help save their lives. It is always better to remember how our choices as pet parents affect these pet rats’ lives!

Surrendering Your Pet Rat 

With rising animal rights activists and the age of the internet, people are more aware and awake to animal care. There are buzzing animal rescue centers and humane homes that are awaiting your unwanted pets.

No matter how difficult it is emotionally for you to surrender your pet rat to anyone, but that is the best decision you can make for them when things are out of your control. 

Healthcare centers and rescue homes work with a dedicated commitment to ensuring the best pet rat care possible. If you have made the decision already to surrender your pet rat, here is the guidance you may follow.

• Take a Pet Surrender Appointment: Visit the online website of the licensed animal rescue home to whom you want to surrender your pet rat. Find the helpline number or email id. You may have a direct conversation with the authorities or drop an email mentioning your concerns and the whereabouts of your pet friend. 

• Know What to Write and Bring at the Appointment: Most rescue homes will ask you to fill up a detailed form to learn and understand all details about your unwanted pet rat. As a pet rat parent, you need to provide valid Government ID Proof ( driving license), pet rat’s past healthcare records, and details. 

Some rescue homes also request a fee required to re-home the surrendered pets. However, the fee is always appreciated and not expected or forced.

• What to Expect on the Appointment: With a heavy heart on the D- day when it’s time for your pet rat to go, we are still left with a few more formalities. The rescue homes often check the health and evaluate the behavioral patterns of your little pet friend. 

Once the basic health and behavior check is done, it is time for a parent meeting with you. Rescue homes always consider the kind of care a pet rat parent wants for their fur babies. It helps them act accordingly and find the right loving and caring home or take the necessary healthcare steps for your rat. 

We understand how difficult situations make us take difficult decisions. But, when surrendering your rat, make sure to evaluate all about the shelter homes. Otherwise, you may rest assured that your fur baby will find the best home he/she deserves. 

Reasons To Consider Surrendering A Pet Rat

It is not necessary to surrender your pet rat friend with a heavy heart only. If you have the purest intentions for your rat, let them go with a happy heart. 

A pet rat parent may surrender their rat in situations like:

• Shifting home, states, or country:  Whether you have a transferable work life or a family member has one, your pets are not always ready for the shift. If you are an animal lover and own a pet rat, shifting houses, states, or your country will make you surrender your pets. 

Small pet rats are highly sensitive and events like deep cleaning their space or shifting them frequently create their stress. It is better to surrender your pet to a rescue shelter before your departure. Your pet friend deserves a stable loving family now. 

• Natural behavioral problem: Many pet rat owners stay in joint families and not all members have the same taste when it comes to adopting a pet in the family home. Fancy pet rats tend to mark territories by urinating and droppings. This process is not acceptable to everyone we share our home with.

The decision-making is tough, but it is better to surrender your rat to a rescue house or to any other friend who has the preferable rat-friendly housing and family members.

• When a pet parent can not afford the healthcare bills anymore: The fragile and soft bodies of rats are prone to diseases like respiratory issues, tumors, and other chronic illnesses. The cost of healthcare checkups or surgeries can be expensive.

Not every pet parent can bear such expenses and meet all health needs timely. In such cases, it is always responsive and appreciated to surrender a pet rat to the right place.

• Due to any domestic reasons: Reasons like domestic violence, senior citizen members, small living space, tight working schedule, absence of a caretaker, etc results in surrendering rats by their parents. 

Rats may be small and seemingly require less care, but the situation is the opposite in reality. Rats love human companionship and undivided attention, otherwise, they suffer from stress.

• If you have multiple rats already: If you already own multiple pets or have more than one rat in your house or if your rat cage is already full of rats, you can choose to surrender one or more pet rats to a licensed pet adaptation center. 

However, remember no matter how difficult your situation is, do not try to get rid of a pet rat by leaving him/her in the wild. This falls under animal cruelty and may cost them their lives!

Our pets deserve every ounce of healthy living home and we shall make efforts to send them to the right place before saying goodbye.

Finding New Home For Pet Rats

Many families find themselves caught up in a tough situation. These are times when they decide to put up the beloved pet for adoption. If you are someone who is also in search of a beautiful loving new home for your little friend, read on for an easy start.

You may start by clicking an adorable picture of your pet rat. Post it on social media with a caption that says about adoption. Social media is a great means to reach out to pet lovers these days. 

If your situation is urgent and your pet rat needs a home on short notice, it is better to reach out to foster parents. In the meantime, you put solid efforts to find them a loving home, foster parents can take care of your beloved pet friend. 

If The situation is still difficult to find your super cute pet-loving home, it’s time to reach and surrender your pet to a rescue center. [Animal Humane Society]

To help you in the adoption process and search for a new home, here are some tips:

• Start Early: If you already know about any upcoming situation that will make you let go of your pet rat, start early by searching for a new home. Rehoming a pet takes a lot of time, sometimes weeks or months. It is always wise to start your home searching early to make things work before D-day.

• Neuter Your Pet Rat: Neutering a pet rat will reduce their habit of frequent territorial marking. Overaggressive behaviors, creating frequent puddles, spraying urination all over items reduces when you neuter your pet rat. This will make it easy for new families to adopt your pet rat more easily. 

• Be Vocal About Your Decision: Once you decide to surrender your unwanted pet rat, be vocal about your decision with friends, family, and neighbors. This will help you have a wide reach and may also ease the adoption process with someone from a known circle approach. You will also rest assured that your pets are going to be in safe homes.

• Use Social Media: Share pictures of your unwanted rats on social media and write about why you want to give them away. Make sure to tell a beautiful and adorable story to help a viewer adopt them at once. Social media has undoubtedly made life easier for both us and our pets.

• Talk about Your WHY: Many families often do not want to adopt an ‘unwanted pet rat’. Many feel that there must be something wrong with the rat, so the owner is giving it away! Speaking clearly and honestly about why you are giving your rat/ rats away will bust any doubt that possible adopters may have. 

Acting on these above-mentioned necessary steps will definitely help your pet to have a new home quickly. No pet is ever unwanted; Rats are no exception to this! These curious pets deserve unconditional love and happiness too. 

Help them with the best you can and trust the process. Your purest intentions will bring them the hope, love, healthcare they deserve. Happy Pet Surrendering!