1,000 rescued rats up for adoption in California

[Liberal_in_LA]

1,000 rescued rats up for adoption in California

Associated Press November 22, 2010 --

About a thousand rats are awaiting adoption in California after being rescued from a house featured on the A&E reality TV show "Hoarders."

The Humane Society trucked the rodents over the weekend from Los Angeles to San Jose, where more than 30 volunteers and nonprofit staff helped move the rats into Andy's Pet Shop in San Jose, which agreed to temporarily house them.

Lauren Paul of the nonprofit North Star Rescue told the San Jose Mercury News that the previous owner's daughter had brought home a pregnant rat one day and the litter began multiplying quickly.

The man's neighbors called "Hoarders" producers after the rats began tearing apart the house.

Paul says she hopes rat lovers will come forward and give them a new home.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/11/22/national/a162725S01.DTL#ixzz16FreYhVv

[OrwellwasRight]

1. good luck with that.

they are kinda cute though

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. That's a super cute picture

[beyurslf]

2. I have discovered that I am a pet snob. Dogs are the only animals i truly consider acceptable pets.

Fish are more like decorations. Cats can be ok, if you must, but they always look like they are waiting on the owner to keel over so they can feast on the corpse.
Everything else, just sounds like a nasty rodent to me. Vermin aren't pets.
So, yeah, i think I am a snob. :)

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. Cats are marvelous pets. More like equal companions than the slobbering slaves dogs are

[beyurslf]

11. I knew a cat llover would see that! my son has a cat and it is banned from my living room and my

parts of the house. I always tell him that she looks like she wnats to eat us.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

18. She only wants to eat you because she is aware of hostile attitudes.

Cats are amazingly giving creatures. It's a very immediately karmic relationship with a cat.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Well I am a pet, to my two conures

they literally run the roost!

And you will find this funny, our cockatiel, he used to walk on a neighbor's pug back. The dog loved it.

[david13]

14. Fish are not decorations. They are food. Not pets. dc

[HCE SuiGeneris]

19. !

They are food... :rofl:

[HarveyDarkey]

21. Or bait

for other (bigger) fish.

[Starry Messenger]

6. Rats are sweet pets.

I'm tempted to adopt a pair of male cuties, would have to sneak them past the landlord though...females have lots of energy, the males are laid back like house cats. They like to lay around and get skritches. They can learn their names, come when you call them and can also be litter trained.

[hlthe2b]

7. I raised two white rats for a science project when I was little

My often "gruff" father ended up falling in love with these little creatures, which I had set up in their cages in a room in the basement. My Dad would talk to them and loved watching them... Go figure!

Guess they can be lovable in their own little way. Me? I'm pretty much a doggy person and cats can be cool, but hey, I love all animals.

I am betting they will have quite a few snake owners lining up to "adopt", though. :shrug:

[AnneD]

12. I had one that I raised for a science project.....

Sweetest pet I ever had, and she changed my opinion of rats. Her fav place to sleep, hide was in my bra between the cups. One day, I forgot that I had let her out and she played with me and then went to sleep in her spot. I went to the grocery store with Mom. All was well until we were at the checkout and Rachel the rat woke up and decided to peek out from the buttons of my blouse. The check out girl let out a scream. and Rachel couldn't figure out what all the fuss was over.

Rats get a bad wrap and they really are very smart. They have many of the same psychological traits as humans. I do hope the find a home.

[LibertyLover]

8. I wonder if they would send one or two by air -

I have 4 female rats as pets and they are wonderful. I would love to be able to give a forever home to one or two of these poor rats.

[ScarletFyre]

13. Same here...

I have 3 girls, and room for 2-3 more.

[bobbolink]

9. How heartwarming.

Homeless people in California, however, are on their own.

:nuke:

[greytdemocrat]

15. Hey, they cook up nicely I'm told... n/t

[Dappleganger]

10. Our daughter has been begging for a rat...

I told her that she'd have to get rid of her hedgie and beardie first. Don't think that's gonna happen anytime soon.

[KittyWampus]

16. I have a friend Water Rat in the local pond. Got the critter to eat from my hand!

I think he's charming but a lot of people who go to the pond think he's icky.

[SoCalDem]

17. Watch a herpetologist step forward to adopt them

:evilgrin:

[whistler162]

23. My thoughts exactly... my pet George would love

some to hug and squeeze!

[flvegan]

20. More on the story from HSUS

http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2010/11/rat_rescue_california_112110.html

[Starry Messenger]

22. Thank you flvegan.

Those little faces kill me. Oof!



Glad to see this statement: "North Star will be caring for the rats at Andy's Pet Shop until they are adopted out to new homes." Rat rescues are very careful about homing pets and these are not going to be snakefood. Fancy rats are companion animals. The rescues usually charge a bit of a fee that makes it not worth it to "buy" a rescue over going to the herp store for reptile fodder.