Pet Rats in Limerick?

soulphish

Hi,

Where can I get baby Rats in Limerick? I have been trying to search online, but I'm only coming up with 4 or 5 year old results.

I would prefer to get 2 or 3 baby female rats, but at the same time, I know I can't be picky. Haha.

Does anyone have any ideas?

boomerang

There is a very good rat rescue in Dublin - that's where I've just adopted my three rats from.

There is also a very good breeder in Cork.

Whatever you do, don't buy them from a pet shop in Limerick or from a classfied ad. You'd be supporting a horrible business and the likelihood is they would be inbred and more prone to the diseases that commonly affect rats.

soulphish

Ya, I seem to only be able to find Dublin or Cork. And with no car, that is a small bit of an issue.

I saw rats in a pet store, but the cage is not suitable for them at all. They would defiantly be very sick, very quickly. I want a pet for as long as possible - with as little Vet bills as possible. I wouldn't be going to a pet store.

It is a shame rats are not more popular, this would be easier then. There would be competition out there, and one factor to competition is how well they are looked after pre-buy.

Looks like I have to organize a lift to/from Dublin or Cork so.

baby and crumble

There are a few rat/rodent rescue places on FB (if you want to PM me I can give you links) and while they're mostly in Dublin they'll know of breeders/ places in your area that might be able to sort you out. TBH you might be as well to take the trip up for good, well socialised and healthy rats that need a home.

soulphish

Ya, if you could send me the links, I would appreciate it! Even if it is only to ask where I can find breeders. But at the same time, rescuing a rat would be nice too. Harder for us, but a nicer life for them.

baby and crumble

soulphish wrote: »

Ya, if you could send me the links, I would appreciate it! Even if it is only to ask where I can find breeders. But at the same time, rescuing a rat would be nice too. Harder for us, but a nicer life for them.

YOu'd be surprised, a lot of the rescues will work hard socialising their rats before rehoming. I'll send you some of the links that I know.

soulphish

Oh it wasn't the socialising aspect I was thinking about, it was the possible heath defects that could have been picked up depending on what/where they were rescued from.

Thanks a lot!

boomerang

The rescue I adopted my three rats from were very helpful and sometimes transport can be arranged.

You will also sometimes find rats looking for new homes on the Irish Rat Club forum. I think giving a rat a new home is better than going to a store, for sure.

I got a train from Limerick to Dublin to collect my boys.

Before that, I had two female rats from a local rescue group in Limerick.

soulphish

Thanks guys! Both your PMs are helpful! I'm pretty sure I'm going to rescue now. Once the missus agrees with the decision, we will get the cage and then start our rat family!

Thanks!

baby and crumble

soulphish wrote: »

Thanks guys! Both your PMs are helpful! I'm pretty sure I'm going to rescue now. Once the missus agrees with the decision, we will get the cage and then start our rat family!

Thanks!

With regards to the cage- talk to the rescue places for cage recommendations. Rats need a lot of space from what I have researched, and if you are at all handy you could make something for a fraction of the price but with 3 times the space.

boomerang

Take your time deciding on what cage to buy and be prepared to buy online because the ones on sale in the petshops in Limerick are way too small and are over-priced. The cage will be your biggest outlay and there are pros and cons to the different brands and models. Your best friend for browsing for ideas, reviews and suggest cage set-ups is:

http://www.fancyratsforum.co.uk/

Don't limit yourself to looking at rat cages - many chinchilla, rabbit and ferret cages/homes are well suited depending on the bar spacing and maybe more spacious than a lot of cages specifically marketed for rats.

I got my cage from Zooplus.ie

soulphish

I saw one on zooplus.ie that we were considering getting.

http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/rodents/cages/rat_cage/137455

It looks great, doesn't have wire platforms, loads of room to run around, and hang ropes, and hammocks, etc.

It also looks like; If i felt particularly rich one day, I could buy another one, and stick them on top of each other! Haha.

boomerang

Those wooden shelves and ramps would be a nightmare with the ratty pee, particularly if you get boys, but I think some people get around that by laminating the wood somehow - saw that somewhere on the fancy rats forum.

baby and crumble

boomerang wrote: »

Those wooden shelves and ramps would be a nightmare with the ratty pee, particularly if you get boys, but I think some people get around that by laminating the wood somehow - saw that somewhere on the fancy rats forum.

You can paint wood with Plastikote (get it in woodies, etc.). Piles of colours, seals the wood and makes it wipeable and it's non toxic and rodent safe. Comes in around €8/9 a can. You would probably need 2-3 cans for all the shelves. It's great stuff.

Two Tone from Limehouse

baby and crumble wrote: »

You can paint wood with Plastikote (get it in woodies, etc.). Piles of colours, seals the wood and makes it wipeable and it's non toxic and rodent safe. Comes in around €8/9 a can. You would probably need 2-3 cans for all the shelves. It's great stuff.

I'm not being argumentative, but am intrigued as to what is attractive about rats? I absolutely hate them, and I'm nit trying to cause offence here

soulphish

boomerang wrote: »

Those wooden shelves and ramps would be a nightmare with the ratty pee, particularly if you get boys, but I think some people get around that by laminating the wood somehow - saw that somewhere on the fancy rats forum.

I didn't even notice that the ramps were wooden. It seems a little redundant to have them wooden!

baby and crumble wrote: »

You can paint wood with Plastikote (get it in woodies, etc.). Piles of colours, seals the wood and makes it wipeable and it's non toxic and rodent safe. Comes in around €8/9 a can. You would probably need 2-3 cans for all the shelves. It's great stuff.

Ya, I'd say I might do that. So I need to set aside another €25 for paint. Haha. This is adding up. Haha!

Two Tone from Limehouse wrote: »

I'm not being argumentative, but am intrigued as to what is attractive about rats? I absolutely hate them, and I'm nit trying to cause offence here

Rats are one of the cleanest animals around, one of the most loyal, and great fun to play with! I'm only speaking from research and a friends Rat. But there seems to be plenty of evidence for it! I don't get why people don't like rats? Most people would have hamsters, or similar. But wouldn't get a rat?

baby and crumble

Two Tone from Limehouse wrote: »

I'm not being argumentative, but am intrigued as to what is attractive about rats? I absolutely hate them, and I'm nit trying to cause offence here

There's lots of reasons. I don't actually have a rat myself ( I have a hamster) but I'm a big rodent fan in general.

People forget that the rats that you would see in your garden, for example, are really different from the rats you get as pets (known as Fancy Rats). They look similar but that's about it. fancy rats are very intelligent- like a dog, they can be trained to fetch, do tricks, come to their name etc. they are very affectionate with each other and their owners that they bond with. The big thing that puts people off rats seems to be the tail. Other than that they'd just look like big hamsters!

Many people don't see the appeal of certain pets- I guess it all boils down to personal preference. But I know if I had the space I'd jump at the chance to have a group of rats, and if I had enough room I'd have guinea pigs, chinchillas, rabbits, degus... Guess I'm just a rodent girl!!!

ShaShaBear

Two Tone from Limehouse wrote: »

I'm not being argumentative, but am intrigued as to what is attractive about rats? I absolutely hate them, and I'm nit trying to cause offence here

I am

I think my two girls are quite attractive, despite the unfortunate red eyes. They also come when called, and will "Give mammy a kiss" on command. They love snuggles, adore playing.

I would honestly say to anyone who would love a dog but don't think they have the space or time - get two rats. They are so intelligent, sociable, take up much less space, and are quite content to snuggle up for a nap in the hood of your jumper while you chill for an hour. They need much, much less food than a dog, their diet can be drastically improved by things you have lying around in the house, toys are simple as a toilet roll holder stuffed with shredded paper and half a Weetabic :rolleyes: Their lifespan is another plus, but also a negative. They usually only live around three years. Again, great for someone not willing to make an 18 year commitment to a cat or dog, but who wants all the intelligence, alertness and compassion that comes with such an animal!


OP, I managed to make a 5.5 foot tall cage with €75, if you need some more advice :P

baby and crumble

^^ that middle pic... I die.

Gorgeous!!!

teddyteddy

id like to see some fotos of these pet rats please x

Outkast_IRE

The only thing that puts me off rats is the short lifespan.

I have guinea pig currently that's 5 years old and still as active and fun as ever.

ShaShaBear

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

The only thing that puts me off rats is the short lifespan.

I have guinea pig currently that's 5 years old and still as active and fun as ever.

It definitely has made me rethink getting more when my two girls pass - they're almost 2 years old, and I'm dreading watching them deteriorate over the next year.

soulphish

ShaShaBear wrote: »

OP, I managed to make a 5.5 foot tall cage with €75, if you need some more advice :P

Yes, please! That would be awesome! I would love to see a picture of the cage too! Sounds impressive! Your rats are lovely too, by the way.

baby and crumble wrote: »

...and if you are at all handy you could make something for a fraction of the price but with 3 times the space.

Do you have any tips too?

teddyteddy wrote: »

id like to see some fotos of these pet rats please x

Here here!

baby and crumble

soulphish wrote: »

Do you have any tips too?

Well I actually had a thread here about how we made our hamster cage. We hacked an Ikea study desk. It was great fun, and now Isabella has a lovely big palace with loads of room.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=78918486

You can see I left the wood pretty much untreated, but we'd had Isabella for a while at the stage of making this, and we knew she didn't pee anywhere except in her toilet, and she wasn't a gnawer unless there was food involved. :rolleyes: But I'd probably paint them with plastikote if i was doing it again.

I did have an idea for a cage for rats, which involved a bookcase that was open at the back and sides, like this one



which would entail wrapping it in wire mesh, keeping it nice and open for ventilation, and then making ramps/ stairs from shelf to shelf.

Search for diy cages, and hacked ikea cages, you'll get loads of tutorials and ideas. I'd rather have a cage that maybe doesn't look that 'slick' but have more money for toys etc to keep the rats happy.

soulphish

Thats a great idea! How much did it cost you in total? The ikea desk, and wire is all you needed, was it? And a spare bit of wood?

baby and crumble

soulphish wrote: »

Thats a great idea! How much did it cost you in total? The ikea desk, and wire is all you needed, was it? And a spare bit of wood?

I think I give a breakdown of the cost toward the end of the thread. The desk we had, but tbh that particular one wouldn't be big enough for rats. If you're getting wire mesh make sure to get it in an independent hardware place, b&q were like 5 times the price!

soulphish

I think we are going to go with a store bought cage for now. I know expensive, but there are some rats available now, so I don't have time to make it myself really.

But that is definitely a plan for the future!

Thanks!

soulphish

Just an update guys, We have paid for our rats, and are just waiting for the cage to be delivered, so we can collect them. We are getting three girls. All rescued from <snip>. Can't wait to collect them!

baby and crumble

soulphish wrote: »

Just an update guys, We have paid for our rats, and are just waiting for the cage to be delivered, so we can collect them. We are getting three girls. All rescued from <snip>. Can't wait to collect them!

Oh I was going to ask when I saw an update on beas page that 3 of the girls were off the limerick!!

We need more rodents in here- pics!!!!

soulphish

I only have the one picture of them, that Síofra from Bea's supplied. It is the three black rats in the picture.

3muskateers.jpg

We are also creating a free-range area for them with plywood. But not just boring wood coloured plywood, we are painting them before the girls arrive, so they will have a bit of excitement surrounding them while they play. This is us starting. We only have 2 done so far. And have 4 boards in total at the moment. They will be held together with cable ties then, so they can be folded away easily too. I'll do a full thread on that when I'm finished. Heres a sneak peak pic though:

2013-08-22 23.01.29.jpg

DBB

Hi all,
Whilst I in no way want to stifle talk of rats in the forum, because we love to see lots of different beasties being discussed, just be aware that links to, or naming individual rescue groups is not allowed on the forum. No problem exchanging such info by PM, just not on thread
Looking forward to seeing pics of the ladies when you get them OP!
Thanks,
DBB