Please read!~ should i do this?

[Colby and the Dwarfs]

I learned in my childhood here are right times to ask! And wrong times to ask, haha. Anyway, I hope you can rescue her!


I've never been inside a Petco that I can remember, is it that bad?

[Esmy]

There are horror stories about both major chains, but definitely moreso Petco. I always see sick birds, rodents and dead fish. Every Petco I've ever been to, and I've been to a lot. Some say Petsmart is worse. I've never seen anything bad at a Petsmart, but some are run better than others I guess.

I've been wanting to boycott Petco. Their prices are also awful. Petsmart is cheaper. But Petco is closest to me, so it's tough to not go there when I need stuff.

[Thrifty Hamster]

Actually I have a thread about buying from online shops (that don't include Petco or Petsmart!) that you might find interesting.

Tips for buying online only.

[Esmy]

Nice. I get my bedding (Boxo) at Thatpetplace.com I only go to local shops when I need something I don't/can't wait to be shipped or if it's a pet store exclusive or is cheaper than anywhere online (usually the exclusives).

[HollyHamster]

Thrifty, I would honestly not take in that female rat. You obviously care a lot, but its just not feasable for you. I don't want you to get in over your head with her because rats require a lot more care than a hamster.

They are highly social animals, so that female will need company, and then there is proper caging for multiple rats, which'll cost a lot of money. They need a cage roughly the size of a Critter Nation cage.

You'll have to buy food, and stuff, and then there will be the time needed to play with them and keep them mentally stimulated. Rats are highly intelligent and inquisitive animals and need daily stimulation or they will get bored and behave badly, i.e. act out.

Rats are a very big commitment and a commitment I don't think you are able to make. You barely convinced your parents to allow you to take in that mouse, and only if you didn't take it to the vet. A rat in the condition you've described will most likely have respiratory problems and need a vet to see it and prescribe it the medication it needs. How are you going to do that?

I know your heart is in the right place, but you can't save every critter in distress. That's just not feasible.

[Thrifty Hamster]

I understand your concerns and I talked it over with my mom and we decided against it.

But my mom did say that if somehow there was an animal that was bleeding or severely wounded like how my mouse was that one day she would end up taking it as an emergency situation which made me feel better about my mom's sense of judgement.

So, possibly I can take the mouse to the vet sooner or later I think she was just unconvinced to take him the second day we brought him home because she thought he was going to die right away and she didn't want him to die the night after we got him examined, thus wasting money.

Do you see where she's coming from? Because that happened with my hamster, Pudge and she didn't make it the next day after her exam and my mom felt like she wasted money. Though since we do get a discount because our other animals go to that vet maybe she'll be more convinced.

Who knows.

[racinghamster]

Thrifty, your heart is in the right place and nobody would question that because we have all been in similar situations where we see a lone mouse, gerbil, rat or hamster and can`t get them out of our heads because we walked into a store and saw their plight. It`s what these stores do to get a sale. They don`t really give a damn if this rat perishes. They know someone will walk in and want her regardless and they will get money for that suffering. It`s the store that need reporting and believe me, the head managers don`t know what`s going on half the time in their stores, so I would be researching who they are and writing a strongly worded letter to him or her to let them know you, as a customer, are appalled.

I`ve kept rats and I agree with the members who say they are more prone to health issues, especially respiratory and tumours. Both require a vets assistance and that won`t come cheap, as you know. Keeping rats can be a labour of love. So it`s a situation where you take the rat and give her a clean cage, nice food and attention. But if she got ill and required long term antibiotics, this can be costly and time consuming. So placing that focus on your wee mouse would be a better way forward as you did a great job getting him well. x