Adoption Policies
My Adoption Form can be found here
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TvXlb4URYxbs6I6QQJNHWDFh2p50aekxBIBEIPSD4M4/edit
My adoption contract and bill of sale can be found here
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14n6KRXTUk8QL6WesdFif1GqKJPsb5ZU4RZZsJQ-L2b8/edit
My goal is not to make people jump through hoops or feel like they are being interrogated. I just want to get a good feel for what you are looking for in a pet and what kindof life my babies will be given. I just want to weed out any red flags and only adopt out to those with the rats best interest at heart. I want serious forever homes.
My adoption process is very simple! I have an adoption form that can be found here
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TvXlb4URYxbs6I6QQJNHWDFh2p50aekxBIBEIPSD4M4/edit
NO contact info is ever shared with anyone. All info given will be kept private!
Once babies become available, ALL approved adopters will be informed and shown the rats that will be available. [Adopters must fill out the adoption form and message me directly to be approved]
General Policies:
All rats are only sold at or after 6 weeks of age or older.
All rats must be sold in same-sex pairs or larger groups. I do not sell single rats.
All adopters must be 18 years old or older or have a parent or guardian purchase from me on their behalf.
You must fill out an application and be approved before any rats will be sold to you.
You MUST agree to all of my terms before purchasing a rat from me. You must read, agree to and sign my Adoption Contract & Liability Waiver before purchasing a rat from me.
All rats are sold as pets only & under a no breeding contract unless you have my direct consent.
Waiting List & Communication
I do not keep a true wait list. Instead I keep a list of those who have been approved to buy from me & past adopters.
This list is NOT kept as an order of who gets rats when.
It is purely a list of those who have been approved to buy rats from me.
Being on the list ONLY means you are able to buy from me, it does not mean you will get rats from my current litter.
My rats are sold mostly* first come.
What this means is that when a litter of babies becomes available, they are all listed as available to everyone who has been approved.
It is first come for those who contact me first with their picks to reserve & then sign the contract & pay the deposit.
Being on the wait list does not mean you have to purchase any rats. It just means you have been approved. Feel free to wait for a specific litter/baby you are interested in!
Prices:
My prices are based on a variety of important reasons mostly on how established a line is, how difficult it is to breed or get, and for some the specific variety.
In general, my prices for rats are between $20-$60
Deposits-
I do require a 50% non-refundable deposit paid at the time of reservation
When do litters become available to reserve?
Babies will be available for reservation sometime between 5-7 weeks old.
Never before 5 weeks.
I will let everyone know when babies are available for reservation on my Facebook page.
Picking up your rats!
I am located in Streator IL 61364
Once the arrangements are made I will send you the info on my address.
I am fairly open with days/times so I am usually fine with working with whatever schedule works for you. I do ask that you try to give me a precise time (traffic depending) & text me if possible when you are on your way.
When you arrive I will meet you outside with the babies. I have a closed rattery, so I do not allow people to come inside. You will need to bring a suitable carrier/travel cage for your new rats. Babies are small 1/2" bar spacing or less.
If you are paying in cash please have exact change. I pretty much never have cash on me so I can not make change. You can pay ahead of time with paypal or facebook!
Holds
In general, once the rats become available to go to their new homes you have one week to pick them up. If you have paid in full I will hold them for two weeks if needed.
After that the sale will be canceled, the rats will return up for sale and you will forfeit your deposit.
If you need me to hold longer, generally I ask you just wait for a future litter. I may make exceptions but nothing is settled until it is confirmed specifically in writing by me. If so I will give you only one cancelation and pickup during that week of the chosen date only before I cancel the sale.
In cases of emergencies that happen that effect pick up I may make case by case exceptions but it is at my discretion.
It sucks to have to do that but sadly there are many flakey people out there and it is not fair to me or the animals to be yanked around or have my time wasted.
If you need to cancel/reschedule
I understand life happens and you may need to cancel. Please do so at the very least a day in advance.
If you do not show and do not inform at least 12 hours ahead of time that you need to cancel/reschedule, you may forfeit your rats and all fees already paid. I may also refuse to sell any rats to you in the future.
Basically just keep me in the loop, if you need to change days/time I am fine with that, just don't let me sit around waiting for you!
Sales/Health Guarantee
Returns/Refunds/Exchanges
Deposits are non-refundable.
All adopters are expected to quarantine their newly adopted rat(s) if they currently own rats.
Rats can & should always be returned to me (with no refund/exchange given). Anytime throughout their lives, I will always take them back for any reason.
Travel
I am sometimes able and willing to travel to deliver the babies, at least part way.
If you want me to deliver or meet you part way you need to make sure ahead of time that it is possible for me to do so, and have an open enough schedule to work with me. Generally, I will only be available to do so during the weekdays (often Monday-Wedsday). Weather is also an issue and I will not deliver when the weather is bad.
I must charge a gas fee for this as gas is expensive! I usually will only travel up to an hour away but I am open to discussing it.
I charge a flat rate fee of $25 for travel within an hour of me.
This is often lower than the business mileage fees that is suggested for travel. (Remember I have to make a round trip)
This fee must be paid upfront through paypal.
Again I would love to trust every single person but people do flake out or cancel last minute and that really is a burden when I had to rearrange my schedule, or am already on my way or there, because of this the fee is nonrefundable.
This travel fee is in addition to the price you pay for the rats.
Closed Rattery
YES I have a closed rattery, meaning I do not allow strangers to enter, check it out, meet my rats, etc...
NO- it does not mean I am "hiding" anything. I totally understand that to non-breeders, hearing "closed rattery" sounds suspicious. But it is really for the health and safety of the animals. It is very common for breeders to have a closed rattery and I can't even really imagine a breeder not having one. I do not know a single respected breeder that doesn't keep a closed rattery even.
I am very upfront and open about my rattery and my rats. I post tons of photos and videos showing my rattery, my rats and everything having to do with them. My rats are kept indoors (within my home).
This is my home though and I do not wish people coming and going. I also have alot of other pets. There is also a very real safety concern with letting stranger's into your home. It is much safer for both of us to meet in an open area, in this case outside my home.
The most important reason though is that there is a real concern of the spread of illness. Many people have lost entire colonies of rats and litters from outside people visiting. Outside illnesses are easily spread and even carried on people and clothing. If my rats got sick it would not only be tragic & heartbreaking to deal with, it would also mean expensive vet bills, shutting down all adoptions and possibly even ending lines. I'm not risking my rattery. There is a reason we quarantine our animals. It is just not worth the risk.
Sometimes people have concerns over not being able to pick out their rat or choose the friendliest rat. You can truly rest assured. All of my babies have the best friendliest temperaments. I am not going to sell a rat that is not perfectly friendly. The other issue is that you are getting babies and they still have a lifetime of growing up and developing their personalities. I am more than happy to give you info on each baby, little quirks or so. But honestly they are likely to grow and change on their way to becoming adults.
My Adoption Form can be found here
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TvXlb4URYxbs6I6QQJNHWDFh2p50aekxBIBEIPSD4M4/edit
My adoption contract and bill of sale can be found here
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14n6KRXTUk8QL6WesdFif1GqKJPsb5ZU4RZZsJQ-L2b8/edit
My goal is not to make people jump through hoops or feel like they are being interrogated. I just want to get a good feel for what you are looking for in a pet and what kindof life my babies will be given. I just want to weed out any red flags and only adopt out to those with the rats best interest at heart. I want serious forever homes.
My adoption process is very simple! I have an adoption form that can be found here
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TvXlb4URYxbs6I6QQJNHWDFh2p50aekxBIBEIPSD4M4/edit
NO contact info is ever shared with anyone. All info given will be kept private!
Once babies become available, ALL approved adopters will be informed and shown the rats that will be available. [Adopters must fill out the adoption form and message me directly to be approved]
General Policies:
All rats are only sold at or after 6 weeks of age or older.
All rats must be sold in same-sex pairs or larger groups. I do not sell single rats.
All adopters must be 18 years old or older or have a parent or guardian purchase from me on their behalf.
You must fill out an application and be approved before any rats will be sold to you.
You MUST agree to all of my terms before purchasing a rat from me. You must read, agree to and sign my Adoption Contract & Liability Waiver before purchasing a rat from me.
All rats are sold as pets only & under a no breeding contract unless you have my direct consent.
Waiting List & Communication
I do not keep a true wait list. Instead I keep a list of those who have been approved to buy from me & past adopters.
This list is NOT kept as an order of who gets rats when.
It is purely a list of those who have been approved to buy rats from me.
Being on the list ONLY means you are able to buy from me, it does not mean you will get rats from my current litter.
My rats are sold mostly* first come.
What this means is that when a litter of babies becomes available, they are all listed as available to everyone who has been approved.
It is first come for those who contact me first with their picks to reserve & then sign the contract & pay the deposit.
Being on the wait list does not mean you have to purchase any rats. It just means you have been approved. Feel free to wait for a specific litter/baby you are interested in!
Prices:
My prices are based on a variety of important reasons mostly on how established a line is, how difficult it is to breed or get, and for some the specific variety.
In general, my prices for rats are between $20-$60
Deposits-
I do require a 50% non-refundable deposit paid at the time of reservation
When do litters become available to reserve?
Babies will be available for reservation sometime between 5-7 weeks old.
Never before 5 weeks.
I will let everyone know when babies are available for reservation on my Facebook page.
Picking up your rats!
I am located in Streator IL 61364
Once the arrangements are made I will send you the info on my address.
I am fairly open with days/times so I am usually fine with working with whatever schedule works for you. I do ask that you try to give me a precise time (traffic depending) & text me if possible when you are on your way.
When you arrive I will meet you outside with the babies. I have a closed rattery, so I do not allow people to come inside. You will need to bring a suitable carrier/travel cage for your new rats. Babies are small 1/2" bar spacing or less.
If you are paying in cash please have exact change. I pretty much never have cash on me so I can not make change. You can pay ahead of time with paypal or facebook!
Holds
In general, once the rats become available to go to their new homes you have one week to pick them up. If you have paid in full I will hold them for two weeks if needed.
After that the sale will be canceled, the rats will return up for sale and you will forfeit your deposit.
If you need me to hold longer, generally I ask you just wait for a future litter. I may make exceptions but nothing is settled until it is confirmed specifically in writing by me. If so I will give you only one cancelation and pickup during that week of the chosen date only before I cancel the sale.
In cases of emergencies that happen that effect pick up I may make case by case exceptions but it is at my discretion.
It sucks to have to do that but sadly there are many flakey people out there and it is not fair to me or the animals to be yanked around or have my time wasted.
If you need to cancel/reschedule
I understand life happens and you may need to cancel. Please do so at the very least a day in advance.
If you do not show and do not inform at least 12 hours ahead of time that you need to cancel/reschedule, you may forfeit your rats and all fees already paid. I may also refuse to sell any rats to you in the future.
Basically just keep me in the loop, if you need to change days/time I am fine with that, just don't let me sit around waiting for you!
Sales/Health Guarantee
Returns/Refunds/Exchanges
Deposits are non-refundable.
All adopters are expected to quarantine their newly adopted rat(s) if they currently own rats.
Rats can & should always be returned to me (with no refund/exchange given). Anytime throughout their lives, I will always take them back for any reason.
Travel
I am sometimes able and willing to travel to deliver the babies, at least part way.
If you want me to deliver or meet you part way you need to make sure ahead of time that it is possible for me to do so, and have an open enough schedule to work with me. Generally, I will only be available to do so during the weekdays (often Monday-Wedsday). Weather is also an issue and I will not deliver when the weather is bad.
I must charge a gas fee for this as gas is expensive! I usually will only travel up to an hour away but I am open to discussing it.
I charge a flat rate fee of $25 for travel within an hour of me.
This is often lower than the business mileage fees that is suggested for travel. (Remember I have to make a round trip)
This fee must be paid upfront through paypal.
Again I would love to trust every single person but people do flake out or cancel last minute and that really is a burden when I had to rearrange my schedule, or am already on my way or there, because of this the fee is nonrefundable.
This travel fee is in addition to the price you pay for the rats.
Closed Rattery
YES I have a closed rattery, meaning I do not allow strangers to enter, check it out, meet my rats, etc...
NO- it does not mean I am "hiding" anything. I totally understand that to non-breeders, hearing "closed rattery" sounds suspicious. But it is really for the health and safety of the animals. It is very common for breeders to have a closed rattery and I can't even really imagine a breeder not having one. I do not know a single respected breeder that doesn't keep a closed rattery even.
I am very upfront and open about my rattery and my rats. I post tons of photos and videos showing my rattery, my rats and everything having to do with them. My rats are kept indoors (within my home).
This is my home though and I do not wish people coming and going. I also have alot of other pets. There is also a very real safety concern with letting stranger's into your home. It is much safer for both of us to meet in an open area, in this case outside my home.
The most important reason though is that there is a real concern of the spread of illness. Many people have lost entire colonies of rats and litters from outside people visiting. Outside illnesses are easily spread and even carried on people and clothing. If my rats got sick it would not only be tragic & heartbreaking to deal with, it would also mean expensive vet bills, shutting down all adoptions and possibly even ending lines. I'm not risking my rattery. There is a reason we quarantine our animals. It is just not worth the risk.
Sometimes people have concerns over not being able to pick out their rat or choose the friendliest rat. You can truly rest assured. All of my babies have the best friendliest temperaments. I am not going to sell a rat that is not perfectly friendly. The other issue is that you are getting babies and they still have a lifetime of growing up and developing their personalities. I am more than happy to give you info on each baby, little quirks or so. But honestly they are likely to grow and change on their way to becoming adults.