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Anonymous
/an/, do you think Craigslist is a reliable place to get pets?

I'm looking to get some rats, and I heard how some people have done that via CL, and I found a posting for baby rats that the owners had accidently gotten, so I was thinking of looking into that.

Before I email this guy, I was wondering if there was any specific age rats should be before being taken home.

Also, are there any directories for local rat sellers? I've been trying to google them but I've been having bad luck, just get dead links or people who sell hamsters instead.

Thanks!
>> Anonymous
Also (OP again), should I ask the person anything in particular about the rats other than their age and for pictures? Breeding, sexes, etc?
>> Anonymous
Find a professional forum. Never trust 4chan for advice.
>> Anonymous
Got one of my rabbits there, so can't complain. I was lucky, I guess, he is the sweetest little demon. Dunno about rats, but I'd suggest a reputable breeder. Or shelter.
>> Anonymous
Craigslist just connects people, there is no guarantee. I got my boys on Craigslist and they're the sweetest guys ever. I checked all the pet ads in neighboring cities for days to find babies that seemed nice. They were an "oops" litter raised by a loving home and handled everyday since birth. I'm sure you could get horrible rats from Craigslist too. "Accidently gotten" sounds suspicious imo. Try to find out if the owner knows shit about rats, if the rats are well socialized, if daddy rat was a horrible biter, etc.
>> Anonymous
>>324721
clarification
>I checked all the pet ads in neighboring cities
I checked the pet sections of craigslist of neighboring cities

P.S. 4 weeks is the minimum age they can be taken from the litter.
>> Anonymous
OP here.
>>324721
Well here's the ad:

"PLEASE HELP!! I need homes for over a dozen baby rats. Thought I bought two females, wound up with a male and female now I have babies. NO NO I do not want them to go
as feeders Pets only!!!!!!!!!"

I know 90% of people on craiglist can't type worth a damn, but it still turns me off. And I liked how they specified wanting them to go as pets and not feeders, but you would think they should've been able to tell a male rat from a female.
>> Anonymous
>>324730
They sound sincere enough...it wouldn't hurt to drop them a line. Ask how long the owner has had the parents, the age of the babies, the sex of the babies, and of course for pictures. Worst comes to worst, the owner doesn't know jack shit about anything and you simply try to find another place to get some rats.
>> Anonymous
>>324730
It's not uncommon at all for pet female rats to go home knocked up, so it sounds legit to me.
>> Anonymous
>>324730
Actually, this almost happened to me. My first rat was about 4-5 weeks old when I got him, and the person at the pet shop said it was a female. I had him for about two weeks before his balls dropped and I had to change his name. He was my only rat at the time, but if I'd had another female I would have probably ended up with babies.

I've gotten rats from all kinds of places... shelters, newspaper ads, pet stores, breeders. No matter where you get them, you need to meet the rats, hold them, see if they look healthy and alert. That's all you need to know.
>> Anonymous
OP here, I went ahead and sent them an email. Hope it goes through, I've been trying to find a pair of rats for the longest time, but the local pet stores either have blatantly sick rats or none at all. (Even Petsmart has one lone rat.) Thanks for your help guys.
>> Anonymous
I got two of my rats from craigslist. :) I don't think you have to worry as much about rats from there as bigger animals. When you go to visit/pickup the rodents, do an examination on them. Listen to their lungs, look for red around their eyes/nose, see if you can notice any mites in their fur (may be hard so don't worry too much. Parasites arn't too hard to get rid of) Also, pay attention to alertness and friendliness toward you. You want a rat that's been well handled and healthy after all. (although, rats that haven't been handled well can still learn to trust you with patience)
>> Anonymous
>>324730
>>324826
It sounds fine. It's a good sign that they refuse to lend them as feeders. All rats need is a little love.
>> Anonymous
i got my girls from a pet store. of course, they probably came from a rat mill but they're the sweetest little rats i've ever met. if you're gonna get a rat, go and meet them before you decide you want em, so you can determine for yourself if they're the right rat for you or if the person selling the rats lied about the temperment of the rat. i handled every rat in the store before i chose my girls. if i could have, though, i would have gotten rats from a reputable breeder, but there's none in my area. rat mills suck. ):
>> Anonymous
>>324911
OP here, yeah there are no breeders around here either, which is why I've been lurking craigs list in hope of seeing some rats pop up. I did find a shelter relatively close but they've yet to get back to me about my inquiry.

Thanks for the reassurances guys. :)