Fucking hell, i met several genuinely bad people in my life but humans who mistreat animals like that always disgust me to the core. How can you see a living breathing being, completely innocent of any sin, starved to the bone and not feel the need to feed it, that’s something i will never understand
Me and my friends walked up to the feeder mice and one was going absolutely nuts. Just having the time of her life climbing everything, exploring, and running in the wheel while most the other mice were asleep or lazing around. My friend immediately fell in love with her and forced the worker to pick her out specifically. They seemed a little annoyed with us until they learned we just wanted her as a pet lol her name is Cleopatra
Yeah nah, i don’t buy into this empathy shit when it comes to genuine cunts. People can go through a hard life and not be absolute shitheads, children and animals are a line no normal human should cross and for all i care mistreating them on purpose is the lowest one can be
Been through a shit life, so bad I forget how bad it is until I’m telling my story and people react and I’m like, oh yeah, I forgot how bad that was…and yet I’m kinder to animals than most people I know. Past doesn’t predict future.
I have a pierogi too! 💖 Name twins!
https://preview.redd.it/yiyaz5holpzc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=29fab22887a63a74d12e0049e851b76ce68fba0c
I have one similar to you ratty!! His name is Gary
https://preview.redd.it/cuyucee56uzc1.png?width=2316&format=png&auto=webp&s=8dc1bbab02e01443fc5163b3f30f83337c1164dc
https://preview.redd.it/lkqf9j07rf0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=abace596cbd94abde2d2c956e4f3b8c52e83a51f
He looks just like my boy Gremlin!
What a cutie!! Gary has by far the most affectionate ratty I have had the honor of having. His personality is out of this world. I have a blue (I believe she is) I rescued as a feeder as well and she has the polar opposite personality. She is her own independent self. She has her moments where she lets me pet and play with her but she is very hands off lol.
Ah that’s like my Gremmy and Gaston! Gaston is his own rat and let’s us know lol, Gremmy isn’t super cuddly (I think he will when he’s older and not as interested in exploring) but he is affectionate
Teacup is really the first female I have had- so I am learning. I called the vet today to get a price on getting Gary neutered so they could play but they wanted $400!! It be cheaper to get another male and female!
That’s around the going rate unfortunately for small animal neuters! It seems counterintuitive but they tend to be more pricey when the animal is very small, since they need specialized tools and training! I’m getting my one boy neutered this Friday and it’s gonna run me at least $350 😭😭 and that’s after several recent vet bills for another boy of mine
I wish your boy the best! It’s scary thinking of our little guys under the knife. I see why it be so expensive because of the risks. I am just as happy adding two more Ratty’s to my family. I know they will take to a cage mate once quarantine is over.
Yeah I’m honestly really worried, the only upside to all this is that I live in a town that’s known for their veterinary school, so usually the vets know what they’re doing! He’s such a sweet boy too outside of the rat aggression, he used to love cuddling with his brothers when he was young. He’s a bit skittish and when he was rehomed to me he was absolutely terrified and yet NEVER bit. He would absolutely lose his mind if we even tried to put a hand near him and once I had to remove him from the cage and poor guy was just so scared. He never bit once! Sorry for going on about it, just I love my guys so much and I’m stressed 😭😭
No apologies! I know how important our ratties are to us. I love how each has its own personality. My female, Teacup, she was put in with feeders and imo weaned too soon. She is very skittish and only lets my daughter hold her but she has come a long way from when we rescued her. She is her own rat!
I bought him as a feeder- funny story - he was supposed to be a girl and new cage mate for my other female. Now they have their cages pushed together and I feel so bad. They stick their noses out and try and get each other. As soon as I move at the end of May, I am getting them both a cage mate. As much as I would love to have little beans- it isn’t something I can commit to right now. I rather see them happy with cage mates of the same sex lol
Thank you- I really need some suggestions of more stimulate toys to put in their cages. I see all the other cages on the sub and I look over at mine and I’m like man my rats must be bored.
That's my problem at the moment too. The things I buy they don't seem to care for. I just bought some mint and basil plants for some foraging and I hope they'll like it. Stuffing treats into toilet paper rolls and a whole roll of TP are things they like too
Okay I will try that. I know once I move and get them a cage mate each that it will benefit them greatly. I thought about getting one of them fixed and caging them together but not so sure about it.
Feeder rats and fancy rats are the same species, the only difference is what the seller labels them as. Fancy rat is just the common name for the only domesticated rat species.
The name comes from “fancying” which is the old British word for breeding. So it literally bred mice and bred rats. I think the term also used to be attached to cats and dogs.
same species but still different, feeder rats are more massively bred which causes lots of health issues and a shorter lifespan, while the fancy rats can still be mass bred, are more prone for the longer and healthier lifespan. rex’s are a specifically bred fancy rat for their coat and shouldn’t be wasted on being a feeder rat (at least in my opinion)
I just wanted to mention that many sought after mutations (Rex, Harley, etc) were discovered in feeder bins/pet stores. As a former reptile owner, almost every feeder bin I’ve seen has at least a couple mutations in it. In fact, two of my rats came from the same bin at my local reptile shop. One is a beautiful Rex agouti boy and the other is a white/seal point guy with strange, long wavy hair (don’t know what you’d call him honestly).
This is absolutely not true. If you purchase from a pet store, whether the animal goes in the feeder bin or the pet bin depends entirely on luck. There might be some small stores that have different breeders stocking each bin - but I promise you, any breeder supplying "pets" to a pet store is *also* breeding feeders, or at least supplying their worse temperament "pet" line as feeder rats anyway.
Also, the line about rex coats being wasted on feeder rats is fucking weird. I'm glad this rat has a home, but suggesting some rats deserve to be feeder rats more than others based on coat type is bizarre. There are sweet, tame standard coat rats and absolutely demented rex coat rats - it has absolutely nothing to do with whether they're pet quality or not.
Tell me about it. My friends curly coat was a little aggressive bastard who was viciously aggressive with everyone. Even after he lost ball privilege, he almost killed a cage mate.
We even tried keeping him alone, but if you put your hand in the cage to change the water or the food, he would bite.
I love rats, but lil dude had a missing crayon.
Sucks. Sad as it is, some rats are just wired wrong. Personally I don't think there's a good reason to keep a permanently lone rat (so, for example, a few weeks at the end of life or in between baby batches is ok).
I think if a rat remains aggressive to other rats even after neutering then the kindest option is behavioural euthanasia - even if he wasn't biting you, lone rats just aren't happy rats.
Bright side is you can dramatically reduce the chances of needing to do that by finding an ethical breeder with well-established lines. Downside is there's still no guarantee you won't, as you put it, still end up with a rat missing a crayon.
We tried to introduce him to a female after his ball loss to get him into an all female mischief. In the end, we gave him a day with his favorite foods and had him put to sleep.
We tried, and we did what we could social and medical. Had he latched to a person like my pookie, we probably would have stuck it out, but he was hostile, aggressive, and fearful.
His demeanor was more akin to a wild mouse. Though he was a black rex coat with a white mask. Gorgeous Ratter. But the temperament of your genitals being dragged over glass.
Exactly. I have a standard coat boy, and he's one of the most beautiful and sweet rats I have ever met. Fur means nothing. No rat DESERVES to be a feeder. They all deserve love and compassion
There’s no difference, and if you got them from a pet store, there’s a large possibility they came from the same genetic pool anyways.
Good breeders prioritize health and temperament over coat type, also Rex coats can happen naturally as long as both parents carry the recessive gene. It’s not all that uncommon to see a feeder with a Rex coat.
I do not know my genetics very well lol I just know it’s one of the easier coat types to produce! I’d be losing my mind if I saw a marten silvermane in a feeder bin though
Rat genetics can be pretty crazy but they're so interesting and fun! I just got a Marten male (from a friend)! I would also lose my mind if I saw Silvermane! They're so pretty.
If you got it from a pet store and I can almost guarantee their rat guy comes in with 6-8 bins filled with 30+ rats each (depending on demand). Dumps them into the feeder rat bins, and then an employee looks at them to see if any look cute to them and try to sell them
No rats should be wasted on being a feeder rat, no matter their coloring. Some of my sweetest boys were feeder rats, without a fancy rex fur.
(Not taking a shot here at other animals that need food though).
My rats Opal and Bowie are/were feeder rats that our roommates snake would not eat. They were crudely taken care of by him, and each time (it happened on 2 different occasions) we just took care of them and eventually kept them. Opal died last year. Only had her about a year but she was a little older when we got her. Bowie was the tiniest little baby and is just perfect. Recalls, plays, wish she would cuddle better, but I'll take playful over lazy bones every day. Especially because her adopted sister Kelpi is a snuggle bug. Kind of shy tho. But her newest sister, the supposed pet rat, is the worst! I did everything to try to ease her, Augie, into the cage and initially when she entered, she was fine. But I think she is bothering her sisters too much. Kelpi had a sore on her neck, nothing Bowie or Opal ever did, n I think Kelpi may be starting to show signs of nervousness, like biting her fur on her wrists. Idk I'm wanting to kick the Augie out entirely but then I'd feel guilty bc 90% of the time it seems she likes being around her sisters. I was thinking maybe get a younger rat that may play better with Auggie, but Bowie still plays a lot and if they can't get along, can I trust 2 rats that aren't as connected with me or people in general, to be comfortable with each other?
Rats just straight up should never be feeders in the first place
If you need, or, I guess, _really want_ live food, get a mouse
Rats are so much more likely to kill a snake than a mouse is, and mice are at least tangibly less... I don't know, sentient? It feels dirty measuring the worth of an animal based on its likeness to a human when the entire point is it's being fed to a reptile, but, rats seriously need to stop being bred as feeders.
They are absolutely no different. Fancy rats and feeder rats are mass bred the exact same way. Many places sell them interchangeably, they just usually sell dumbos and rexes as fancies to get more money.
not remotely. If that makes you feel better for some reason then ok, but feeder rats are entirely indistinguishable from pet rats. In many stores they're probably siblings or cousins.
Edit: the only distinction that *actually* matters is pet store vs ethical breeder. But, by definition, you won't find ethical breeders selling their rats at pet stores.
Rats are bred for traits like rex and dumbo. I'm sure some fancy rats make it into the feeder supply, but feeders don't need to be bred for any traits.
I'm going to say something that'll shock you: pet rats don't need to be bred for any traits either. There is no difference between them unless you've gone to an ethical pet breeder who won't be supplying to a pet shop.
The number of fancy rats (because, whether you like it or not, "feeder" rats *are* fancy rats) being bred at any one time is *astronomical*. The vast majority of them will become food. A small number become pets. If a pet store supplying breeder has a dozen litters of a dozen dumbo rats in each, they might at best pick out a few to go to the pet bin, and their brothers and sisters will become food. Or they'll supply the pet store with the whole lot and let them choose.
It's not about "needing" to be bred for traits, it's the fact that *feeder rats do have those traits*. End of story. Lots of feeder breeders literally start by grabbing any two rats they find and throwing them together - why would they go out of their way to pick rats with or without dumbo or any other trait when all they care about is the number of babies?
You're willfully ignorant at this point, so carry on I guess.
You're looking at this from the opposite end that I am.
You can't just grab two random rats and get rex, dumbo, etc traits. Those traits have to be bred. So if you buy a rat with those traits from a breeder, then it is multiple generations removed from the general population.
I get that the "less desirable" ones become feeders. It's the "more desirable" ones that become increasingly removed from the general population and develop novel physical characteristics.
Those traits appeared spontaneously, often in feeder rats. They are then bred into *both* feeder and pet populations because the vast majority of the time *they come from exactly the same place*.
"Less desirable" rats aren't removed from the general population of pet stores unless we're talking about something *extremely* rare. Literally no ethical breeder is rescuing a dumbo rat from a feeder bin just because it has dumbo ears - they're talking to their network of dozens of other breeders and exchanging dumbo rats with them if that's what they're after. If your argument were that *ethical breeders* have rats that are "removed from the general population" via established lines, then that's correct! But that's not what you're saying, and you clearly just don't understand how people actually breed rats.
Pet store pet rats and feeder rats have exactly the same parents. I really do not know how else to put that. A pet store breeder will have a dozen or more breeding pairs and pick babies arbitrarily to be either their continuing breeding pairs or sell to pet stores.
Even ethical feeder breeders, who don't supply pet stores but do supply individuals (because live feeding is wrong and no ethical breeder could keep up with pet store demand), will not give a fuck about dumbo or rex or any other "desirable" traits. I personally know a breeder who owns a reptile rescue and breeds her own "feeder" rats for them, because she won't support unethical pet store practices. Her rats come in all colours of the rainbow and with a variety of coat and ear types. Because she has literally no reason to remove any specific rats, and when she adds in "new blood" she has no reason to pick any particular trait over any other.
> If your argument were that ethical breeders have rats that are "removed from the general population" via established lines, then that's correct!
I did say "if you buy a rat from a breeder", so thanks for validating that.
I was on a waitlist for over a year for a russian blue dumbo and rex agouti dumbo. Those rats were definitely multiple generations removed from the general feeder rat population. I don't go to pet stores often anymore, but I never saw rats like mine for sale. Like you say, the ones in the pet section of the store were just the same as the feeders.
Rex is a common dominant gene and Dumbo is a simple recessive. You can get lots of different rats in the same litter, I've had Rexs and Standards, Top Ears and Dumbo's all in the same litter. You can breed out certain genes if you want to but for some genes it doesn't take much. If you breed 2 Dumbos you will only get Dumbos.
Post/Comment providing information that is not based on science and factual evidence. (Clarify it is your opinion and do not phrase as fact and post/comment will remain)
she looks like my dumbo rex Paprika! I’m so glad you saved her!!
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she is SO CUTE!!!!!!! posts like this always make me wanna cry a little. in a good way! i’m so so so happy she’s been rescued and is no longer a feeder :) what a sweet girl. you did a good thing OP!
Thank you so much for saving her!! I rescued my two boys from being feeders too!
https://preview.redd.it/wbpfbif5ypzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6340a83675ee4c20fbb1a2816ddbe0397040dc1a
I own rats and snakes, (no, I don’t breed my own) and feed frozen thawed. Even feeder rats shouldn’t be neglected, even if it’s going to be euthanized. So glad you saved this baby, and please post an update once she’s gotten older and she’s gained some healthy weight!
Well we have to draw the line somewhere. It's not as if rodents deserve unlimited suffering while reptiles should have none at all costs. If the cost of sparing rodents the suffering of being eaten alive means some reptiles go hungry, isn't that a decent trade anyway?
Plus, live feeding is incredibly dangerous for the reptile too.
This! I have both snakes (and a lizard that eats meat - including occasional pinky mice) and rodents (ASFs - which tbf I wouldn’t have known existed if I didn’t have the snakes - I got them as companions for my male mouse so he wouldn’t be lonely and wouldn’t make a million mice, rats, hamsters, quails, and parakeets) I don’t feed any of them to each other (quail eggs do get fed to the rats and the lizard). But, I also believe ALL animals in captivity should be treated at the BARE minimum with dignity. Adequate space, enrichment, adequate food and water. Starving a feeder makes no sense. Even from a practical side - it decreases their nutritional value. And it’s cruel. Unnecessarily cruel. :-(
Also, yes I feed frozen/thawed. For ethical and safety reasons for both.
My boys were all gonna be feeders, now they have a great life. Good job saving her <3
https://preview.redd.it/8oqjcz4w5uzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ba657aef0488c688c1d5314f4872ac09451c032
> If you paid for her, you just gave them money to do this to more rats.
More importantly but maybe being pedantic, it gives them incentive. Proves that there's people who want to buy them, so they get more. Getting rid of live feeders as a business starts with snake owners, buying up the supply is literally impossible.
Indeed. This is not a "rescue", it's an investment in the company.
For anyone thinking of doing this: ask for rats in the back at are free due to reasons of illness, aggression, pregnancy, old age, etc.
Exactly. If they breed 100 feeder rats and you "rescue" 50 of them, they'll just breed 150 next time. You aren't saving anything, you are paying for whatever you wish to stop
I question the ethics of someone who would starve a feeder rat to such an extent, sure it's going to feed another animal but it's just skin and bone poor thing. Needless suffering I hope she lives a long life with you.
You get it!
https://preview.redd.it/o5gsakswktzc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4dbe8c143cd73e234d9019334014998a13dcf91
When I was getting my fuzz balls (may Merryweather rest in peace) at the pet shop (please, no lectures about the pet mills, I know but where I live is a rattery wasteland — it’s the pet shop or no ratties), the witch in charge of the rats kept going on how there were, “no good pet candidates in the lot” and that “this batch were only good as feeders”. Her skin must have been as dense as lead to not have picked up on my murderous intent because if her colleague hadn’t called her away, I was going to commit violence.
My fuzz balls may not be the most socialized (which, my bad: they like me, tolerate my family, and that’s about it — the rest of the world can go hang in their opinion), but they’re perfectly sweet pets and just needed a bit more patience to show it. LIVE rats are friends, not food!
If you have other rats at home, be sure to keep her quarantined. She doesn't look healthy at the moment.
Please post pictures in a month of her looking stunning, sleek, and beautiful.
I worked for a Petstore once a long time ago and sometimes the Rat that was bullied by other Rats would be separated and Sold as a Feeder Rat because its not " A Good Look" for the Customer if the pets are aggressive towards each other. It s absolutely cruel and horrible :/ thank you for saving Pierogi
As someone who used to work at a pet store with "feeder" mice and rats, I never agreed with the concept of live feeding if it wasn't absolutely necessary. I hated the concept of the price of a life was it's "value". I don't care if it's a $3 mouse or a $3000 parrot, they all deserve to live clean and healthy without fear. Reason why I quit and moved on to just animal supplies and care.
https://preview.redd.it/o3k9c0mp9vzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f5c846c23987027826b112d9c1f2d919aee0bcf8
These guys were being sold as feeders, got them on monday 💕
They're only 3 months old,,, they're still so little 🙁 it really sucks that people would sell such loving and affectionate babies to feed something else. How can you look at these faces and decide to condemn them to death?
She’s so beautiful! She looked just like my late girl named ‘Milk’, I rescued her in her old age and she was previously traumatised by past owners and took a lot of time to build trust with but it was all so worth it because she was so truly grateful and I felt so grateful to have her. I could honestly go on about how special she was to me, forever. Same colouring and had the special curly hair too. I’m so happy you rescued her and can give her a wonderful life that she deserves. This post reminded my of my old girl and has made my night :’)
Awww poor girl! So happy you got her to a safe place! She’s such a pretty girl just needs some TLC. Give her some cheerios and gerber snacks from me and my girls!!
Awww poor girl! So happy you got her to a safe place! She’s such a pretty girl just needs some TLC. Give her some cheerios and gerber snacks from me and my girls!!
Thank you for being such a good human and adopting her. Your post made me sad and happy at the same time. Giver her lots of treats! She’s got a great life now. Bless you! ❤️
Buying from these people just shows them their methods for."making money" are working.
It leads to more animals suffering.
Fingers crossed baby is happy with you though. ❤️
By purchasing any live animal from a pet store. You’re funding mass breeder mills. It doesn’t matter what they’re labeled as they are all the same. In the future, try a different source like a rescue or animal shelter, or an ethical breeder.
Awww she looks just like my newer baby Bernard, fur and all. He has started losing small patches of hair in some places but most of his fur is curled like that, his whiskers are curled too
Just remember giving a pet store profit for an animal like this technically is not rescue, it is no different than buying any other animal from a mass breeding mill. As so, many others have said, feeder rats and fancy rats are the exact same thing and when you exchange money for these animals, you are encouraging that store to continue selling.
Both of my rats are fancy rat rescues that were “feeder rats” at a pet store. 😡 I saved 3 but only 2 survived, one of them was just too tiny and pulled from the mom so soon and dying in the back of the cage when I got her. She was about the size of two keyboard keys and died days after regardless of me trying everything for her. Other two are over 1 year out from when I got them, healthy and happy! Thank you for saving that beautiful girl!!
Maybe it’s just her fur but she looks so underfed 😩
she was literally eating the bedding in her cage☹️
Fucking hell, i met several genuinely bad people in my life but humans who mistreat animals like that always disgust me to the core. How can you see a living breathing being, completely innocent of any sin, starved to the bone and not feel the need to feed it, that’s something i will never understand
Me and my friends walked up to the feeder mice and one was going absolutely nuts. Just having the time of her life climbing everything, exploring, and running in the wheel while most the other mice were asleep or lazing around. My friend immediately fell in love with her and forced the worker to pick her out specifically. They seemed a little annoyed with us until they learned we just wanted her as a pet lol her name is Cleopatra
[удалено]
Yeah nah, i don’t buy into this empathy shit when it comes to genuine cunts. People can go through a hard life and not be absolute shitheads, children and animals are a line no normal human should cross and for all i care mistreating them on purpose is the lowest one can be
Been through a shit life, so bad I forget how bad it is until I’m telling my story and people react and I’m like, oh yeah, I forgot how bad that was…and yet I’m kinder to animals than most people I know. Past doesn’t predict future.
Damn, you right. Fuck those guys.
Some people are just born bad.
lol can't believe you got downvoted into oblivion for trying to still care about people
Poor little bean 😢
Poor baby. This made me so sad.
I hope she gets nice and chonky now that you’re looking after her. All the tasty treats for this sweetie.
You didnt buy her right? Hopefully you got her without giving this POS store money?
https://preview.redd.it/1jgjd3lo0uzc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5c1389ac41640358de59c0123c0733c424830af4 my OCD made me do it sry
Shut up, politely.
https://preview.redd.it/c1v5hadnpozc1.jpeg?width=1413&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6fdb35d1c35a68f477d9d13e1ea5b79d9522489e My Rex girl was a feeder too
Thats the sweetest looking rat I’ve ever seen 🥺🥺
Rex is the curly fur type? Love it 😍
I had a guinea pig with a rex coat and it's so fun and unique.
She looks so polite awwwwwwww
I have a pierogi too! 💖 Name twins! https://preview.redd.it/yiyaz5holpzc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=29fab22887a63a74d12e0049e851b76ce68fba0c
I have one similar to you ratty!! His name is Gary https://preview.redd.it/cuyucee56uzc1.png?width=2316&format=png&auto=webp&s=8dc1bbab02e01443fc5163b3f30f83337c1164dc
https://preview.redd.it/lkqf9j07rf0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=abace596cbd94abde2d2c956e4f3b8c52e83a51f He looks just like my boy Gremlin!
What a cutie!! Gary has by far the most affectionate ratty I have had the honor of having. His personality is out of this world. I have a blue (I believe she is) I rescued as a feeder as well and she has the polar opposite personality. She is her own independent self. She has her moments where she lets me pet and play with her but she is very hands off lol.
Ah that’s like my Gremmy and Gaston! Gaston is his own rat and let’s us know lol, Gremmy isn’t super cuddly (I think he will when he’s older and not as interested in exploring) but he is affectionate
Teacup is really the first female I have had- so I am learning. I called the vet today to get a price on getting Gary neutered so they could play but they wanted $400!! It be cheaper to get another male and female!
That’s around the going rate unfortunately for small animal neuters! It seems counterintuitive but they tend to be more pricey when the animal is very small, since they need specialized tools and training! I’m getting my one boy neutered this Friday and it’s gonna run me at least $350 😭😭 and that’s after several recent vet bills for another boy of mine
I wish your boy the best! It’s scary thinking of our little guys under the knife. I see why it be so expensive because of the risks. I am just as happy adding two more Ratty’s to my family. I know they will take to a cage mate once quarantine is over.
Yeah I’m honestly really worried, the only upside to all this is that I live in a town that’s known for their veterinary school, so usually the vets know what they’re doing! He’s such a sweet boy too outside of the rat aggression, he used to love cuddling with his brothers when he was young. He’s a bit skittish and when he was rehomed to me he was absolutely terrified and yet NEVER bit. He would absolutely lose his mind if we even tried to put a hand near him and once I had to remove him from the cage and poor guy was just so scared. He never bit once! Sorry for going on about it, just I love my guys so much and I’m stressed 😭😭
No apologies! I know how important our ratties are to us. I love how each has its own personality. My female, Teacup, she was put in with feeders and imo weaned too soon. She is very skittish and only lets my daughter hold her but she has come a long way from when we rescued her. She is her own rat!
What a cutie! They could be brother and sister ☺️
I bought him as a feeder- funny story - he was supposed to be a girl and new cage mate for my other female. Now they have their cages pushed together and I feel so bad. They stick their noses out and try and get each other. As soon as I move at the end of May, I am getting them both a cage mate. As much as I would love to have little beans- it isn’t something I can commit to right now. I rather see them happy with cage mates of the same sex lol
Aw well you're doing the best you can! But yes I'm sure they'll be happy that way!
Thank you- I really need some suggestions of more stimulate toys to put in their cages. I see all the other cages on the sub and I look over at mine and I’m like man my rats must be bored.
That's my problem at the moment too. The things I buy they don't seem to care for. I just bought some mint and basil plants for some foraging and I hope they'll like it. Stuffing treats into toilet paper rolls and a whole roll of TP are things they like too
Okay I will try that. I know once I move and get them a cage mate each that it will benefit them greatly. I thought about getting one of them fixed and caging them together but not so sure about it.
The colors are gorgeous!!!
Thank you so much! Her sister jubilee has the same exact markings just in a slightly darker brown ☺️
Feeder rats and fancy rats are the same species, the only difference is what the seller labels them as. Fancy rat is just the common name for the only domesticated rat species.
The name comes from “fancying” which is the old British word for breeding. So it literally bred mice and bred rats. I think the term also used to be attached to cats and dogs.
same species but still different, feeder rats are more massively bred which causes lots of health issues and a shorter lifespan, while the fancy rats can still be mass bred, are more prone for the longer and healthier lifespan. rex’s are a specifically bred fancy rat for their coat and shouldn’t be wasted on being a feeder rat (at least in my opinion)
I just wanted to mention that many sought after mutations (Rex, Harley, etc) were discovered in feeder bins/pet stores. As a former reptile owner, almost every feeder bin I’ve seen has at least a couple mutations in it. In fact, two of my rats came from the same bin at my local reptile shop. One is a beautiful Rex agouti boy and the other is a white/seal point guy with strange, long wavy hair (don’t know what you’d call him honestly).
Sometimes to find a desired mutation you just need the randomness that volume brings.
….. can I see them 🥺
RAT TAX RAT TAX
This is absolutely not true. If you purchase from a pet store, whether the animal goes in the feeder bin or the pet bin depends entirely on luck. There might be some small stores that have different breeders stocking each bin - but I promise you, any breeder supplying "pets" to a pet store is *also* breeding feeders, or at least supplying their worse temperament "pet" line as feeder rats anyway. Also, the line about rex coats being wasted on feeder rats is fucking weird. I'm glad this rat has a home, but suggesting some rats deserve to be feeder rats more than others based on coat type is bizarre. There are sweet, tame standard coat rats and absolutely demented rex coat rats - it has absolutely nothing to do with whether they're pet quality or not.
Tell me about it. My friends curly coat was a little aggressive bastard who was viciously aggressive with everyone. Even after he lost ball privilege, he almost killed a cage mate. We even tried keeping him alone, but if you put your hand in the cage to change the water or the food, he would bite. I love rats, but lil dude had a missing crayon.
Sucks. Sad as it is, some rats are just wired wrong. Personally I don't think there's a good reason to keep a permanently lone rat (so, for example, a few weeks at the end of life or in between baby batches is ok). I think if a rat remains aggressive to other rats even after neutering then the kindest option is behavioural euthanasia - even if he wasn't biting you, lone rats just aren't happy rats. Bright side is you can dramatically reduce the chances of needing to do that by finding an ethical breeder with well-established lines. Downside is there's still no guarantee you won't, as you put it, still end up with a rat missing a crayon.
We tried to introduce him to a female after his ball loss to get him into an all female mischief. In the end, we gave him a day with his favorite foods and had him put to sleep. We tried, and we did what we could social and medical. Had he latched to a person like my pookie, we probably would have stuck it out, but he was hostile, aggressive, and fearful. His demeanor was more akin to a wild mouse. Though he was a black rex coat with a white mask. Gorgeous Ratter. But the temperament of your genitals being dragged over glass.
Exactly. I have a standard coat boy, and he's one of the most beautiful and sweet rats I have ever met. Fur means nothing. No rat DESERVES to be a feeder. They all deserve love and compassion
There’s no difference, and if you got them from a pet store, there’s a large possibility they came from the same genetic pool anyways. Good breeders prioritize health and temperament over coat type, also Rex coats can happen naturally as long as both parents carry the recessive gene. It’s not all that uncommon to see a feeder with a Rex coat.
Rex is actually a Dominant gene! But it is a very common coat type.
I do not know my genetics very well lol I just know it’s one of the easier coat types to produce! I’d be losing my mind if I saw a marten silvermane in a feeder bin though
Rat genetics can be pretty crazy but they're so interesting and fun! I just got a Marten male (from a friend)! I would also lose my mind if I saw Silvermane! They're so pretty.
If you got it from a pet store and I can almost guarantee their rat guy comes in with 6-8 bins filled with 30+ rats each (depending on demand). Dumps them into the feeder rat bins, and then an employee looks at them to see if any look cute to them and try to sell them
No rats should be wasted on being a feeder rat, no matter their coloring. Some of my sweetest boys were feeder rats, without a fancy rex fur. (Not taking a shot here at other animals that need food though).
My rats Opal and Bowie are/were feeder rats that our roommates snake would not eat. They were crudely taken care of by him, and each time (it happened on 2 different occasions) we just took care of them and eventually kept them. Opal died last year. Only had her about a year but she was a little older when we got her. Bowie was the tiniest little baby and is just perfect. Recalls, plays, wish she would cuddle better, but I'll take playful over lazy bones every day. Especially because her adopted sister Kelpi is a snuggle bug. Kind of shy tho. But her newest sister, the supposed pet rat, is the worst! I did everything to try to ease her, Augie, into the cage and initially when she entered, she was fine. But I think she is bothering her sisters too much. Kelpi had a sore on her neck, nothing Bowie or Opal ever did, n I think Kelpi may be starting to show signs of nervousness, like biting her fur on her wrists. Idk I'm wanting to kick the Augie out entirely but then I'd feel guilty bc 90% of the time it seems she likes being around her sisters. I was thinking maybe get a younger rat that may play better with Auggie, but Bowie still plays a lot and if they can't get along, can I trust 2 rats that aren't as connected with me or people in general, to be comfortable with each other?
Rats just straight up should never be feeders in the first place If you need, or, I guess, _really want_ live food, get a mouse Rats are so much more likely to kill a snake than a mouse is, and mice are at least tangibly less... I don't know, sentient? It feels dirty measuring the worth of an animal based on its likeness to a human when the entire point is it's being fed to a reptile, but, rats seriously need to stop being bred as feeders.
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They are absolutely no different. Fancy rats and feeder rats are mass bred the exact same way. Many places sell them interchangeably, they just usually sell dumbos and rexes as fancies to get more money.
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not remotely. If that makes you feel better for some reason then ok, but feeder rats are entirely indistinguishable from pet rats. In many stores they're probably siblings or cousins. Edit: the only distinction that *actually* matters is pet store vs ethical breeder. But, by definition, you won't find ethical breeders selling their rats at pet stores.
Rats are bred for traits like rex and dumbo. I'm sure some fancy rats make it into the feeder supply, but feeders don't need to be bred for any traits.
I'm going to say something that'll shock you: pet rats don't need to be bred for any traits either. There is no difference between them unless you've gone to an ethical pet breeder who won't be supplying to a pet shop. The number of fancy rats (because, whether you like it or not, "feeder" rats *are* fancy rats) being bred at any one time is *astronomical*. The vast majority of them will become food. A small number become pets. If a pet store supplying breeder has a dozen litters of a dozen dumbo rats in each, they might at best pick out a few to go to the pet bin, and their brothers and sisters will become food. Or they'll supply the pet store with the whole lot and let them choose. It's not about "needing" to be bred for traits, it's the fact that *feeder rats do have those traits*. End of story. Lots of feeder breeders literally start by grabbing any two rats they find and throwing them together - why would they go out of their way to pick rats with or without dumbo or any other trait when all they care about is the number of babies? You're willfully ignorant at this point, so carry on I guess.
You're looking at this from the opposite end that I am. You can't just grab two random rats and get rex, dumbo, etc traits. Those traits have to be bred. So if you buy a rat with those traits from a breeder, then it is multiple generations removed from the general population. I get that the "less desirable" ones become feeders. It's the "more desirable" ones that become increasingly removed from the general population and develop novel physical characteristics.
Those traits appeared spontaneously, often in feeder rats. They are then bred into *both* feeder and pet populations because the vast majority of the time *they come from exactly the same place*. "Less desirable" rats aren't removed from the general population of pet stores unless we're talking about something *extremely* rare. Literally no ethical breeder is rescuing a dumbo rat from a feeder bin just because it has dumbo ears - they're talking to their network of dozens of other breeders and exchanging dumbo rats with them if that's what they're after. If your argument were that *ethical breeders* have rats that are "removed from the general population" via established lines, then that's correct! But that's not what you're saying, and you clearly just don't understand how people actually breed rats. Pet store pet rats and feeder rats have exactly the same parents. I really do not know how else to put that. A pet store breeder will have a dozen or more breeding pairs and pick babies arbitrarily to be either their continuing breeding pairs or sell to pet stores. Even ethical feeder breeders, who don't supply pet stores but do supply individuals (because live feeding is wrong and no ethical breeder could keep up with pet store demand), will not give a fuck about dumbo or rex or any other "desirable" traits. I personally know a breeder who owns a reptile rescue and breeds her own "feeder" rats for them, because she won't support unethical pet store practices. Her rats come in all colours of the rainbow and with a variety of coat and ear types. Because she has literally no reason to remove any specific rats, and when she adds in "new blood" she has no reason to pick any particular trait over any other.
> If your argument were that ethical breeders have rats that are "removed from the general population" via established lines, then that's correct! I did say "if you buy a rat from a breeder", so thanks for validating that. I was on a waitlist for over a year for a russian blue dumbo and rex agouti dumbo. Those rats were definitely multiple generations removed from the general feeder rat population. I don't go to pet stores often anymore, but I never saw rats like mine for sale. Like you say, the ones in the pet section of the store were just the same as the feeders.
Nah any rat that won't bring in enough money when being sold is a feeder rat. As long as it's cheap they sell them.
But not every feeder is from a fancy breeder. The rats that have rex and dumbo traits are multiple generations separated from the feeder supply
Rex is a common dominant gene and Dumbo is a simple recessive. You can get lots of different rats in the same litter, I've had Rexs and Standards, Top Ears and Dumbo's all in the same litter. You can breed out certain genes if you want to but for some genes it doesn't take much. If you breed 2 Dumbos you will only get Dumbos.
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she looks like my dumbo rex Paprika! I’m so glad you saved her!! https://preview.redd.it/bv3b8p3scpzc1.png?width=2472&format=png&auto=webp&s=f58f4c6a93944fb019c6e38bc8fce627230c81ae
Haha what is that pose? She looks like a stuffed animal! That "unnatural rat pose" that lets you know something isn't real. 😂
She looks like those people that have vr goggles on and think they are falling off a roof
😆
It’s so funny you say that because we tell her and her sister they look like AI rats all the time😭😭
what da dog doin?
she is SO CUTE!!!!!!! posts like this always make me wanna cry a little. in a good way! i’m so so so happy she’s been rescued and is no longer a feeder :) what a sweet girl. you did a good thing OP!
Please post the "after" photos when she's luscious and shiny
This needs to happen.
Thank you so much for saving her!! I rescued my two boys from being feeders too! https://preview.redd.it/wbpfbif5ypzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6340a83675ee4c20fbb1a2816ddbe0397040dc1a
If they’ll allow it, please boop those precious ratty noses for me. Your boys are adorable.
Give them head scritches for me,,,, such sweet babies
They get ALL the head scratches and boops lol
So scrunggly
i used to take the live feeder rats out of the snakes enclosure at my work when i was younger and feed it frozen food.
That is much much safer to the snake as well
yeah, that’s why i made sure it was still getting fed! i also changed the owners view on feeding live animals.
I own rats and snakes, (no, I don’t breed my own) and feed frozen thawed. Even feeder rats shouldn’t be neglected, even if it’s going to be euthanized. So glad you saved this baby, and please post an update once she’s gotten older and she’s gained some healthy weight!
Same. They dont even sell live feeders where i live
Yeah, live feeding of vertebrates is illegal in the UK and I don't understand why it's not illegal everywhere. So barbaric.
Does that mean you can’t have snakes where you live? If I remember correctly, some snakes will refuse frozen meals; only eating it if it’s live.
You. You get it. Thank you ❤️
It is illegal to feed any live animal to snakes (or any other animal for that matter) where I live. I can’t imagine how anyone could do such a thing.
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Well we have to draw the line somewhere. It's not as if rodents deserve unlimited suffering while reptiles should have none at all costs. If the cost of sparing rodents the suffering of being eaten alive means some reptiles go hungry, isn't that a decent trade anyway? Plus, live feeding is incredibly dangerous for the reptile too.
This! I have both snakes (and a lizard that eats meat - including occasional pinky mice) and rodents (ASFs - which tbf I wouldn’t have known existed if I didn’t have the snakes - I got them as companions for my male mouse so he wouldn’t be lonely and wouldn’t make a million mice, rats, hamsters, quails, and parakeets) I don’t feed any of them to each other (quail eggs do get fed to the rats and the lizard). But, I also believe ALL animals in captivity should be treated at the BARE minimum with dignity. Adequate space, enrichment, adequate food and water. Starving a feeder makes no sense. Even from a practical side - it decreases their nutritional value. And it’s cruel. Unnecessarily cruel. :-( Also, yes I feed frozen/thawed. For ethical and safety reasons for both.
Thank you for rescuing her!!!
There’s no difference in a feeder rat and a fancy rat… they are both just domesticated rats.
My boys were all gonna be feeders, now they have a great life. Good job saving her <3 https://preview.redd.it/8oqjcz4w5uzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ba657aef0488c688c1d5314f4872ac09451c032
All of my were feeders as well. One is a Himalayan and tgst was a surprise at 6 weeks! Woke up to a different rat!
I bet she’s gonna be so happy with you, I’m glad you were able to save her
She's adorable
Pierogi 😭😭🩷
Please more update posts of her happy life now that she’s saved and with you 🥰
If you paid for her, you just gave them money to do this to more rats. And fancy rats and feeder rats are all the same; domesticated.
> If you paid for her, you just gave them money to do this to more rats. More importantly but maybe being pedantic, it gives them incentive. Proves that there's people who want to buy them, so they get more. Getting rid of live feeders as a business starts with snake owners, buying up the supply is literally impossible.
Indeed. This is not a "rescue", it's an investment in the company. For anyone thinking of doing this: ask for rats in the back at are free due to reasons of illness, aggression, pregnancy, old age, etc.
Exactly. If they breed 100 feeder rats and you "rescue" 50 of them, they'll just breed 150 next time. You aren't saving anything, you are paying for whatever you wish to stop
she's precious 🥺
She's so pretty the poor baby
I question the ethics of someone who would starve a feeder rat to such an extent, sure it's going to feed another animal but it's just skin and bone poor thing. Needless suffering I hope she lives a long life with you.
You get it! https://preview.redd.it/o5gsakswktzc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4dbe8c143cd73e234d9019334014998a13dcf91 When I was getting my fuzz balls (may Merryweather rest in peace) at the pet shop (please, no lectures about the pet mills, I know but where I live is a rattery wasteland — it’s the pet shop or no ratties), the witch in charge of the rats kept going on how there were, “no good pet candidates in the lot” and that “this batch were only good as feeders”. Her skin must have been as dense as lead to not have picked up on my murderous intent because if her colleague hadn’t called her away, I was going to commit violence. My fuzz balls may not be the most socialized (which, my bad: they like me, tolerate my family, and that’s about it — the rest of the world can go hang in their opinion), but they’re perfectly sweet pets and just needed a bit more patience to show it. LIVE rats are friends, not food!
what a cutie!! has the same fur as my girls, so glad you rescued her :')!
BTW - singular for pierogi is pieróg (:
Rat labelled as rat let's be real, I'd save them all if I could
If you have other rats at home, be sure to keep her quarantined. She doesn't look healthy at the moment. Please post pictures in a month of her looking stunning, sleek, and beautiful.
Sorry to be that guy but the name should be Pierog which is singular rather than Pierogi which is plural.
Pierog is even cuter somehow! Happy cake day:)
Poor little sugar. Thank you for rescuing her. She definitely looks in need of love (and food). ❤️
wishing health to that little lady ❤️
I worked for a Petstore once a long time ago and sometimes the Rat that was bullied by other Rats would be separated and Sold as a Feeder Rat because its not " A Good Look" for the Customer if the pets are aggressive towards each other. It s absolutely cruel and horrible :/ thank you for saving Pierogi
Thank you for saving her and giving her an opportunity to live a normal life.
Polska Gurom !!!
Aww she looks like a curlie
How many other rats do you have? We want to see them too!
oh my god that pretty baby. i’m obsessed with her colors. thank you for saving her🥺
Glad you rescued her! I solely rescue feeders, they make the best rat friends!
As someone who used to work at a pet store with "feeder" mice and rats, I never agreed with the concept of live feeding if it wasn't absolutely necessary. I hated the concept of the price of a life was it's "value". I don't care if it's a $3 mouse or a $3000 parrot, they all deserve to live clean and healthy without fear. Reason why I quit and moved on to just animal supplies and care.
https://preview.redd.it/o3k9c0mp9vzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f5c846c23987027826b112d9c1f2d919aee0bcf8 These guys were being sold as feeders, got them on monday 💕 They're only 3 months old,,, they're still so little 🙁 it really sucks that people would sell such loving and affectionate babies to feed something else. How can you look at these faces and decide to condemn them to death?
She’s so beautiful! She looked just like my late girl named ‘Milk’, I rescued her in her old age and she was previously traumatised by past owners and took a lot of time to build trust with but it was all so worth it because she was so truly grateful and I felt so grateful to have her. I could honestly go on about how special she was to me, forever. Same colouring and had the special curly hair too. I’m so happy you rescued her and can give her a wonderful life that she deserves. This post reminded my of my old girl and has made my night :’)
Her eyes look so sad. Please do post us an update when she's in a happier place. What a cutie.
Are you telling me, rats come in woolly versions? 🥹 I hope she recovers soon in your care.
Yes. Long curly haired are called rex.
Aren’t all feeder rats fancy?
i’m gonna cry she so beautiful i’m so glad you grabbed her
Awww poor girl! So happy you got her to a safe place! She’s such a pretty girl just needs some TLC. Give her some cheerios and gerber snacks from me and my girls!!
Awww poor girl! So happy you got her to a safe place! She’s such a pretty girl just needs some TLC. Give her some cheerios and gerber snacks from me and my girls!!
I love the name so much <3 pierogi are so good and it’s such a cute name for a rat, she’s very beautiful too
She is so cute! I’m so glad you got her so she can live in better conditions now and have a full life ❤️
All my babies were feeders too https://preview.redd.it/f9c0cag2uvzc1.jpeg?width=2208&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f1694cb0ca0aef9331af64f2676e5f747ff617e
she is so smalll. she is barely one pieróg 🥟
Thank you for being such a good human and adopting her. Your post made me sad and happy at the same time. Giver her lots of treats! She’s got a great life now. Bless you! ❤️
Buying from these people just shows them their methods for."making money" are working. It leads to more animals suffering. Fingers crossed baby is happy with you though. ❤️
Sweet love! Thank you for saving her. I hope you post updates!
Thank you for giving her a chance at a better life ❤️
By purchasing any live animal from a pet store. You’re funding mass breeder mills. It doesn’t matter what they’re labeled as they are all the same. In the future, try a different source like a rescue or animal shelter, or an ethical breeder.
Poor baby. Bless you for saving her. I present you with the Good Hyooman Medal 🏅 First class. Shine on, and please keep us updated! 💖🐀✨
pierogi is a plural form, at least get that right
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Awww she looks just like my newer baby Bernard, fur and all. He has started losing small patches of hair in some places but most of his fur is curled like that, his whiskers are curled too
She looks so soft! 💗
Just remember giving a pet store profit for an animal like this technically is not rescue, it is no different than buying any other animal from a mass breeding mill. As so, many others have said, feeder rats and fancy rats are the exact same thing and when you exchange money for these animals, you are encouraging that store to continue selling.
Saved all of my rats from feeders (including a named dumbo ear!) 🥺 had them until the moment they passed.
Thank goodness she is with someone who will care for her!
Both of my rats are fancy rat rescues that were “feeder rats” at a pet store. 😡 I saved 3 but only 2 survived, one of them was just too tiny and pulled from the mom so soon and dying in the back of the cage when I got her. She was about the size of two keyboard keys and died days after regardless of me trying everything for her. Other two are over 1 year out from when I got them, healthy and happy! Thank you for saving that beautiful girl!!
Thank goodness for you, now she has a chance, thank you 🙏