~*~Adopting From PVR~*~ |
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| Okay, you've decided that you want to adopt a rat from PVR. Well, there are many things that you need to know before proceeding! I designed this page to prevent the repeated questions i answer multiple times a day in emails =) Firstly, if you plan to use the rat as a feeder, or to breed feeder rats...well, i suggest you turn around right now! I will not sell a rat for any reasons associated in the slightest way with anything to do with feeder rats and/or pet stores. I put hours of time, thought, emotion, and loads of money into my rats. I will not let them be down graded after i worked to so hard to get them to be what they are today. So, that said. Lets go on! Please read all of the following information. Fee's: I charge a standard adoption fee. This fee is in place to assure me that the adopter is very serious about keeping the rat as a loving member of the family. The fee is almost like a safegaurd for me, becuase i know that somebody who wants to buy the rat(s) for feeding purposes is not going to pay this amount. So i dont have to worry about fending off these people. The adoption fee is not altered according to markings, types, color. I do not feel that because a rat looks 'unique' that it should cost more. I do not agree with the people who do their adoptions this way, because it gives the adopter the feeling that some of the rats are not as good as others. I look at it this way, they can (and most of the time are) born in the same litters, rats that are more exotic opposed to a few black berkshires you can find almost anywhere. So, if you have a black rat with standard ears and a blue rat with dumbo ears, but they are brother and sister, why should one hold more value over the other? The adoption fee is $15.00 for a single rat, and $25.00 for a same sex pair. I will only adopt rats out singlely if you have one or more rat's at home. If you are a first time adoptor, or you dont have any rats, you will have to get a same sex pair. I will adopt multiple rats/both sexes to breeders and people who already have both sexes at home. Rats are much happier with a buddy to cuddle and play with. Dwarf rats will have a higher adoption fee. $20.00 each, $30.00 for a pair. This is only because of the high traveling and shipping costs that i have paid to get these lines here. Attention breeders: I will charge you the same adoption fees that you charge me. Traveling Costs: I will charge a standard $10.00 fee for travel, but this can and will fluxate depending on the length of travel and gas prices at the time. |
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| As time goes on: Please, keep me updated! Pictures and emails, i delight in them! I love, and miss, every baby that leaves my home. However, this is not the only reason i ask you to keep me informed. In order to breed my rats, and breed my rats right, i need to know all the details of their health and temperment as they grow. This is ESSENTIAL information, so please, if anything goes wrong--even little things--email me immediately. If for some reason you cannot care for your rat any longer, CONTACT ME FIRST! I do not require an adoption contract with pet only adopters, as of right now. However, if people cannot be honest with me, i will. So please, do not be that person to ruin it for everybody else. I will take the rats back, and care for them in my home or find them a new home. For any reason, i dont care. I wont even ask, just contact me first. If it is not an emergency, i can just help you find them a new home. Do not take them to a petshop. Do not allow somebody else to take them without letting me know. I need contact information on this person, to keep accurate records. Also, if you are unsure if a home is ideal, do not place your rattie in it without contacting me. I may have a better home for it, even if i take it back. If for some reason you need help finding/paying for vet care, contact me. Most important: Have fun with your new friend! They will make you smile everyday, and give you more love than you would think possible from such a little heart. And do not forget to kiss your furkid everday, it means the world to them...yes, i said 'kiss'...it will happen sooner or later =) |
| My Rats As Pets: My rats are bred to be trusting, corageous, and playful. Each rat has a different personality, and they will show these from when they first open their eyes, or sooner! By breeding only healthy, gentle and fun loving rats, my babies are bound to be the same way! They are handled from day one, and it shows. They love being held, they want nothing more than to get attention and be with their human. My rats are child-proof. They are tested by my cousins, they dont mind being poked and prodded, as long as its with adult supervision, any size child can handle the rats. |
| Adopting my rats for breeding: I will not adopt to people who i suspect of being backyard breeders. I will only adopt to breeders who are working towards goals, and doing it the right way. It is sometimes hard to distinguish certain people from these backyard breeders, so i am sorry if i offend you in any way. A lot of times I would rather get to know you before you request babies for breeding. Even just a few emails or phone calls back and forth, makes me more comfortable. I will not adopt rats from my High White line to breeders, unless you are an experienced breeder. This is for the safety of the rats involved, and the heartbreak Megacolon can cause. As of now, MegaColon has never popped up in my lines, but with the right pairing it is always possible. My lines are based on the hooded locus, therefore it is not a high risk line. HOWEVER, there have been blazed rats in the pedigree's (i am unsure if they are dominant or recessive blazes, but i believe they are recessive because no blazes were in the offspring) and this always increases the risks. The lightening blazes and split capped rats in my litters are most likely caused from overmarked headspots, because large headspots are so common, and they tend to break the cap's and extend in many directions to blend with the white. I am now requiring that you sign a breeding contract, If you are interested in adopting rats on a breeding contract, email me and i'll send you a copy to look over before you decide to adopt. I will only adopt to "new" breeders if you are being mentored by an experienced and established breeder. I offer myself for mentoring, but i will not agree to it on a whim. I will need to get to know you and your goals as a breeder, before i take that step. Email me for details. |
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| Waiting Lists: It has become apparent, that if you are not on the waiting list, you most likely will be unable to get a rat. There is always a chance that it is possible, but it is doubtful. In order to insure a chance at getting a baby, email me about getting on the list - if you know what litter(s) your interested in, sex, type etc, include that informations as well - It is simple, and you are under NO OBLIGATION. I have all this information written down in the order that the people contacted me. When a litter of rats is ready to be reserved (usually once their markings, fur types, and ear types become apparant, at about two weeks), i email the people on the list in the order they emailed me. So it is first come, first serve! Its the only way to be fair. If all the people on the waiting list are contacted, and there are still rats available, then it is open to anybody else. So, dont hesitate to email about a baby listed as available on this site. |
| Reserving: I want to make it clear, that i DO NOT want to resort to taking deposits to reserve. Please, make sure you are serious before reserving a baby. Make sure you have a way to get your baby home, and it is a sure thing. The fact is, as a rat gets older, it is harder to find a home for them. If it comes down to it, i may have to start asking for deposits. Do not be that person to make everybody else suffer, please. You can reserve a baby rat as soon as their markings and type are evident. If you are on the waiting list, i will be contacting you and letting you know which babies are left to choose from (depending on where you are on the list). If you do not contact me within ONE week after my email, i will continue on to the next person on the waiting list. So please, if for some reason you do not check your email often, let me know and give me a phone number. I require that all babies be picked up no more than THREE weeks after they have been reserved, unless arrangements are made beforehand. The baby will be put back up for adoption if it is not picked up within that time frame. |
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| You will recieve a pedigree with your rat(s). If requested, i will also supply a NARR certificate of registration(due to the amount of ink that these take to print, i will be charging $1 if i print the certificate for you. I can send it to your email, for no charge, and you can print it yourself). The pedigree for PET adopters includes names of parents and their desriptions. The pedigree for breeders includes detailed information on health and temperment of the descendents. I will soon be purchasing Breeders Assistant to help me better accomplish this task. You MUST quarantine your new rats from any currents rats you may have!!! It is not that difficult, and it is more essential than you would think. Read up on Quarantine, for more information. |
| Picking up your Rats: Pymatuning Valley Rattery is now a CLOSED Rattery. This simply means you are unable to visit the rats and/or Rat Room. (i will be adding pictures of the rat room here so that adoptors can still see my facilities). This is simply to insure the safety of my rats, and my adopters rats, if they currently have any. For more information read up on SDA. Since i am a closed rattery, i will normally meet you in a public place. As of 3/31: I will only drive up to 30 minutes to meet you, unless you are driving for more than three hours, then certain exceptions apply(unless prior arrangements are made). You must bring your own carrier, i will not allow rats to ride home on your lap or in your shirt etc. Small cages and boxes work just as well, but proper carriers are ideal. In the cold months, it is a good idea to bring something warm for them. |
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| You will need to fill out the adoption application before being put on the waiting lists or being able to reserve a baby. Thank you =) |
| If you want to get on a waiting list, or reserve, please fill out the adoption application to get started! |