I am getting a rat and I don't know which store has "better" rats. I've seen the one's at Petsmart and am going to go to Petco tomorrow and look at those. I have done MUCH research and I can pick out a good one but I don't know what store to choose. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
ok. I think I might try petco though because the petsmart here dosen't seem to be as good. I went there and found my perfect friend but I can't get him until we move. Also I am adopting my friend's parakeet and he needs some training...feel free anyone, to help me out with this one! (it's in the bird section under Angry bird) he's a little bitey and shy. He also sounds like a zebra finch cuz he grew up wit them. Plz help!
Dear Bettabuddy1, I once got a hamster at petco and like nina221 said, " At petsmart the selection is better." My hamster from petco died in a week because it had a deadly diese called wet tail and when I went to Petsmart my other hamster was healthy and is still alive today. Good luck finding your rat, Ozinnh
Everyone else seems to think Petsmart is better but I have had a much better "rodent experience" at Petco. Both stores have a great selection so I would go with the other replys and use Petsmart. My bad experience with Petsmart was probably more of a problem with that store than the company.
Please do not buy a rat from a pet store.Please find alocal rat breeder. they dont cost much.If they are from a pet store they will often if not always be sick,under weened,aggressive, and inbred.make sure you buy a baby. not an adult.make your life easier!
uck, do not by one from petco, i once saw a DEAD gerbil in a cage with other LIVE gerbils and by the looks of it had been there for days! even if the gerbils are kept seperate from the rats would you want to risk buying a rat that might die shortly after you buy it? you should go to havaheart ( or is it havahart?) thats where i got my hamster and he is perfectly heathly.
I don't know where havaheart is anywhere near me but to what kateo587 said, I can't buy one from a shelter. The only one nearby is the Animal Humane Society but we already gave them two rabbits and a mouse because we were moving and couldn't take them with, now we have a new house rat-ready and my mom says absolute no on the humane society because "We already brought them animals and they won't let us get new ones from there" she thinks that since we brought them animals already, we aren't allowed to buy any of them from them so the shelter thing is ruled out. That's what I wanted in the first place. But I agree with you.
Well I do hope you get great rats either way! much luck to you! have you gotten them yet? If you had to do a petstore id say petsmart if thats your only option. I hear petsmart has a vet that checks the animals before they are to be sold. but i have bought a rat from there before, and he had to go back. but im sure you will be fine!
why did your rat have to go back? I think petsmart is the right choice but petco seems to have a larger cage for the rats and they look younger than the other ones.
The first rat I bought there had to go back because he was really aggressive and acted like he had something wrong with him, since he would go out of his way to bite me and my boyfriend, then attacked his cagemate almost killing him. So yeah we took him back.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: mod_kelly,
I bought a gerbil like that. I was going to get a hamster but that annoying sales lady kept pestering me to get gerbils instead it was SO annoying so we ended up getting those and there were about 4 black ones and 1 tan one. We got the tan one and a black one and the black one was horrible. He also went out of his way to bite you. Whatever we tried to do, even opening the cage, he ran up and planted a big bite right on us so we brought him back and we got the NICEST gerbil anybody could ever get. He was my best friend for 5 years but he got a tumor and we didn't bring him to the vet because a lady at pet supplies plus said her rat had that and she got it removed and then he just got another a month later and died from it. My gerbil died about a year ago and was the fastes learner you'd ever seen. He loved to cuddle and play. I miss Midnight!!!
I found the rats of my dreams. they are at the humane society but last month we were moving so we had to bring our bunnies and mouse to the humane society and my mom won't let me get rats from there because she says they "hate us" now because we brought them animals so they won't allow us to get more animals from there. She literally said they hate us too. she didn't even look into it. that's just her opinion so now I have to get one from a stupid petstore where we don't know the age, health, health history, general history of the rats or anything! I am sooo mad!!!! any suggestions?
Not petco, please! it's where sick pets go when they want to die in the freezer. My mother got an email not to long ago, a petition to ban petco from coming into a strip mall near us, declaring all sorts of horrible things like sticking sickly animals in the freezer, and, from being inside, I believe them. Petsmart takes better care of their animals, but really, to them they're just stock. Like at a grocery store. If you really want a rat, go on petfinder. There are tons of small animal rescues other than the SPCA. Also, you might think to look into a breeder. If another unfrotunate cicumstance arises like the first (I can't imagine giving up my babies to a shelter where it's future was uncertian), they'll probably take it back. Steer clear of petstores if you can, but if you fell in love, there's not much you can do. You'll end up with it. You can take this into concideration when you get it a friend.
It probably depends on your area; however, I know in my town that petsmart is much better than petco. Petco seems to be a bit more unsanitary. I do not recommend that my clients buy their birds from Petco for such reasons, and if it's the same in your neighborhood, I wouldn't recommend buying your furry friends from there either.
I like petsmart the best. It has a huge variety of all kinds of rodents. I was going to get a hamster. I love how small they are and they sometimes sit in their own food bowl. But later on we went to a petstore near me which is called scotts pet shop. My dad looked at the hampster and said why don't you get guinea pig instead they are bigger and we were only allowed to have one and my sister wanted a guinea pig. I locked at the guinea pigs and saw a cute baby guinea pig that was looking at me and I thought we have to get this one we can't ignore the animals in need. So we got her and named her Lilly. At first she was scared and curled upo into a boll on the farthest side of her cage when we brought her home. But two days later we bonded immediately. But I was lucky because scotts pet shop have really small cages with very little selection of any kind of animals. They even have stingrays which are very pretty but they are in a small indoor pond and petco just like Scotts have a bad selection on any animals they have. Petsmart has so many things to see besides the rodents and other small animals. I like watching the puppy training and the grooming and I love seeing the snakes and other reptiles as well. I love rodents. Theirs a lot of people who are affraid of mice and rats because of their tails. I don't get what their is to be affraid of. Mice and rats just like hamsters,gerbils, guinea pigs,and rabbits they have that cute little face.
Hey thanks everyone and Sorry I was gone for like a year! Luv u all and I'm not going to leave again! I sorta got wrapped up in my fish tank breaking down and breeding etc. Also my rabbits leaving and my two mice dying and one having to get put up for adoption. I know whoever is reading this is probably like "who are you and why are you saying this?" people like shadowtheblacklab would understand and sullybaby etc. if u guys are still on please say something because it's so good to be back on here!
Have you thought about adopting? There are lots of lovely ratties that need homes. Personally, i don't like the idea of purchasing a pet from a store, especially a chain. Breeders and Rescues tend to make sure that their rats are taken care of for life instead of just worrying about them until they leave the store. If you are in a situation where you have to choose between petsmart and petco, choose petsmart. I've heard too many horror stories about petco to even step foot in that place and the workers at least have a faint idea of what they are talking about at Petsmart. I only go in there if it can't be avoided, but when I do everyone looks well taken care of.
Breeders are the best choice. I've heard so many things about how you're "supporting a horrible co. that makes bad things for pets" about Petsmart and Petco.
AND NEVER BUY A CRITTERTRAIL CAGE. ALWAYS use a tank. The crittertrails are bad for rodents.
dont go 2 either one ! i bought pets from both places and both are BAD from expierence working there 2. i stongly suggest some other pets store or breeder. my pet store is called PET-POURRI their THE BEST !!!!!
I don't see how a tank would hurt a rat, but what I'm saying is not to buy those plastic/wired critter trails. A wire cage shouldn't be bad, but NOT any with that plastic in it.
dont go 2 either one ! i bought pets from both places and both are BAD from expierence working there 2. i stongly suggest some other pets store or breeder. my pet store is called PET-POURRI their THE BEST !!!!!