hey everyone,

Does anyone know where to get dumbo rats from anywhere in Switzerland? I've searched EVERYWHERE and I just cant seem to find any. or even just rats that aren't too expensive? cus i think 40 francs for a plain ol' rat is pretty expensive!

thaaanks alot

I have to look them up. They are sooo cute!

You can try the animal rescue. They have small critters category. Not sure you'll get dumbo rats specifically, but have a look.

www.tierdatenbank.ch

ETA: Actually could these be dumbo rats? Look up #30218

If you speak French, @rrweb has a forum where you can look for babies to adopt.

Lecoindesrats.net is nice too.

Rats are wonderful pets, I loved mine dearly. I hope you find what you're looking for!

CHF 40 for a rat?

That's more than I pay for a rabbit!

Tom

thanks miniMia! I will definitely consider those

sadly I don't, but I'm planning to! also I have a French speaking friend so she can translate for me ehehe. thankyou!

Its ridiculous isn't it! back in New Zealand I payed around 5 or 6 dollars!

Especially when you know that the animals you buy in pet shops are bred in dreadful conditions, without checking consanguinity, resulting in animals in poor health and with a very short life-span...

It's much better to get a rat from a responsible private owner, or through a specialized website.

I can strongly recommend getting a pet rat from a rescue such as http://www.rattenclub.ch/vermittlung.html

I volunteered for rescue when I lived in Canada and I think the animals you get from rescue have many benefits. Rats have a wide variety of temperaments so the animals from the rescue were matched with the adopter. You got excellent advice, the animals were well looked after (often they came in with mites which were treated before they were adopted out), and during the fostering the animals were always socialized. This is in contrast to many pet stores where they are dumped in a cage with little interaction. Plus, often rats ended up in rescue because their owners bought them in pet stores and a few weeks later the rats would give a 15 baby surprise. Also, I think it is common for females to be spayed in Europe (I think) which is a more expensive procedure and I think I read that a second advantage (besides the 15 baby surprise) is that they have fewer tumours when they age. So perhaps the more expensive animals that you find are ones which have had medical procedures.

I've never heard about buying a spayed rat in Switzerland. Guinea pigs, yes, but not rats.

I'm all for rescue centers. But considering that the life-span of a rat is 1.5-2 years, which is nothing, if you adopt a rescue rat you may have only a few months with your animal...

That's why I eventually stopped adopting rats. I would get so attached to them, and they leave us so soon, it was a drama each time. .