Are You A "No-Kill" Rescue?

We do not refer to ourselves as a “no-kill” rescue. "No-kill" is a misleading and divisive term that stigmatizes open admission shelters (shelters that take in all animals regardless of adoptability or space) and often unjustly praises limited admission shelters (shelters that are able to turn away animals when there is no space and/or that cherry pick highly adoptable animals).  Referring to a shelter without such luxury as a "kill shelter" is insulting, stigmatizing, and, again, misleading.   These terms place blame (or accolades) and often undeservedly, divide the animal sheltering movement unnecessarily, and are often unjustly used as the sole criterion for evaluating or supporting an organization.

That said, here at CTRR we do not euthanize healthy or treatable animals. We do choose to provide humane euthanasia (performed by our veterinarian) when it is in the best interest of the animal, such as in cases of incurable illness or to prevent suffering.

Why do I have to fill out an adoption application?

We are deeply invested in our rescued ratties (financially and emotionally!)  We love and care for each one of them dearly, and consider them no less valuable than a cat or a dog.  For them to end up in rescue, someone in their lives has already failed them at least once.  It’s up to us to try and prevent that from happening again.  Unfortunately, this requires asking questions of adopters that may be considered excessive or invasive by some.  We apologize for any discomfort with our adoption process, but please understand the sole purpose for these measures is the best interests of the rats.  They are depending on us to look out for them!  If you have any questions about our application questions, just ask!

I found some orphaned baby wild rats!  Can you help?

Unfortunately, CTRR is not a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility and we are only able to take in domesticatd rats.  We are unable to help with orphaned, injured, or sick wildlife of any kind.  We suggest you contact a local wildlife rehabilitator to see if they can assist you.   Austin Wildlife Rescue or here.

Do you often have baby rats up for adoption?

While the majority of our rats tend to be young adults, we do sometimes get litters of baby rats surrendered to or born into the rescue.  We encourage those who want to adopt very young ratties to keep a close eye on our Petfinder and Facebook pages.

We urge you to also consider that our adult rescue ratties need love, too! Lots of people only want babies, but there are many advantages to choosing a mature rattie companion over a youngster. Their personalities are more developed, so you generally know what you are getting and whether they will "mesh" with your home and/or resident rats. They also tend to be better adjusted and socialized since they've seen more of the world. They're easier to litter train (and in many cases, CTRR has provided a head-start on this process). They eat less and poop less, plus they're usually cleaner, calmer, and easier to handle, too. 

We know these guys have short lifespans and you want to have them as long as possible, but we have so many wonderful adult rats that deserve good homes... won't you consider them, too?

Why are rats surrendered to CTRR?

A lot of people mistakenly believe that most rats are surrendered to shelters and rescues because of behavioral problems.  On the contrary, the vast majority of rats that end up in rescue end up there through no fault of their own.  Rats of all ages and all varieties end up in rescue.  The top reasons for surrender are:
- Kids lost interest/aren’t caring for/got a new pet
-No time for the rat(s) anymore
-Landlord/parents won’t allow/moving to where pets not allowed
-Allergies
-Too many rats/can’t afford
-Bought a pregnant or missexed rat and can’t keep the babies

CTRR will always disclose any known issues about rats in our care and will not adopt them out without full disclosure.

Can I adopt just one rat?

At CTRR, we prefer to adopt out rats in pairs.  We will not separate bonded cagemates, but in some cases, we will adopt out a single rat if you have a rat at home intended as a companion.  We will not adopt out rats to live alone.  Rats are highly social animals and it has been proven they need same species companionship to be happiest and healthiest. 

http://www.nfrs.org/company.html

http://www.curiousv.com/curiosityrats/files/infolone.html