Suggested Adoption Requirements

1. Owns their own home or has the permission of his or her landlord.

2. Has a cage made of suitable materials at least 12" tall with 288 square inches of floor space for two rats, and an additional 100 square inches of floor space for each additional rat.

3. Understands that pocket pets need veterinary care the same as dogs and cats, and is willing to provide and pay for this care. (Major medical health insurance policies are available from Veterinary Pet Insurance for $87/year per rat.)

4. Is willing to adopt two rats to live together, or if adopting a single rat, agrees to introduce it to an existing rat.

5. An adult caretaker is willing to insure this pet receives daily attention and exercise, as well as proper food and bedding, and will not require a child to take sole responsibility, and will not threaten to get rid of the pet even if the child needs habitual reminders to do agreed-upon chores. (This is just part of being a child!)

Pocket Pet Adoption Questionnaire

Part 1: Personal/Environmental

Name________________________________________

Address____________________________________________________________________

Home phone___________________________ Work phone___________________________

Email address__________________________________________

We have ___ adults and ___ children living in the household. Ages of children________

Who will be the primary caretaker for this animal? ___________________________________

I own / rent my dwelling. (Please circle one.) If you rent, landlord’s phone __________________

Is anyone in your household allergic to rodents? _____________________________

Part 2: Pet History

Have you ever owned a pocket pet before? ______ If so, how long ago?__________________

What type and how many? _______________________________________ How long did it/they live and what happened to it/them?________________________________________________

Have you ever had to give up a pet before? ____ If yes, why? ____________________________

What pets do you currently have? (types and sex)______________________________________ ___________________________________ Are they spayed/neutered?____________________

How much time per day do you plan to spend with this new pet? __________________________

Are you looking for a companion for an existing pet? YES NO

Are you prepared to spend the time necessary to properly introduce and accustom your current pets to the new pet? YES NO

Are you prepared to house the new pet separately should it not get along with your

present pets? YES NO

Part 3: Pocket Pet Care

What type of pet did you want to adopt? _____________________________

What kind of cage setup do you have? _____________________________________________

What type of bedding are you currently using or do you plan to use? _____________________

What type of diet are you currently using or do you plan to use? _________________________

How do you plan to give your new pet(s) out of cage time? ____________________________

___________________________________ How often? ______________________________

Do you currently have a veterinarian? _____ If yes, who? ______________________________

How much do you plan to budget per year for basic care for this animal? __________________

How much do you plan to budget per year for veterinary care for this animal? ______________

Topics to discuss with a potential adopter:

Appropriate housing and toys, diet and feeding schedule, health care (recommend Rat Health Care booklet), exercise requirements, life span, chewing, housetraining, introducing to other pets, vacationing with/without pets

Information on these topics is available in the rat care book Rats by Debbie Ducommun, and some of this information is available at www.ratfanclub.org.