A few weeks after Kelsey's death, I received a phone call from my vet's office, Calista Animal Hospital. I was pretty baffled: I didn't have any appointments coming and was pretty sure I didn't owe them any money that week, so why the call? I slipped away from my desk at work to check my message.
The message informed me that a long-time rat owner had just lost one of her older ladies and was looking for a companion for her remaining rat, and wondered if I might be able to help her find a new rat or two to bring home.
I had to listen to the message twice. I usually get weird messages asking me to take the rat, not vice versa!
Anyway, I called her and discussed what she was looking for, and said I'd get back with her as soon as I found a match. Lucky for her, I found a girl needing a new home that same day: A "must be gone immediately" ad on Craigslist.
Picking the baby up turned out to be a bit of an adventure.
The people wanted to sell her to me for $50 with her cage, which I just couldn't accept. I offered to take the rat and leave the cage for them to sell. They waffled. It turns out they had a second rat as well that they wanted to get rid of (that had not been in the advertisement) but didn't want to give away for free. I explained I was a rescue, offered my references, but they wouldn't budge.
They were being rehomed because the people who bought them (college students, from the look of it) couldn't get them past the landlord. They'd spent money on buying them, and wanted to get that money back. The whole house had kind of a weird, uncomfortable vibe and I was eager to get out as quick as I could...but not until I'd made a valiant effort at bringing home the rats!
I called and explained the situation to the would-be adopter and she agreed she'd deal with them for the fee if I could pick up and foster for a couple days, so I did. They let me leave with the little black hooded girl that day, and the adopter came with payment and picked up the second girl (a dumbo champagne berk) a couple days later.
Lily (as the black hooded girl was called) turned out to be wonderfully sweet. A little nervous, like all petstore babies are, but gentle and cuddly. Last I heard she's settling in quite well at her new home.
It was a fiasco, but it worked out OK in the end. I'm especially pleased now to have another adopter at-the-ready the next time a few rats come my way that need new homes!
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