It's not just PetSmart, it's all pet stores in general. Rats from pet stores are almost always sickly and may not always live long after you get them. This is because all pet store rats come from rodent mills, where lots and lots of rats are crammed into tiny spaces and no regard is given to their health, because the vast majority of these rats are intended to be snake food. However, the rats actually sold as pets come from the exact same place - the dumbo rats they sell as pets and the regular rats in the feeder tanks are the exact same species, and often, they're littermates.
For anyone wanting another rat, I do advocate checking with local animal rescues and shelters, and see if there's even a rat rescue in your area. If not, look for local breeders. Their rats will be a little more expensive, but well worth it. Breeders breed for health, longevity, color, variety, and temperament. I'd choose the pet store as a last result, as is my case. My local rat rescue never gets rats in and there's no nearby breeders, so all of my girls have come from the pet store. Four out of six of them were from feeder tanks. Even one of the others is sick, in fact, she's my sickest, because she was kept in pine shavings.
Most rat owners will shun those who buy rats from pet stores. They're always like, "you're supporting the rodent mill industry!" And no, we aren't. Snake owners are supporting the rodent mill industry. Probably 99% of rats bought from pet stores are snake food. Those who buy pet store rats as pets when compared to those who buy them for snake food basically are no part of the support for rodent mills. All you're doing by buying from a pet store is saving an innocent little life who would otherwise never get to grow up. I'm quite proud of rescuing my four feeder girls.
So if you go to PetSmart, or wherever else, to buy pet rats, it might be a better idea to get rats from the pet bin, if possible. The feeder rats tend to have two problems. One, they may not be as healthy, since no one in the store cares for the feeder rats' health, as they're only intended for snake food. Therefore, they crowd lots of them into aquariums, sometimes so many that some rats can't touch their feet to the bottom, and this causes the tank to get really dirty and the smell of ammonia can make the rats sick. Two, feeder rats are never held or socialized and can be almost impossible to tame - one of my feeder girls has lived with me for eleven months and she's still as wild as she was when I got her. Oh, and female feeder rats are often pregnant, as they can get pregnant at five weeks and the males and females are almost always kept together.
By the way, your rat isn't having nosebleeds. Rats produce something called porphyrin, a reddish substance that appears around their eyes and/or nose when they are sick, or stressed. Some rats produce it as they wake up. As long as your rat isn't losing weight or sneezing, the porphyrin is nothing to worry about. I don't think the heat would cause something like that, since it's over 100 degrees Fahrenheit here almost every day and it has no such effect on my rats. Sounds like your ratty is sick, unfortunately. How is he behaving? Has he been scratching or shaking? Can you hear a wheezing or quacking sound coming from him? When he sneezes, is there anything coming out of his nose, besides porphyrin?
For anyone wanting another rat, I do advocate checking with local animal rescues and shelters, and see if there's even a rat rescue in your area. If not, look for local breeders. Their rats will be a little more expensive, but well worth it. Breeders breed for health, longevity, color, variety, and temperament. I'd choose the pet store as a last result, as is my case. My local rat rescue never gets rats in and there's no nearby breeders, so all of my girls have come from the pet store. Four out of six of them were from feeder tanks. Even one of the others is sick, in fact, she's my sickest, because she was kept in pine shavings.
Most rat owners will shun those who buy rats from pet stores. They're always like, "you're supporting the rodent mill industry!" And no, we aren't. Snake owners are supporting the rodent mill industry. Probably 99% of rats bought from pet stores are snake food. Those who buy pet store rats as pets when compared to those who buy them for snake food basically are no part of the support for rodent mills. All you're doing by buying from a pet store is saving an innocent little life who would otherwise never get to grow up. I'm quite proud of rescuing my four feeder girls.
So if you go to PetSmart, or wherever else, to buy pet rats, it might be a better idea to get rats from the pet bin, if possible. The feeder rats tend to have two problems. One, they may not be as healthy, since no one in the store cares for the feeder rats' health, as they're only intended for snake food. Therefore, they crowd lots of them into aquariums, sometimes so many that some rats can't touch their feet to the bottom, and this causes the tank to get really dirty and the smell of ammonia can make the rats sick. Two, feeder rats are never held or socialized and can be almost impossible to tame - one of my feeder girls has lived with me for eleven months and she's still as wild as she was when I got her. Oh, and female feeder rats are often pregnant, as they can get pregnant at five weeks and the males and females are almost always kept together.
By the way, your rat isn't having nosebleeds. Rats produce something called porphyrin, a reddish substance that appears around their eyes and/or nose when they are sick, or stressed. Some rats produce it as they wake up. As long as your rat isn't losing weight or sneezing, the porphyrin is nothing to worry about. I don't think the heat would cause something like that, since it's over 100 degrees Fahrenheit here almost every day and it has no such effect on my rats. Sounds like your ratty is sick, unfortunately. How is he behaving? Has he been scratching or shaking? Can you hear a wheezing or quacking sound coming from him? When he sneezes, is there anything coming out of his nose, besides porphyrin?
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