Adoption

So you’re looking to adopt some pocket puppies? How exciting! At Rachie’s Ratirement Home, we offer traditional adoption through our rescue, as well as direct owner-to-owner adoption through our Supported Self-Rehoming program. You can read about and see the available rats for both options below.

Apply to adopt from us

Our goal is to best match the personalities and circumstances of our adopters with the rats in our care, as well as to do due diligence to ensure that we only send rats to homes that have done at least enough research and preparation to maintain a good quality of life by modern care standards, which we ensure via the application.
You don’t need to have a rat mansion or be an expert, just show us that you love and respect your pets, can ensure their core needs are met (dietary, social, environment, enrichment and medical) and have enough of an idea to avoid common mistakes and recognize when something isn’t right.

It’s simple process to get pre-approved, and you only need to do it once, after that you can just email us when you see rats you’re interested in!
You’re welcome to get approved and just sit in the list waiting for the right rats, so long as you’re all ready to go.

Just submit your application and one of our volunteers will be in touch via email to talk through any gaps, and once you’ve got the tick, discuss which rats you’re interested in. You may want to whitelist hello@rachiesratirementhome.com. Use your application to help us understand where you’re at - applications that answer all the questions with “whatever you recommend” are very earnest, but we’re 100% volunteer run and don’t currently have capacity to mentor people 1:1 though everything, although you’re welcome to email us if you have specific questions about aspects of care.
Want to get a more guided experience of rat care, and see if it’s for you? Ask us about fostering instead!

Unless specific alternate arrangements are discussed, all rats adopted from the rescue go through a screening period for health and temperament assessment and receive any medical care they may need prior to adoption. Adoption fees are Pay What You Can. Applying does not guarantee the availability or adoption of a specific rat, but allows you set appointments with foster carers to see what rat(s) suit you best.  If you have any questions, check out the FAQ below or email hello@rachiesratirementhome.com.

Scroll down to see more rats that are available through our Supported Self Rehoming program!

‍ You can also find rats looking for homes through our Supported Self-Rehoming (SSR) program. With SSR, rats are adopted from their previous owner directly into their new home. This removes the extra stress of a rat coming into foster with us before being rehomed. It is also an amazing opportunity to learn more about the animals you are adopting from those who love them most. You can find out more about how we do Supported Self-Rehoming here.

All rats currently available through our Supported Self-Rehoming program can be viewed below. If you’re interested in adopting a rat looking for a home, please complete an  adoption application here.

  • After much research, we have moved from fixed adoption fees to Pay What You Can. Modern research shows that charging a fee does nothing to improve the quality of care an animal receives or how likely they are to stay in that home - that's what screening is for!

    Adoption fees bring in money, but there is a known psychological phenomenon where they significantly reduce the likelihood of adoption - when adopters can afford it comfortably.

    Since changing to PWYC, adopters have on average paid more than what the adoption fees were, AND we saw an immediate shortening of lengths-of-stay, especially among older and less 'desirable' rats! We're extremely grateful for all donations, they are essential for the rescue to operate, but evidence-based best practice says it's best for the animals if we source them separately to charging mandatory fees, so that's what we do.

  • RRH adopters must be over 18 years of age, or have a parent or guardian adopt the rats on their behalf and ensure that the care needs of the animal (environment, food, veterinary care) are all met.

  • At RRH, we encourage our adopters to choose based on personality and suitability to their current colony, their owner experience and their set up rather than a preferred appearance. We are absolutely happy to work with adopters to make sure we have someone to suit their needs, but please be aware that we cannot promise certain aesthetic traits.

  • We don’t use freight or delivery services to transport our rats to adoptive homes. Part of our process for ensuring the wellbeing and safety of our animals is meeting you as part of the adoption process. Additionally, we want to ensure our ability to support our adopters along the way.

  • Rachie's Ratirement Home does not endorse lone rats (single rats kept alone) except in the most exceptional of circumstances. We do not adopt out one rat unless they will be joining an existing colony. Rats are obligate colony animals. We do accept rats to be kept in pairs, however we strongly encourage owners to consider three or more for their health, well-being and enrichment. We are absolutely happy to help lone rat owners with companion foster rats (should a further adoption be unsuitable) where we have a companion rat available or by assisting rehoming through our supported self-rehoming program.

Adoption FAQs

Here is some helpful information to support your adoption journey - if there are things you’re not sure about feel free to ask, we’re happy to help! Whether you adopt from us or through the Supported Self-Rehoming program, you are always welcome to reach out to us if things change or you need support in any way.