Ratsitters

Summer vacation is upon us, and many will be going away on holiday. Thisleaves us with the problem of finding someone to take care of our rats whilewe're away. Many have family or close friends who can be trusted with theseprecious little lives, but there are others who have a more difficult timefinding trustworthy caregivers.

For those of us who subscribe to James Kittock's rat email list thisproblem was brought home tragically in March. A fellow list member arranged tohave her rats cared for while she was away for March break. During the weekshe called her ratsitter several times just in case there was a problem. Whenshe arrived home she discovered that her ratsitter had not, in fact, beencaring for her rats, and seven newly weaned baby boys had died of starvation!

Even the worst events can cause some good, and because of this tragedy,there is now a web page which lists volunteer ratsitters. At the time of thiswriting the people who have volunteered are all members of the rat email list,and contact is through email. If you are looking for a ratsitter in yourarea, or would like to be listed on this page, the address is:

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/1248/ratsitter.html

Special thanks should go to Stephanie Wolf who maintains the main page,and Henderica Lammertsma who maintains the European listing. Visit their pagesand ask to have your name added to the list of ratsitters. The more of usthere are in this directory the better. No one should every lose their belovedpet because of an irresponsible sitter!

If you make use of this web page, please be sure to meet with yourratsitter, and be sure you are comfortable with him/her before leaving yourrats in their care. Due to the very nature of the internet, there is no way tomeet and verify the credentials of people. We must accept what they tell usabout themselves. It's unlikely that anyone who does not care deeply forrats would volunteer as a ratsitter, but it is always wise to be cautious.

Editor's note: The above site is appears to be gone-- please let us know if you have seen it elsewhere! In the mean time, you can visit Michaela's Ratsitting http://www.blackwingedroses.com/ or contact your local veterinary hospital for pet sitters in your area.