I always wish there was a check list of things I needed to know right away before getting my first rats.
There is often misconceptions and many pet shops seem to make it their mission to give out bad, wrong & misleading info!
So here is my most useful simple info to consider when getting your first rats.
1. The bigger the cage the better!
You will find most rat owners make the mistake of getting a cage too small at first. We often end up upgrading soon after! But IMO it is much wiser to start off with the larger cage, both financially and for the care of the rats.
When you visit your local pet shop most if not all of the "rat" cages they have will actually NOT be well suited for rats at all. Sadly pet shops are there to make money, and your random Joe off the street will be more willing to purchase a new pet & a cage from them if it is smaller. So pet shops are going to push smaller cages. They may only actually stock smaller cages even!
☆ Some smaller cages are fine for 2 rats.
☆ Vertical (tall) cages are better.
☆ Ideal bar spacing is 1.5 inches, many cages are often 1 inch and younger, female rats can often easily slip right through the bars and escape.
☆ Plastic bottom cages are often a huge mistake. So many rats easily chew right through the cage and escape. Then you are out of the cost of the cage, need to buy a new cage, and now your rat is without a home!
No you should never ever keep your rat in an aquarium.
2. Most rat food sold in pet shops is terrible
Many experienced rat owners prefer to order their rats food online and have it shipped. It is way more cost effective to buy in bulk and it can be harder to find good quality pet food in stores. Some pet stores only carry certain brands and some do not carry the brands we want at all.
Seed mixes are absolute junk. Often made with chemicals and dyes that are not safe. Cheap ingredients. And are full of rat junk food- most seeds are very fatty and should not be a part of their daily diet but used as a treat. Rats will also just pick through & eat the stuff they like, meaning they will not get a balanced diet.
3. Pet shop rats may not have been handled often if at all.
Rats make amazing pets, they bond deeply and can be sweet cuddly love muffins. But (as with any animal) if they have never been loved, handled, or had to deal with people then they will likely be very timid or shy.
All rats are different and some will easily open up while others may take alot of time, effort and patience to build trust.
*Another reason I highly suggest buying from a breeder who has handled their rats
4. Rats are not sit & watch pets
Rats are very hands on pets. They need alot of attention, play and love. They are much more like a cat or dog in this manner. Yes they live in a cage, but IMO view the cage like your dogs crate/bed/run. They shouldn't be locked up 24/7 or anywhere close to that. They need quite a bit of time outside of their cage.
5. Yes rats can be destructive.
All rats are unique but most rats are little destructive brats. If they can chew it, they likely will. See above ^ cages made out of plastic often end up with a hole chewed right through. Hammocks and beds and toys will often also be thoroughly chewed up.
Rat proofing your room? HA! Goodluck with that, like children they will show you every mistake you made with that. Leave something down? It is filled with holes now. Cords, remotes, clothing and perhaps even well loved items can easily be ruined if left where rats can get to it.
Also rats are highly intelligent, and born to get into cracks & climb every which way. I have personally seen rats climb up a standing lamp, between a wall and shelf, and jump quite high!
6. All pets bring with them some odor.
Some people enjoy or do not mind the natural odor of animals, some can not stand it. But no matter what urine and feces are never going to smell lovely. I don't care what type of pet you have it doesn't smell like roses. My cat's litter box doesn't smell nice.
Is it bad? It shouldn't be. If properly kept under control and cleaned it should never get a chance to have a strong smell. If your rat cage smells bad it is because you are not properly handling it. *That being said some are more sensitive than others to the smell
Most rats can have some level of litter box training. Which will help with the smell alot.
If you are having odor issues:
☆ How often are you cleaning the cage? 1-2 times a week is probably ideal for most.
☆ Do not do more than spot clean daily. Their cage is their home and should smell like them. If it is too clean it will make matters worse because they will mark it alot more.
☆ How large is your cage and how many rats do you have? If your rats cage is too small and/or over crowded it is going to make the smell alot worse.
☆ Are you using a litter box? It helps.
☆ What type of bedding are you using? Some are much better than others and you may need to change it up.
7. Health, vet care & short lifespans
Rats have very short lifespans, 2-3 years is most common. Even knowing this it can still feel far too soon when it eventually happens and you lose your little love.
On top of short lifes, many rats end up with health issues. Females often have mammary tumors. And many rats develop URIs.
The most surprising thing though for new rat owners is vet costs. Vet costs can be very high for rats. You will often pay more for rats than you will for dogs or cats. It is hard to give examples as every part of the country will have different price quotes. But in Texas I was looking at paying $85 just for them to see the rat, tumor removal or neutering can cost several hundred to thousands.
Then we also have to deal with finding a good qualified vet that will even seen rats. It was a pain in the butt finding a really good vet to see my cats, and far less vets will even accept rats and even less have alot of experience working with them!!
Read my links above for more detailed info on keeping pet rats!
Showing posts with label FAQ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FAQ. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Friday, August 21, 2015
Emotional Support Animals
I often see in pet groups people asking about service animals, therapy animals and emotional support animals (ESA). Sadly there is alot of misinformation and ignorance on this subject. I'd like to share some knowledge.
This is US based info.
First terminology. Each of these terms is sometimes wrongly used interchangeably but they each have a different meaning, different laws, and different uses.
Service Animals:
Service animals are either dogs or miniature horses, except within a very few states that legally allow other types of animals. They are trained to perform tasks for someone with a disability. Most commonly known would be dogs for the blind. But service dogs can benefit many disabilities both obvious and invisible such as; diabetic alert, seizure alert, mobility support, helping with PTSD and mental disorders, etc...
You must be legally disabled to have a service animal. Being legally disabled does not mean you are on disability or can not work. The legal definition of Disabled under the ADA is: a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.
In order to be a service animal, the animal must be trained in tasks directly related to the person's disability. Comfort or just being with you is not a trained task and therefor does not count.
A service animal must be well trained, behaved and fully under the handler's control.
ONLY service animals are allowed public access. That means the owner is allowed to bring their service animal with them in any business even if it does not allow pets, such as restaurants, grocery stores, etc... What ever is open to the public, the handler and their service animal is allowed. They can not ask you to leave because of allergies, fear of dogs, because of food, etc... They may ask you to leave if your animal is being disruptive or is out of control.
A business is allowed to ask the handler two questions before admitting them entrance. 1. Is that a service dog? 2. What tasks does it provide?
Service animals are allowed in no pet housing in most cases, with pet deposits/fees waved, allowed in hotels, and on public transportation and flying.
Their is no legal registration, certification, ID, or test an animal has to have to be a service animal. The websites you see online that advertise this are all scams. They are taking advantage of people who do not know the law and also giving people who just want to take their pets into public an easy way to fraud the system and fake their pet. People have registered their rocks, killer whales and other silly objects/pets to show how meaningless it really is. These sites are highly frowned upon in the service animal community. Showing a legally meaningless ID or registration to a business, only confuses the public and makes it harder for legit teams.
Service dogs can be any breed, any size. While vests and patches showing they are a service dog are quite common it is not actually the law that they have to be vested either.
Service animals can be trained and obtained through organizations or be owner trained.
A FAQ on Service Animals by the ADA:
http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html
SDiT:
Service Dog in Training. While in training, service animals are NOT covered under the ADA but instead covered in each states laws individually. Some states grant us the same rights to have our SDiT as service dogs others do not. Which means in some states your SDiT is not allowed public access.
Therapy Animals:
A therapy animal is an animal trained to provide comfort and support to groups of people in hospitals, nursing homes, retirement homes, schools, and in stressfull situations. They can be a wide variety of animals including: dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, etc... They need some basic training and to be calm, polite and ok with groups of strangers. There are different training and programs in different areas.
Therapy animals are not meant to work with a single person. They are not allowed in the general public such as stores or restaurants.
Therapy animals are granted no special privileges towards housing or flying.
Emotional Support Animals (ESA):
ESAs are companion pets that provide therapeutic benefit and comfort, such as alleviating or mitigating symptoms of the owner's disability.
You must be legally disabled to qualify for an ESA. Being legally disabled does not mean you are on disability or can not work. The legal definition of Disabled under the ADA is: a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.
Many disabilities can benefit from an ESA, though most commonly used with mental or psychiatric disabilities.
ESAs require NO special training, though basic training is important for any pet. They are for comfort only and do not need to be task trained.
Unlike service animals, ESAs have NO public access. They are considered pets and still only allowed in public where normal pets are allowed.
ESAs are allowed in most housing, even in no pet housing. Pet deposit/fees are waived. They are also allowed to fly with their owners.
In order to get an ESA you must attain a letter/prescription from your doctor stating that you are disabled and in need of an emotional support animal.
Their is no legal registration, certification, ID, or test an animal has to have to be an ESA. The websites you see online that advertise this are all scams. They are taking advantage of people who do not know the law and also giving people who just want to take their pets into public an easy way to fraud the system and fake their pet. People have registered their rocks, killer whales and other silly objects/pets to show how meaningless it really is. These sites are highly frowned upon in the service animal community. Many of these sites FALSELY claim that you can bring your ESA everywhere with you. This is not true. Your ESA does not need a vest or ID for any purpose.
An ESA can be just about any animal. There are dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, rats, snakes, etc... Know that depending on your choice of animal, housing and planes can still deny you as it may not be a reasonable accommodation. ie if my ESA is a cow.
If you own your own home or live in pet friendly housing, and have no plans to ever fly having an ESA is completely moot. It is just a pet outside of those two areas.
ADA:
The ADA is the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is a civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else.
The ADA ONLY relates to service animals, granting the owners/handler's rights to have their service animal accompany them.
http://www.ada.gov/ada_intro.htm
FHA:
The FHA is the Federal Housing Administration, it is a government agency that covers housing laws. The FHA relates to both service animals and emotional support animals and even considers both the same under assistance animals.
This grants us rights to have our service animal or emotional support animal in our housing, even if it is no pets housing. It also waves any pet deposit or pet fees. We are still responsible for any damage our animals do.
Our animals also need to be well behaved, no loud barking, always leashed and under our control. We must also clean up after our dogs.
In order to have our service animal or ESA with us, we first need to request reasonable accommodation. We may have to show proof of need as in a letter from our doctor stating we are under their care, we are disabled, and we are in need of a service animal/ESA.
There are some exceptions.
1.Buildings with four or fewer units where the landlord lives in one of the units.
2.Private owners who do not own more than three single family houses, do not use real estate brokers or agents, and do not use discriminatory advertisements.
3. Hotels and Motels are considered public access instead of dwellings. They are covered under the ADA & not the FHA, so service dogs are allowed but ESAs are not.
There can also be species and breed restrictions. Reasonable Accommodation, means just that. If an animal can not be reasonably kept because of its species or causes undue burden they can deny it.
This also goes for dog breed restrictions as it relates to insurance. For example if your service dog or ESA is a breed that is often denied and the insurance company would raise or deny coverage, then they may deny you. This is something to consider when choosing your breed if you rent.
http://servicedogcentral.org/content/node/460
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/states/shared/working/r10/fh/questions
https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=servanimals_ntcfheo2013-01.pdf
Air Travel
Both service animals and ESAs are allowed to fly with their owners in the cabin with no charge or fees. This is not covered by the ADA but instead the ACAA (Air Carrier Access Act).
If your service animal is a PSD (psychiatric service dog) or an ESA than you need a doctors letter in order to fly. They do not always ask for it, but without this letter they CAN deny you access.
This letter must contain:
http://servicedogcentral.org/content/ESA-flying
http://www.iaadp.org/airline.html
Ethics:
Sadly alot of people fake Service Dogs and even ESAs. They selfishly want to take their pets everywhere with them and/or think it is a victimless crime.
The truth is that it DOES actually cause great harm to the disabled who actually need them.
People often bring ill-mannered, out of control pets to public.
We are often blind to how well behaved or lack thereof our pets actually are. So we think fluffy is just being cute but they are actually causing a disruption.
This makes business want to fight against service dogs being allowed, causes real service dog teams being denied access, and causes the general public to think that service dogs are just "pets" and are not truly needed by their owners.
Can you imagine just trying to live your life and have a nice day out with your family. But instead of having a nice meal at your favorite restaurant, they refuse to allow you to enter because of your real service dog. The employees make a large embarrassing scene and it ruins your entire day. <-- this happens far too often.
Many pets are not friendly or too friendly towards other animals. Your dog pulling on the leash, lunging, whining, barking or growling at a real service dog team is rude, disrespectful and can cause serious damage to the dog and the owner.
Dog attacks, even if no one is physically harmed can cause serious mental and emotional issues in dogs.
It can also cause the service dog to be distracted so they miss an alert to their owner. Missing an alert can literally mean their owners life!
https://www.thedodo.com/why-you-should-never-pet-a-service-dog-1225435298.html
Faking a service animal makes it so much harder for legit teams. It causes businesses and the general public to see everyone as fakers and push for more restrictive laws, making it much harder for the disabled who really need service animals to get them.
It also causes an ugly backlash against legit teams. I have seen for myself how rude the public and businesses can be. A legit service dog team will be illegally kicked from a business. When they push the issue and the media finds out, the business has attacked them calling them a faker. The public jumps on board saying that no one needs a service dog, that they are a faker, that they do not "look or seem" disabled (which is just another slap in the face for someone disabled), people have even been threatened and attacked online over this!
Would you park in a disabled parking spot?
Would you fake being in a wheel chair?
I also often see people giving support and acknowledgement to veterans. But many veterans suffer from PTSD and are in need of service dogs. Faking is not only disrespectful to them but actually hurting them!
Faking for housing...
I often see see posts from people saying how they have to get rid of their beloved pet because they are moving into no pet housing or their landlord found out about the pet they were not supposed to have. And everytime someone will speak up and say just make it a service dog/ESA and you can keep it!!
NO! Stop right there! An ESA or Service Dog is not a free pet ticket.
Again this also hurts the disabled who truly need them. It causes alot of landlords to be very frustrated and hesitant towards legit service dog/ESA teams. Perhaps even turning them down for housing "for other reasons" just because they are sick of fakers or think they are a faker.
Is it ethical? NO.
It is selfish and disrespectful to fake being disabled just to keep a pet.
How does this relate to rats?
Ok so you may ask, "Can my pet rat be a service animal?"
1. Are you legally disabled and in need of a service animal?
2. Do you live in one of the very few states that allow animals other than a dog or miniature horse to be a service animal?
3. In what way can a rat be task trained to help your disability, keeping in mind that comfort or just being there does not count?
IMHO, the answer is NO, rats can not be service animals.
Rats are incredibly intelligent. But I have a good understanding of most tasks that can be trained for disabilities and I can not see a rat being able to do any of them besides possibly fetching items but their size would seriously limit this ability.
"Can my rat become an ESA (emotional support animal)?"
1. Are you legally disabled and in need of comfort from a pet?
Yes! Rats can make lovely ESAs.
But things to keep in mind:
Rats should always be kept in groups and this may cause issues with some housing and their view of reasonable accommodation. I have seen this actually happen quite a few times, often in dorms. Where the housing does not want to allow multiple rats. It can be a fight and should be considered.
Attempting to fly with rats, even as an ESA could be troublesome to convince the airline to allow them.
Remember ESAs have no public access. You can not take them shopping with you, you can not take them out to dinner, or in any public place that does not allow pets.
If you are disabled and in need of an ESA and would like your rat or other pet to become one, the first thing you need to do is talk to your doctor or therapist. Have them confirm you are disabled and discuss that you feel the need for an ESA. If they agree, you will want them to write a letter for you.
An example letter that I have used:
Have any questions about service animals or ESAs?
Want advice/help on getting a service animal or ESA?
I would be happy to answer any questions I can or try to point you in the right direction. Leave a comment or reach me under contact me link!
This is US based info.
First terminology. Each of these terms is sometimes wrongly used interchangeably but they each have a different meaning, different laws, and different uses.
Service Animals:
Service animals are either dogs or miniature horses, except within a very few states that legally allow other types of animals. They are trained to perform tasks for someone with a disability. Most commonly known would be dogs for the blind. But service dogs can benefit many disabilities both obvious and invisible such as; diabetic alert, seizure alert, mobility support, helping with PTSD and mental disorders, etc...
You must be legally disabled to have a service animal. Being legally disabled does not mean you are on disability or can not work. The legal definition of Disabled under the ADA is: a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.
In order to be a service animal, the animal must be trained in tasks directly related to the person's disability. Comfort or just being with you is not a trained task and therefor does not count.
A service animal must be well trained, behaved and fully under the handler's control.
ONLY service animals are allowed public access. That means the owner is allowed to bring their service animal with them in any business even if it does not allow pets, such as restaurants, grocery stores, etc... What ever is open to the public, the handler and their service animal is allowed. They can not ask you to leave because of allergies, fear of dogs, because of food, etc... They may ask you to leave if your animal is being disruptive or is out of control.
A business is allowed to ask the handler two questions before admitting them entrance. 1. Is that a service dog? 2. What tasks does it provide?
Service animals are allowed in no pet housing in most cases, with pet deposits/fees waved, allowed in hotels, and on public transportation and flying.
Their is no legal registration, certification, ID, or test an animal has to have to be a service animal. The websites you see online that advertise this are all scams. They are taking advantage of people who do not know the law and also giving people who just want to take their pets into public an easy way to fraud the system and fake their pet. People have registered their rocks, killer whales and other silly objects/pets to show how meaningless it really is. These sites are highly frowned upon in the service animal community. Showing a legally meaningless ID or registration to a business, only confuses the public and makes it harder for legit teams.
Service dogs can be any breed, any size. While vests and patches showing they are a service dog are quite common it is not actually the law that they have to be vested either.
Service animals can be trained and obtained through organizations or be owner trained.
A FAQ on Service Animals by the ADA:
http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html
SDiT:
Service Dog in Training. While in training, service animals are NOT covered under the ADA but instead covered in each states laws individually. Some states grant us the same rights to have our SDiT as service dogs others do not. Which means in some states your SDiT is not allowed public access.
Therapy Animals:
A therapy animal is an animal trained to provide comfort and support to groups of people in hospitals, nursing homes, retirement homes, schools, and in stressfull situations. They can be a wide variety of animals including: dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, etc... They need some basic training and to be calm, polite and ok with groups of strangers. There are different training and programs in different areas.
Therapy animals are not meant to work with a single person. They are not allowed in the general public such as stores or restaurants.
Therapy animals are granted no special privileges towards housing or flying.
Emotional Support Animals (ESA):
ESAs are companion pets that provide therapeutic benefit and comfort, such as alleviating or mitigating symptoms of the owner's disability.
You must be legally disabled to qualify for an ESA. Being legally disabled does not mean you are on disability or can not work. The legal definition of Disabled under the ADA is: a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.
Many disabilities can benefit from an ESA, though most commonly used with mental or psychiatric disabilities.
ESAs require NO special training, though basic training is important for any pet. They are for comfort only and do not need to be task trained.
Unlike service animals, ESAs have NO public access. They are considered pets and still only allowed in public where normal pets are allowed.
ESAs are allowed in most housing, even in no pet housing. Pet deposit/fees are waived. They are also allowed to fly with their owners.
In order to get an ESA you must attain a letter/prescription from your doctor stating that you are disabled and in need of an emotional support animal.
Their is no legal registration, certification, ID, or test an animal has to have to be an ESA. The websites you see online that advertise this are all scams. They are taking advantage of people who do not know the law and also giving people who just want to take their pets into public an easy way to fraud the system and fake their pet. People have registered their rocks, killer whales and other silly objects/pets to show how meaningless it really is. These sites are highly frowned upon in the service animal community. Many of these sites FALSELY claim that you can bring your ESA everywhere with you. This is not true. Your ESA does not need a vest or ID for any purpose.
An ESA can be just about any animal. There are dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, rats, snakes, etc... Know that depending on your choice of animal, housing and planes can still deny you as it may not be a reasonable accommodation. ie if my ESA is a cow.
If you own your own home or live in pet friendly housing, and have no plans to ever fly having an ESA is completely moot. It is just a pet outside of those two areas.
ADA:
The ADA is the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is a civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else.
The ADA ONLY relates to service animals, granting the owners/handler's rights to have their service animal accompany them.
http://www.ada.gov/ada_intro.htm
FHA:
The FHA is the Federal Housing Administration, it is a government agency that covers housing laws. The FHA relates to both service animals and emotional support animals and even considers both the same under assistance animals.
This grants us rights to have our service animal or emotional support animal in our housing, even if it is no pets housing. It also waves any pet deposit or pet fees. We are still responsible for any damage our animals do.
Our animals also need to be well behaved, no loud barking, always leashed and under our control. We must also clean up after our dogs.
In order to have our service animal or ESA with us, we first need to request reasonable accommodation. We may have to show proof of need as in a letter from our doctor stating we are under their care, we are disabled, and we are in need of a service animal/ESA.
There are some exceptions.
1.Buildings with four or fewer units where the landlord lives in one of the units.
2.Private owners who do not own more than three single family houses, do not use real estate brokers or agents, and do not use discriminatory advertisements.
3. Hotels and Motels are considered public access instead of dwellings. They are covered under the ADA & not the FHA, so service dogs are allowed but ESAs are not.
There can also be species and breed restrictions. Reasonable Accommodation, means just that. If an animal can not be reasonably kept because of its species or causes undue burden they can deny it.
This also goes for dog breed restrictions as it relates to insurance. For example if your service dog or ESA is a breed that is often denied and the insurance company would raise or deny coverage, then they may deny you. This is something to consider when choosing your breed if you rent.
http://servicedogcentral.org/content/node/460
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/states/shared/working/r10/fh/questions
https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=servanimals_ntcfheo2013-01.pdf
Air Travel
Both service animals and ESAs are allowed to fly with their owners in the cabin with no charge or fees. This is not covered by the ADA but instead the ACAA (Air Carrier Access Act).
If your service animal is a PSD (psychiatric service dog) or an ESA than you need a doctors letter in order to fly. They do not always ask for it, but without this letter they CAN deny you access.
This letter must contain:
- must not more than one year old
- must be on the professional's letterhead
- must be from a mental health professional
http://servicedogcentral.org/content/ESA-flying
http://www.iaadp.org/airline.html
Ethics:
Sadly alot of people fake Service Dogs and even ESAs. They selfishly want to take their pets everywhere with them and/or think it is a victimless crime.
The truth is that it DOES actually cause great harm to the disabled who actually need them.
People often bring ill-mannered, out of control pets to public.
We are often blind to how well behaved or lack thereof our pets actually are. So we think fluffy is just being cute but they are actually causing a disruption.
This makes business want to fight against service dogs being allowed, causes real service dog teams being denied access, and causes the general public to think that service dogs are just "pets" and are not truly needed by their owners.
Can you imagine just trying to live your life and have a nice day out with your family. But instead of having a nice meal at your favorite restaurant, they refuse to allow you to enter because of your real service dog. The employees make a large embarrassing scene and it ruins your entire day. <-- this happens far too often.
Many pets are not friendly or too friendly towards other animals. Your dog pulling on the leash, lunging, whining, barking or growling at a real service dog team is rude, disrespectful and can cause serious damage to the dog and the owner.
Dog attacks, even if no one is physically harmed can cause serious mental and emotional issues in dogs.
It can also cause the service dog to be distracted so they miss an alert to their owner. Missing an alert can literally mean their owners life!
https://www.thedodo.com/why-you-should-never-pet-a-service-dog-1225435298.html
Faking a service animal makes it so much harder for legit teams. It causes businesses and the general public to see everyone as fakers and push for more restrictive laws, making it much harder for the disabled who really need service animals to get them.
It also causes an ugly backlash against legit teams. I have seen for myself how rude the public and businesses can be. A legit service dog team will be illegally kicked from a business. When they push the issue and the media finds out, the business has attacked them calling them a faker. The public jumps on board saying that no one needs a service dog, that they are a faker, that they do not "look or seem" disabled (which is just another slap in the face for someone disabled), people have even been threatened and attacked online over this!
Would you park in a disabled parking spot?
Would you fake being in a wheel chair?
I also often see people giving support and acknowledgement to veterans. But many veterans suffer from PTSD and are in need of service dogs. Faking is not only disrespectful to them but actually hurting them!
Faking for housing...
I often see see posts from people saying how they have to get rid of their beloved pet because they are moving into no pet housing or their landlord found out about the pet they were not supposed to have. And everytime someone will speak up and say just make it a service dog/ESA and you can keep it!!
NO! Stop right there! An ESA or Service Dog is not a free pet ticket.
Again this also hurts the disabled who truly need them. It causes alot of landlords to be very frustrated and hesitant towards legit service dog/ESA teams. Perhaps even turning them down for housing "for other reasons" just because they are sick of fakers or think they are a faker.
Is it ethical? NO.
It is selfish and disrespectful to fake being disabled just to keep a pet.
How does this relate to rats?
Ok so you may ask, "Can my pet rat be a service animal?"
1. Are you legally disabled and in need of a service animal?
2. Do you live in one of the very few states that allow animals other than a dog or miniature horse to be a service animal?
3. In what way can a rat be task trained to help your disability, keeping in mind that comfort or just being there does not count?
IMHO, the answer is NO, rats can not be service animals.
Rats are incredibly intelligent. But I have a good understanding of most tasks that can be trained for disabilities and I can not see a rat being able to do any of them besides possibly fetching items but their size would seriously limit this ability.
"Can my rat become an ESA (emotional support animal)?"
1. Are you legally disabled and in need of comfort from a pet?
Yes! Rats can make lovely ESAs.
But things to keep in mind:
Rats should always be kept in groups and this may cause issues with some housing and their view of reasonable accommodation. I have seen this actually happen quite a few times, often in dorms. Where the housing does not want to allow multiple rats. It can be a fight and should be considered.
Attempting to fly with rats, even as an ESA could be troublesome to convince the airline to allow them.
Remember ESAs have no public access. You can not take them shopping with you, you can not take them out to dinner, or in any public place that does not allow pets.
If you are disabled and in need of an ESA and would like your rat or other pet to become one, the first thing you need to do is talk to your doctor or therapist. Have them confirm you are disabled and discuss that you feel the need for an ESA. If they agree, you will want them to write a letter for you.
An example letter that I have used:
(On your doctors letterhead)
My name & address
Date
To whom it may concern,
(your name) is a patient under my care. I am intimately familiar with her/his medical history and the functional limitations imposed by their disability. She/he meets the definition of disabled under the Americans with Disability Act, Fair Housing Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Due to her/his disability, (your name) has certain limitations. In order to alleviate these difficulties, and to enhance her ability to live independently, I support (your name)'s decision to obtain and keep an emotional support animal. An emotional support animal will help to mitigate her/his disability, improve independence and quality of life.
Please allow (your name) to be accompanied by her emotional support animal in the cabin of the aircraft, in accordance with the Air Carrier Access Act (49 U.S.C. 41705 and 14 C.F.R. 382).
If you have any further questions, please feel free to call me at my office number.
Sincerely,
(your doctor's signature)
Have any questions about service animals or ESAs?
Want advice/help on getting a service animal or ESA?
I would be happy to answer any questions I can or try to point you in the right direction. Leave a comment or reach me under contact me link!
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Do Rats Bite?
Well first any animal that can open it's jaw wide enough has the potential to bite. Even our nicely domesticated pets can sometimes end up biting. A recent survey of dog bites in the US showed 4.5 million dog bites per year in 2001, 2002, 2003! And dogs are man's best friend!
The truth is that ofcourse your pet rat has the potential to bite you. But that being said overall rats are very docile and would much rather run away then bite you. The majority of rats will never seriously bite you, they are gentle and sweet and much more likely to give you kisses. I would imagine they share the same odds as any other family pet.
This point of this post is to give an honest experience over concern of rat bites. IMO should you be worried? Not at all, or not anymore then you would be worried over your family cat biting you. I think a dog is much more likely to bite honestly and if a dog bites you it could be very deadly.
I would classify rat bites into two categories. Nips & serious skin breaking bites.
Nips:
A nip often doesn't hurt at all though unexpected can make you jump. It doesn't break the skin or cause any bleeding. Honestly most of the time they are alittle tickle. A nip is saying one of two things. Either it is a warning, hey back off you are bothering me. Or it is just them trying to test, explore or grab something.
While rats have hands for grabbing they often grab or test things with their mouths. If they are unsure about what something is they may give it alittle nip. When raising a litter of babies they would nip at my fingernails all the time when they were little because they were fascinated and probably confused on what they were lol!
They also often think hands = food, because we give them treats from our hands. So an excited ratty may try to grab the treat that isn't there and give us alittle nip.
I want to stress that you shouldn't be worried or afraid of nips. I am a huge baby when it comes to any type of pain and a nip is absolutely nothing to worry about. It is just a light touch with their teeth. It does not hurt, it does not break the skin. It is actually kindof cute.
Bites:
These are serious booboos. They break the skin and may cause bleeding. A rat that bites is more then likely scared or aggressive. Or the animal may be sick.
Some ways to prevent bites are to know where your rat came from. If the rat has gone it's entire life up until it met you; never being held, touched, or played with; then you can expect that it is going to be a bit more frightened as with any animal. Secondly, do not corner a scared rat, or any animal for that matter. If you were backed into a corner with no escape and something scary was coming at you, then I am sure you would do all you can to fight them off. It is the same for them.
I once had an adult male rat that I rescued and only had for a few days before rehoming him. He was from a pet store and they were honest and said he had never been handled. The staff was freaked out because he was a PEW (pink eyed white) so they didn't want to touch him. It wasn't his fault. He did not like being touched. If you even touched him at all he would squeak as if you were going to kill him and try his best to escape. if you tried picking him up it was even worse! He never once bit though.
In my entire time owning rats I have only been bit twice. Both times were 100% my fault. Out of all the rats I have owned and their whole entire lives, it only happened two times. I would say that is pretty damn good. In my lifetime I have been bitten by a dog, a horse (yes seriously a horse bit me), cats - honestly one of my cats loves to bite me when he wants attention sigh. I have also had foster kittens be way too playful and get me pretty good. What I am saying is rats are not vicious animals.
The first time was with my first rat Sookie. She was a pet store rat. She had some territorial issues. She did not like people messing about her cage at all. I could open the door and pet her, give her treats but if I had my hand all inside the cage messing around, she would get cranky. She never bit from that though. Outside of the cage she was gentle and sweet. I even let my four year old niece play with her with zero worries. But one of the things she really hated was sticking things through the bars of her cage. If anything was near her cage she would pull it inside. There was a big rule where you never ever stuck your fingers through the bars of the cage. Which IMO is a good rule overall. Well one day I was being stupid and put my finger near the cage to let her sniff. I didn't think she could get me I guess. her reflexes were far better then mine and she bite down hard on my finger. It actually left a hole through my nail. I didn't bleed, but it hurt!
The second time was with my rat Khaleesi (who is now my heart rat). She came to me pregnant so we did not have alot of time to bond before she was in the throws of raging mommy hormones. After she had her babies she did not like me touching them. She was a great very protective mother and she hadn't known me all that long to trust me yet. Well I usually removed her from the cage before doing anything with it. This time I didn't...(again my fault). I actually went to feed her by using a scoop to dump the food in her dish. I think the huge scoop freaked her out and she attacked me. I got several fast bites down my thumb. I bled like crazy. One big scratch and a few smaller ones but it healed just fine. She has never bitten me since and infact loves to give kisses & licks like crazy.
All that being said, some rats are aggressive though. They may have very poor breeding, were abused or just never handled or may be sick. While an aggressive rat is best in the hands of someone experienced, they are not a lost cause. Check in with your vet to rule out any health issues first. Then slowly working with them over time they have the potential to become sweet and loving pets.
So yes rats can bite. They more then likely will not though. Be careful handling scared, aggressive or sick rats and new mothers.
Supporting good quality breeders who breed for temperament and have handled the rats since they were babies is always a great way to make sure you get a great pet!
The truth is that ofcourse your pet rat has the potential to bite you. But that being said overall rats are very docile and would much rather run away then bite you. The majority of rats will never seriously bite you, they are gentle and sweet and much more likely to give you kisses. I would imagine they share the same odds as any other family pet.
This point of this post is to give an honest experience over concern of rat bites. IMO should you be worried? Not at all, or not anymore then you would be worried over your family cat biting you. I think a dog is much more likely to bite honestly and if a dog bites you it could be very deadly.
I would classify rat bites into two categories. Nips & serious skin breaking bites.
Nips:
A nip often doesn't hurt at all though unexpected can make you jump. It doesn't break the skin or cause any bleeding. Honestly most of the time they are alittle tickle. A nip is saying one of two things. Either it is a warning, hey back off you are bothering me. Or it is just them trying to test, explore or grab something.
While rats have hands for grabbing they often grab or test things with their mouths. If they are unsure about what something is they may give it alittle nip. When raising a litter of babies they would nip at my fingernails all the time when they were little because they were fascinated and probably confused on what they were lol!
They also often think hands = food, because we give them treats from our hands. So an excited ratty may try to grab the treat that isn't there and give us alittle nip.
I want to stress that you shouldn't be worried or afraid of nips. I am a huge baby when it comes to any type of pain and a nip is absolutely nothing to worry about. It is just a light touch with their teeth. It does not hurt, it does not break the skin. It is actually kindof cute.
Bites:
These are serious booboos. They break the skin and may cause bleeding. A rat that bites is more then likely scared or aggressive. Or the animal may be sick.
Some ways to prevent bites are to know where your rat came from. If the rat has gone it's entire life up until it met you; never being held, touched, or played with; then you can expect that it is going to be a bit more frightened as with any animal. Secondly, do not corner a scared rat, or any animal for that matter. If you were backed into a corner with no escape and something scary was coming at you, then I am sure you would do all you can to fight them off. It is the same for them.
I once had an adult male rat that I rescued and only had for a few days before rehoming him. He was from a pet store and they were honest and said he had never been handled. The staff was freaked out because he was a PEW (pink eyed white) so they didn't want to touch him. It wasn't his fault. He did not like being touched. If you even touched him at all he would squeak as if you were going to kill him and try his best to escape. if you tried picking him up it was even worse! He never once bit though.
In my entire time owning rats I have only been bit twice. Both times were 100% my fault. Out of all the rats I have owned and their whole entire lives, it only happened two times. I would say that is pretty damn good. In my lifetime I have been bitten by a dog, a horse (yes seriously a horse bit me), cats - honestly one of my cats loves to bite me when he wants attention sigh. I have also had foster kittens be way too playful and get me pretty good. What I am saying is rats are not vicious animals.
The first time was with my first rat Sookie. She was a pet store rat. She had some territorial issues. She did not like people messing about her cage at all. I could open the door and pet her, give her treats but if I had my hand all inside the cage messing around, she would get cranky. She never bit from that though. Outside of the cage she was gentle and sweet. I even let my four year old niece play with her with zero worries. But one of the things she really hated was sticking things through the bars of her cage. If anything was near her cage she would pull it inside. There was a big rule where you never ever stuck your fingers through the bars of the cage. Which IMO is a good rule overall. Well one day I was being stupid and put my finger near the cage to let her sniff. I didn't think she could get me I guess. her reflexes were far better then mine and she bite down hard on my finger. It actually left a hole through my nail. I didn't bleed, but it hurt!
The second time was with my rat Khaleesi (who is now my heart rat). She came to me pregnant so we did not have alot of time to bond before she was in the throws of raging mommy hormones. After she had her babies she did not like me touching them. She was a great very protective mother and she hadn't known me all that long to trust me yet. Well I usually removed her from the cage before doing anything with it. This time I didn't...(again my fault). I actually went to feed her by using a scoop to dump the food in her dish. I think the huge scoop freaked her out and she attacked me. I got several fast bites down my thumb. I bled like crazy. One big scratch and a few smaller ones but it healed just fine. She has never bitten me since and infact loves to give kisses & licks like crazy.
All that being said, some rats are aggressive though. They may have very poor breeding, were abused or just never handled or may be sick. While an aggressive rat is best in the hands of someone experienced, they are not a lost cause. Check in with your vet to rule out any health issues first. Then slowly working with them over time they have the potential to become sweet and loving pets.
So yes rats can bite. They more then likely will not though. Be careful handling scared, aggressive or sick rats and new mothers.
Supporting good quality breeders who breed for temperament and have handled the rats since they were babies is always a great way to make sure you get a great pet!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
