Lovely timing!

North American Pet Distributor Inc. (NAPD) is the Upper Midwest’s largest supplier of small animals to the pet industry.”

Click here to see where your pet rats are coming from.

* They “receive hundreds of animals.” They haven’t the space to accommodate the quantity and so many suffer as a result (overcrowding, death, etc)

* Their automatic waterer went awry and drowned sixteen rats [3rd paragraph]. Which means the dead rats were likely stuggling in their tubs for more than 48 hours without anyone noticing the problem. [In the 1950’s Curt Richter performed a series of gruesome experiments at Johns Hopkins whereby he discovered that domestic rats would swim for 60-80 hours before giving up…never thought the results of those experiments would be useful…] Even worse, the drowning incident wasn’t the first, “[t]hat happens sometimes,” according to a NAPD supervisor. . .

* Rats and mice are so overcrowded that they have no other choice but to walk over one another [see images, video].

* Sick animals are euthanized in plastic bags…some more than once…and not according to AVMA standards [5th paragraph].

* Rats flipping showed signs of neurological problems [7th paragraph].

* They sell knowingly sick animals to Petco under the assumption that Petco can recognize illness and will ‘return’ them. [4th paragraph] Don’t assume this is just a Petco phenomenon, either. (And, no, a Petco buyer can’t recognize illness)

And don’t forget to check out the video and additional photos.

More on this:
Kevin Hanson, co-owner of North American Pet Distributors, says

“Animals are shipped to us by vendors, and sometimes they come to us in bad conditions,” he said. “They often have diarrhea, which is often caused by stress. We make them healthy. We can’t ship them unless they’re in good (health).”

In order to try and create a balanced sampling of typical feeder rodent conditions in the United States, we have all had to look at quite a few photographs, good and bad. For some reason, this particular image haunts me - something about the excited rat jumping up on the wire next to the red water valve and the phrase, “. . . no shavings - it is a wash down system, straight into the sewer!”.

I know, we aren’t supposed to make the issue personal, but the image of that rat will remain with me long after this campaign is over.

The photo was originally found on Kingsnake.com, and not posted by the alleged owner of the cage system, so we cannot say with any certainty who is responsible for the multiple problems:

* rats housed on bare wire floor
* overcrowding of animals in cage
* unsanitary conditions

* wire of cage either rusted or dirty
* bottom pan filled with fecal material and puddles of urine or water (possible evidence of dried urine - pale rings)
* cage as shown unable to be properly sanitized

David Boggs Reptiles

The ‘David Boggs Reptiles’ photographs have been removed. Instead, we would like to list the steps Mr. Boggs has taken to ensure his feeder mouse stock is kept and treated in a humane manner.

* the mice are kept on a substrate of aspen pellets and flakes, not pine or cedar which are dangerous for both mouse and reptile health.

* each mouse pan is cleaned once every five days, and the pan sterilized (there is no ‘mouse smell’).

* the mice are provided with fresh water and Mazuri 9F mouse diet.

* the ‘mouse room’ is kept at a steady temperature, 76-78 degrees.

* the mice are kept separate from any reptiles or other animals for several reasons; to keep the mice from becoming stressed, and to prevent the transmission of disease to the colony.

* the mice are Swiss-Webster, purchased from SAS Supply. The breeding ratio is maintained at six females to one male, and the current space to mouse ratio exceeds NIH guidelines.

* the mice are euthanized in a tub filled with concentrated CO2 gas and dead within two minutes - in compliance with AVMA Euthanasia guidelines.

* and, most important, USDA inspectors may drop by for an unannouced visit at any time - the mice will be ready.

We would like to thank Mr. Boggs for taking the time to speak with us and describe his feeder operation in minute detail, down to the fact that his breeding females are all sisters so they feel more comfortable in the colony (the males are changed out to prevent inbred stock).

A few bad apples can spoil the Kingsnake.com barrel - right?

Precious Pets and Habitats

I’m going to take a wild guess these rats do not not qualify as ‘precious’.

Problems:

* rats housed on bare galvanized wire floor
* severe over-crowding
* exposed wood absorbs urine and bacteria; impossible to properly sanitize
* what appear to be an excessive number of food pellets rolling freely on floor among the animals - extremely unsanitary

JVK Mice

Although this feeder breeder was located on Kingsnake.com, I would like to mention how helpful and professional the folks at Kingsnake.com have always been towards our rat rescue and education efforts.

According to the JVK Mice site, “[j]ust as much time and care go into our feeders as to our other animals.” Several photographs accompany this statement - judge for yourself.

exterior of mouse barn

interior shot of mouse barn - how many mice are in that bin?

Problems:

* animals housed on what appears to be pine bedding (bedding is dark, an indication of wetness, in addition to fecal material)
* exposed wood in barn, including floor, cannot be properly sanitized
* possible overcrowding of animals in pans

Excerpts from, St. Augustine Record, aka, another argument for the absolute necessity of enforced regulations (Elliott Jones, I’m a Rat Man, Vero Beach Press Journal (July 2, 2004). :

1. Handling -
     * Photo depicts man “tossing a rat from one bucket to another:”
          
     * Not sure what an 11/2lb rat is, but a rat shouldn’t be “dangling…by its tail.”

2. Secure environment -
     * An “electrified wire” deters “carnivorous raccoons living in the woods” but, presumably, lets everything else in.
     * Wild rodents are poisoned
          note: Poisoned rats can still walk and can still get in thus infecting and/or attacking the population of rodents enclosed “in cat litter boxes in racks.")
     * Wild “rat snakes” slither in (but not out) with little effort.
          note: any parasites, diseases, etc that a wild snake carries will undoubtedly affect its domestic counterpart and the rats that come into contact with these wild rat snakes can carry the parasites, diseases, etc to their future host if fed live.

3. Veterinary intervention - none
     * They rely on “homegrown medical skills.”

Another note: Although their initial stock was “disease and pest free” they certainly are no longer. If they were, certainly they would not need these measures as stated on their website:

radical-reptiles

A photograph showcasing: cedar bedding + 1 mom + 2 generations of babies = happy and healthy rodents?

qualityrodents.com

Much better, actually. These guys would be our role-models (especially if they clean daily!); however. . .

we gotta do something about that pine bedding and the faciltity appears to be coated with dust - conditions that could lead to serious lung disease and other health issues.

The rodent diet listed is well above average and the use of ceramic crocks in each aquarium allows for more natural feeding behavior. In addition, these rats and mice can actually see light and their surroundings instead of being crammed into opaque cat litter pans. Quality Rodents is also aware that overcrowded conditions can lead to stress responses like barbering, mutilation, and cannibalism.

Herpers know that the conditions mass-bred rodents are exposed to can contribute to problems along the line: reptiles and amphibians that consume diseased feeder rodents can acquire a whole host of organisms and following that logic, any other animals exposed to them can also acquire those organisms.

MiceOnIce.com needn’t worry about providing those conditions because they ‘humanely euthanize’ with CO₂ then freeze the rodents to kill off any pests s/he may be carrying.

miceonice.com/faq.html

Note: The AVMA lists CO₂ as an “acceptable agent and method of euthanasia“…if done properly.

ggrodentfarm.com

That’s a lot of quality ‘product:’

A tidier view:

themouseemporium.com oddly showcasing a large number of what appear to be injured and ill mice. Get one today!

[click to see full-sized image]

Good thing these guys received a rewarding trip outside to model the new “Mouse Holding.” Look for…

wet faces - sign of possible heat stroke
barbering and rough spots on fur - signs of aggression usually a result of cramped living conditions
droopy “sleepy” eyes - sign of illness and stress

But wait! There’s more! This fine powder-coated easy-to-clean setup allows for infrequent visits to add food every 21-28 days!

That’s right, it holds enough food to feed 150-200 breeding or stored mice per level for 3-4 weeks!

That must be so cute seeing 150-200 mice hanging upside-down like bats to pick off chunks of pellets through that tiny grate.

Another great find by Lydia: applegatereptiles.com

Forget the cage calculator, the dream mouse abode is this:

120 mouse trays filled to the brim with mice. Hoppers filled to the brim with dogfood.

You need only clean once per month!

Of course the trays are easy to slide out so necessary “harvesting” visits can be done with ease.

Fret not about the smell and lung-destroying ammonia fumes! The aspen pellets are “gentle touch” and absorb that month’s worth of urine oh-so well.

And there’s “more than [they] need” so there will always be an extra or two or 100 waiting for a good home with you!

Note: We do approve of “Gentle Touch” aspen pellets and are glad to hear Applegate Reptiles chooses to use that product.

Lydia found this great site: albinoballpythons.com

For fun, let’s do some math:

Just eyeballing the rat setup, the containers themselves are:
about 11.5″ wide (the part they can walk on)
about 24″ deep (taken from their dimensions)
about 8.75″ high (no wheels or toys here!)

And “the tubs hold up to 6 adult rats and their litters and are capable of producing 500 rats per month”
500 rats equals 27.8 rats per tub.

That’s 1 rat on 9.93 sq. in. of surface area.

An adult rat is about 8″-10″ long by 3″-5″ wide (not including tail - they can always stick that way up in the air, right?) and they’ve got 6 of those big guys and gals per container so six 8″ X 3″ rats take up 144″ of the available 276″ of surface area leaving 132″ of “walking room” (assuming the ratlets of various ages cower in piles in corners) and six 10″ X 5″ rats take up 300″ of the available 276″ inches of surface area leaving…oops… negative walking room.

Sounds like fun. See for yourself:

It doesn’t look all too clean either:

Maybe it doesn’t really matter how rats and mice are treated…

Backwoods Farms epitomizes the need for feeder rat and mouse regulation.

The following practices are ‘acceptable’?

     * rabbit on bare wire flooring
     * plastic bucket filled with young rats
     * mouse trying to protect new litter - note crowded conditions and older generation of pups.

URL: backwoodsfarminc.com

* dirty, wet floors - extremely unsanitary
* one small (relative to the size of the building) fan for ventilation
* exposed wood in barn cannot be properly sterilized

* Excessive overcrowding of mice.
* Large sized wood chips indicative of cedar bedding.
* Dark coloration of wood chips indicating dampness of bedding (needs to be cleaned)