Tips on picking a healthy pet?

[Rust]

Hey, I'm getting a pet rat soon and i'm looking for tips on how to pick the healthiest one in a pet store. Anyone have any tips, for rats, or any pet? :3

[Fear]

well, I have no rats, but I find that the first animal to approach you and act friendly is the one you should get. when my mom was picking out a puppy for our family, only one of them came up to her and cuddled her, while the rest of them were running around. we got the one that cuddled her, and she loves everyone X3
so. pick a pet that isn't shy to see who you are. if they do, ask the pet owner what special treatments thy might need, such as medicines for sickness that might come with age, or what kind of food they need. make sure if you're getting a rat or anything like that ( mouse, Hampster, etc.) that you have lots of chew toys, or else they'll chew on the bars of their cage and you XDDDD
hope that helped- I'm training to become a Vet, so I hope that your new pet will be healthy and happy! :3

[flighty]

my best answer for you is to find a breeder

breeder
breeder
breeder


believe me I was foolish enough to think pet shops would be okay it was only after I realised both my rats are sick that I searched the web only to find people telling me the same thing
I should have went to a breeder.

I knwo it seems a lot of work to look up a rat breeder but honestly its nothing google would fix (just search rat breeder in >your state/country/town here<

that way you are almost garenteed a healthy animal as a good breeder will breed only his/her best rats together.

sadly with pet shops you risk mites and mycplasmia, which the latter is not really fixable as it is caused by bad breeding, it makes it easier for rats to get respiratory infection which can lead to an early death, because my boys both have it they are sure to live a shorter life, and vet treatment hasn't helped much either.


if you can't find a breeder then try a rescue place instead at least then you are giving a rattie a second chance

but really try to avoid pet smart and pet shops alltogether, their rats are often bought from the same people who sell them the feeder rats for snakes so they are not really well cared for or raised.

you could always try the site preloved.com if it worked overseas it is a good place to find people selling pets :3


I got my bird from a breeder and they really are the best, he said if I had any problem I could contact him any time and I got to go in the aviary and pick my bird I even got to see her mother while I was their :3


(I have a rat breeder written down for when I get my next rats but i live in the Uk so I don't think itw ould be much good)

[Rust]

Well, I live in the US so nope, no good. xD

I know for a fact the budgie's most petsmart's have are not healthy, they are never active and look like they are almost always sick, some for their other animals. Turns out most of the fish pet shops have are diseased too.

I will look into a breeder, i've heard such good things about them, I'd love to have a person I could contact if I ever needed help with my pet's sickness or something. (This is how my budgie died, I had no one to call to ask for help when she was sick). I live in a pretty small town so I'll probably have to drive to the next city for any help with breeders.

I'll also look into adoption, I've adopted gerbils before and it turned out great. ^^ Thanks for the advice!