Homes sought for rescued rats

A Shropshire couple who rescued 124 pet rats, some on the verge of dying, from a house in the Black Country, are now trying to find homes for them.

Mike Hannah, of Overdale, in Telford, runs MNM Rat Rescue and received a call from a man in Tipton saying he had "a couple" of rats that needed rehoming. When the he got there he could not believe how many there were.

"In cases like this it is more often than not a basic knowledge of how to look after them, if you are not careful and you don't know what you are doing they can end up tripling and quadrupling in a matter of weeks," said Mike, 34.

"The rats had been allowed to breed and breed and breed and were being kept in cages and cat carriers that were really not suitable for them both in the living room and the kitchen of this house.

"We had to put six down and some of the others were borderline dead to be honest."

Mr Hannah said the RSPCA also attended the address and threatened to take further action against the man, who has not been named, unless he surrendered all of the rats.

Six had to be put down immediately, while 10 are pregnant and a few others are described as "poorly".

But Mr Hannah, who runs the rescue operation with partner Manda, said he hoped the majority would pull through.

He said: "We will have them with us for a couple of weeks now to make sure they are OK and then we will put them up on the website and look at finding them new homes. Rats have this terrible reputation but they are very loving animals and make fantastic pets."

The couple live in Overdale with their four children, four cats, 32 pet rats, two mice, two guinea pigs, six chinchillas and one dog.

Anyone interested in providing a home for one or more of the rats can call 07858 096506 or e-mail m.n.m.ratrescue@live.co.uk For more details visit http://mnm-ratrescue .piczo.com

By Wayne Beese