Mainely Rat Rescue - Auburn Pet Shelter

Mainely Rat Rescue

Mainely Rat Rescue, Inc. (“MRR”) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, founded in 2007. Its mission is to rehabilitate and find homes for surrendered or abandoned domestic rats, as well as to spread awareness, provide education, and furnish support for all the animals in its care. Other “pocket pets” such as guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, and mice are occasionally accepted into the MRR program. MRR is a foster home-based rescue, with foster homes located throughout New England and parts of the Northeast in the United States of America. MRR trains foster volunteers so they may provide food, housing, medical care, and socialization to their animals. This allows the pets to become wonderful companion animals before a permanent adoption home is found. MRR is a no-kill rescue; humane euthanasia is only performed after careful consideration and consultation with the vet, and only when it is in the best interest of the animal. Animals that are deemed to be unadoptable due to age or health conditions enter MRR’s Sanctuary Program and are placed in specially trained foster homes. 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization. Maine State Animal Shelter License #F1638. Maine State Charitable Organization License #CO13180.

  • Shelter Address

  • Auburn, ME
  • Phone
  • Contact Name
  • Leticia Quiles
  • Website
  • https://mainelyratrescue.org/
  • Pet types
  • Rats/Guinea Pigs/Hamsters/Gerbils/Mice
  • Location served

Adoption Process

Do you think you’ve found your new best friend? We’d love to have you fill out our Adoption Application. Once your application is received, one of our Adoption Counselors will contact you to discuss care and answer any questions you may have. If your application is approved, we’ll put you in touch with the foster parent for you to arrange pick-up (all our animals are in foster custody in the New England/New York area).

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Reviews

  • Rating
  • 1 stars
  • Author
  • Boston
  • Review date
  • 2021-11-02 23:30:40
  • I'll let this email speak for itself: Was looking to adopt one of your hamsters for my daughter. She lost hers a few months ago (died from old age). We had her for almost three years so obviously we have some experience with hamsters After filling out the lengthy questionnaire and providing two references (who are not related) below is the email that I have with Kensington van Houten at your organization. Now we have adopted animals from other agencies before and I realize the adoption process can entail a lot of questions, but there is a difference between making sure someone is "worthy" enough to adopt an animal and being downright intrusive and insulting. It's a shame, not just for your organization, but for the animals who could go to loving homes: -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Sent: Tue, Nov 2, 2021 7:05 pm Subject: Re: Adoption (Timothy Hughes) You know what, I think we will pass. I mean, telling me to get more toys? Did i have to write down EVERY SINGLE TOY that I had for you? Telling me to get a bigger wheel when the wheel I have was made for a syrian and and used for a syrian? You are insulting and rude. It's very sad that this animal could have gone to a loving home but you overstepping your bounds is not only ridiculous, it's also a bit creepy. Take care, and hope you find a great home for the hamster. -----Original Message----- From: Kensington VanHouten <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Tue, Nov 2, 2021 10:02 am Subject: Re: Adoption (Timothy Hughes) Good morning Tim, That upright wheel will do for now, but I do encourage you to upgrade to a slightly larger wheel if you plan to continue keeping Syrians in the future. Syrians can get pretty large as adults, so most will require a 10-14" non-wire wheel (wire wheels can cause a painful condition known as bumblefoot where the paw pads become inflamed and infected). Please be mindful of their backs while they are running; if they are curving their backs in order to run, the wheel is much too small. Unfortunately, that saucer wheel is much too small for a Syrian. Only the 12" saucer wheel is suitable for Syrian hamsters. Just to save space, I recommend that saucer wheels be used during playtime and upright wheels be used all the time (including playtime if no saucer wheel is available). That is a wonderful set of chews to start with! The swing and ladder are probably going to be too small for a Syrian, but they are still great chew toys. Keep in mind that Syrians are the largest hamster species. Plan on grabbing larger sizes for hides, toys, and the wheel. Most pet store items marketed towards Syrians are actually too small for them. Look for items marketed towards ferrets, guinea pigs, and rabbits for the appropriate size. I actually bought that sand bath when I had a Syrian, and I can confirm that my girl did not fit it in at all. Regular commercial hides can be bought such as the Petco igloo, Snak Shak, cloth cubes, wooden hides, grass huts, etc. You can get very crafty and creative with their hideouts. DIY houses can be made from popsicle sticks, cardboard boxes, buckets, bins, baskets, etc. The most important thing about hides is that the hamster should have a few to choose from at all times. Lastly, I would recommend that you look into getting a few more toys. I would suggest browsing through Chewy.com or Petco/Petsmart's website to view their selection of small animal toys. Hamsters are locked in their cage for 23 hours of the day, so they need something to break their boredom. That is why it's important for there to be a wide variety of toys in their cage. These should be switched up pretty often to keep them from getting bored. A specific toy that I highly recommend is some sort of tunnel system. Using a bendable ferret tunnel or pvc (plastic plumbing) pipes will create a super fun playscape for them underneath the bedding. Leave one opening above the bedding, but the rest can be buried. You can also use empty toilet paper rolls, etc. on top of the bedding. Do NOT use the critter trail tubes because they are so tiny that most hamsters will get stuck in them. ONLY TINY TAILS TUBES FROM PETSMART ARE OK if you prefer to use connecting tubes. Here are some toy ideas for you: bendy bridges, wooden tunnels, climbing rope/ladders, snak shaks, willow balls or rolling toys, DIY treat balls and toys, baby rings, hanging bird toys, play n' shapes cardboard hides for climbing, cardboard mazes, and so much more. Hamsters need room to run, so the enclosure should be interesting, but not super cluttered. A lot of DIY toys are easy to make out of popsicle sticks or cardboard. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube and Pinterest for DIY toys and cage setup: look for HoppingHammy, ErinsAnimals, Victoria Rachael, Munchie's Place, VanillaHamHam, and Pickles Pets. Those are all safe, reliable channels to follow. Please let me know what you decide on! Talk soon, Kensie On Tue, Nov 2, 2021 at 8:41 AM <[email protected]> wrote: Morning, No interest right now in the lab block. As for toys already own this wheel, this saucer and were going to get these toys. We also have this which can be a hideout or used as a sandbath. What do you think? Tim -----Original Message----- From: Kensington VanHouten <[email protected]> To: [email protected]; Lena Maurer <[email protected]> Sent: Tue, Nov 2, 2021 8:22 am Subject: Re: Adoption (Timothy Hughes) Hey Timothy, Both of those foods definitely work well. Did you have any interest in adding a lab block to their diet? That's fantastic that you already mix the paper bedding and aspen for the best burrowing experience. 4" of bedding is a great amount as well. Next, we'll go over your choice of cage materials. Can you tell me specifically which types of toys/chews/hides/wheel you have purchased/plan to purchase or make? Thank You, Kensie On Mon, Nov 1, 2021 at 11:57 PM <[email protected]> wrote: Didn't know that about Oxbow.. Fortunately we always alternate our food on a daily basis. We also use Kaytee FortiDiet (see attached photo) and Kaytee fiesta. Also, as previously mentioned, we also give fresh vegetables and fruits. Will definitely stop buying Oxbow. As for the aspen shavings the question on the application was "What type of bedding do you use". I just gave one answer but that is not the only thing we use. I agree that it is too hard but we have found that hamsters love to dig around in it. We also use CareFresh (see attached picture) and sometimes Kaytee Cozy. Those two provide the majority of the bedding. The photos are of products in our house, left over from when the previous hamster died a few months ago. Also, the bedding is always at least 4 inches high. Hope this helps. Tim -----Original Message----- From: Kensington VanHouten <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Mon, Nov 1, 2021 7:58 pm Subject: Re: Adoption (Timothy Hughes) Hello, there! My name is Kensie, and I am an adoption counselor with the Mainely Rat Rescue. Thank you very much for taking the time to reach out to this rescue. I do hope that you have had a chance to read over the educational materials that Lena sent to you! If you haven’t yet, that’s no problem. Please take your time in reading through the documents and gathering any questions that you have along the way before responding to this email. I am very impressed with your application. Almost every choice in materials proves to me that you have done your research. Thank you for taking the time to actually care about your furbaby. I do have a few notes for you, however, then we can proceed in the adoption process. Your cage choice is perfect! The bare minimum cage size for all hamster species is an unbroken floor space of at least 450 square inches. Larger hamsters called Syrians need 600 or more square inches of unbroken floor space to accommodate for their size. The Prevue 528 is actually 618 sq in; it is a wonderfully spacious cage for any hamster! Your bedding is suitable as well. I would recommend that you mix the aspen shaving with unscented paper bedding. Aspen shaving can be quite hard and uncomfortable to burrow in; a mix of aspen and paper bedding will allow for adequate burrowing and ammonia absorption. Unscented paper bedding, aspen wood bedding, and ONLY KILN DRIED pine bedding are safe to use for them. Normal pine bedding, cedar bedding, scented bedding, cat litter, and "wood shavings" are all extremely dangerous to hamsters. They have very sensitive respiratory systems, so the strong smells and oils found in these beddings can cause respiratory infections. Hamsters absolutely love to burrow as it is their natural instinct. It is important that your hamster be given between 3" and 6" or more of bedding to satisfy this instinct. Let me know what you decide in regards to the bedding. I would also like to point out that any cotton, including "pet safe nesting cotton", is extremely dangerous for small animals as it can get caught in their pouches, around their teeth, and inside of their intestines leading to death. We'll end on the topic of food. Unfortunately, Oxbow hamster blocks are not a suitable food. Higgins Sunburst, Higgins Vita Garden, VitaKraft Vita Smart, PURE hamster food, Kaytee Fiesta, and Tiny Friends are all great foods! To make their diet nutritionally complete, I would recommend adding a lab block such as Mazuri Rodent, Envigo/Teklad (8640 if Syrian under 1 year, 2018 if older Syrian/dwarf), Kaytee Forti Diet, etc. to their regular seed mix. Stay away from Oxbow food, wild harvest, and foods that contain hay (as hamsters cannot digest hay); Oxbow makes fantastic food for all other animals besides hamsters. I would recommend feeding 1 tablespoon of food daily. They can be picky, so I would try not to feed them again until the dish is mostly empty. A few times a week, fresh vegetables should be added to their food. Fruit, treats, and healthy snacks should be given once a week or less. A little tip is to use a heavy ceramic food dish to prevent spills. Some hamster owners like to scatter feed occasionally as well; this is a boredom breaker and it encourages foraging. Please let me know which seed mix and lab block you plan on feeding. It is wonderful to meet you and I look forward to continuing this conversation with you! Sincerely, Kensie On Mon, Nov 1, 2021 at 4:56 PM Lena Maurer <[email protected]> wrote: I am now connecting you with Kensie, one of our adoption counselors! She will be in touch within 48 hours. In the meantime I am attaching a couple of educational documents to help guide your discussion. Take some time to look through them and have any questions ready to go. Thanks, Lena Maurer Adoption Coordinator Mainely Rat Rescue www.mainelyratrescue.org Maine State Animal Shelter License #F1638 On Sun, Oct 31, 2021 at 11:11 PM Lena Maurer <[email protected]> wrote: Perfect, I will begin now by contacting your references and having a quick background check completed. When those come back I will connect you with an adoption counselor, who will go over your choice of materials such as cage, food, and toys. The counselor will be the one to approve you, and then you'll come back to me to make a match! Please note that I can't guarantee any specific match until we reach this final step. Let me know if you have any questions about the process. Lena Maurer Adoption Coordinator Mainely Rat Rescue www.mainelyratrescue.org Maine State Animal Shelter License #F1638 On Sun, Oct 31, 2021 at 8:39 PM <[email protected]> wrote: Okay, Here's another. I went to college with her: Melanie Schroeder 16036699151 [email protected] -----Original Message----- From: Lena Maurer <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sun, Oct 31, 2021 2:52 pm Subject: Re: Adoption (Timothy Hughes) Yes, I need two non-related references total. Thanks, Am 10/31/21 um 2:46 PM schrieb [email protected]: ? I did give you one non-related reference. The first one. He's a tenant. -----Original Message----- From: Lena Maurer <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sun, Oct 31, 2021 12:35 pm Subject: Re: Adoption (Timothy Hughes) Thank you! My only question to get started is if I could possibly have one more non-related reference to contact. Thanks, Lena Maurer Adoption Coordinator Mainely Rat Rescue www.mainelyratrescue.org Maine State Animal Shelter License #F1638 On Sun, Oct 31, 2021 at 11:56 AM <[email protected]> wrote: Here you go... -----Original Message----- From: Lena Maurer <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sun, Oct 31, 2021 10:46 am Subject: Adoption (Timothy Hughes) Good morning, Thank you for your interest in adopting from Mainely Rat Rescue! I am Lena Maurer, the Adoption Coordinator. Autumn is still available! If you are interested in adopting, the first step is to fill out an application. I have attached a blank one for you; you can type right into the document and send it back to me. Let me know if you have any questions before getting started. Thanks, Lena Maurer Adoption Coordinator Mainely Rat Rescue www.mainelyratrescue.org Maine State Animal Shelter License #F1638

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