Question 1

Where are you located?

Accepted Answer

We are in Carbondale, Illinois. Carbondale is located in the southern part of the state, about two hours from St. Louis, and one hour from Paducah, KY.
 
**PLEASE BE AWARE THAT WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS OR SELLING ANIMALS**

Question 2

Can I come see your rats/set-up in person?

Accepted Answer

No, we operate a closed rattery. Not only is there currently a world-wide pandemic, but LFNP is located in our home, and we simply are not comfortable giving away our home address or having strangers in our house. There is also great potential for adopters to bring in sickness or disease, which could negatively affect our entire colony.
All adoptions will take place in public areas such as PetCo, Rural King, etc.
We are, however, more than willing to send photos and videos of our rats and our set up at any time - just ask!

Question 3

How much are your rats?

Accepted Answer

Currently, our rats are $30-$50 for a same sex pair, dependent upon what line they come from. Prices will always be posted with babies as they become available.
Breeding rights may be offered to trusted breeders for an additional fee.

**PLEASE BE AWARE THAT WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS OR SELLING ANIMALS**

Question 4

Do I have to fill out an application to adopt?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the application is the first step in our adoption process. The adoption agreement must be signed at the time of pickup as well, so be sure to read over it beforehand. Be sure to read over our page about our adoption process.
 
**PLEASE BE AWARE THAT WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS OR SELLING ANIMALS**

Question 5

When can I get/reserve my rats?

Accepted Answer

Rats will become available for reservation around 6 or 7 weeks of age, and ready to go home around 8 weeks of age, unless otherwise noted.

Question 6

Do you require deposits?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we do require deposits at the time of reservation.
The deposit will be 50% of the total cost of the rats chosen, and will count towards the total cost. This deposit is due within 24 hours of expressed interest; rats will become available for other adopters if deposits are not successful during this time frame.
(For example: You chose 2 rats priced at $40 for the pair. You must pay $20 within 24 hours, and the remaining $20 owed will be due at the time of pick-up.)
Deposits can be made via PayPal, Venmo, Ca$hApp, or Facebook Pay. Remaining balance can be paid via these methods or with cash upon meeting. We do not accept checks or credit/debit card transactions.
Deposits are NON-REFUNDABLE except for in the instances where the adoption can not proceed due to an issue on our end.

Question 7

Is there a waitlist for adoptions?

Accepted Answer

Repeat adopters who remain in good standing will have priority when reserving babies, but otherwise we do not keep a running wait list. For the most part, litters are adopted out on a first-come, first-served basis; as long as the interested adopter has completed the application process and successfully makes the deposit.
After you submit your application, it is your responsibility to keep watching for available babies to be posted. 
 
**PLEASE BE AWARE THAT WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS OR SELLING ANIMALS**

Question 8

When will you have rats available?

Accepted Answer

This is a hard question. As a small rattery, we produce only a few litters per year. We will always post in the available rats tab (and on the Facebook page) when we have paired a male and female, and updates along the way. 
 
**PLEASE BE AWARE THAT WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY SELLING ANIMALS**

Question 9

What do you do with the rats that don't go up for adoption?

Accepted Answer

Out of every litter, there will always be a few rats that we keep back for ourselves. Sometimes these rats will enter our breeding program, and sometimes we just fall in love with them and they will live out their lives as our personal pets. Some rats go to other breeders to become part of their programs, and some rats unfortunately just don't make the cut for being pet quality. These are rats that are unhealthy, aggressive, overly skittish, or generally afraid of people, and they will not be adopted as pets. There are no exceptions to this.

Question 10

What types of rats do you have?

Accepted Answer

Right now we are working with Black, Agouti, Russian Blue, and Chocolate, with RED and PED. We currently have Hooded, Berkshire, and Self patterns, with Standard, Satin, Rex, Double Rex, and Satin Rex coats. All of our rats have standard ears.
 
**PLEASE BE AWARE THAT WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS OR SELLING ANIMALS**

Question 11

Do you deliver or ship rats?

Accepted Answer

At this time, shipping is not an option. Not only have COVID regulations halted most/all animal shipments, it is extremely expensive and time consuming to ship animals.
We will meet within reason for adoptions, but this will be subject to a traveling fee, and must be worked out around our personal schedule.  Traveling fees MUST be paid at least 24-hours prior to the scheduled meet date, and will be non-refundable except for in the instances where the meet can not proceed due to an issue on our end and reschedule is not possible.
As stated previously, we typically arrange pick-ups at the Carbondale Rural King or PetCo.​
 
**PLEASE BE AWARE THAT WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS OR SELLING ANIMALS**

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS