Animal shelters, though they do not always have rats, is always a good place to look first, because if those rats don’t find homes, they might be put to sleep. If you do find a rat at an animal shelter, make sure you like its personality, and also make sure it doesn’t have any parasites or tumors. Often people give their rats up for adoption because they do not want to spend money fixing an illness, or because it is not a nice pet. Be aware of these facts when choosing a rat from an animal shelter.
Breeder
A breeder is the best option you can have, though it is not always available. Check your local classifieds or try the internet (most reputable breeders have their own websites). With breeders, you can tell exactly where your rat comes from, you can most likely see the mother and the father to get an idea of what your rat’s personality will be like, and you will know its birthday and other statistics, perhaps even get baby photos! Also, breeders can give out tips and information for you, and most stay in contact with you even after you have taken your rat home. For a list of breeders I have personally worked with and recommend, go here.
How do you know if a breeder is reputable? If you don't know a lot about rats it can be easy to be misled by a bad breeder. If they don't let you visit their rattery, don't know the parents or history of their rats, can't distinguish male from female, or you notice their rats are ill, don't buy from them. Irresponsible breeders often have a very large number of rats (usually because they can't find homes for all their babies), often in a small area, and their houses will usually smell quite badly of rats. Almost any breeder that sells rats to pet stores should be avoided, and certainly breeders who sell rats as reptile food should be avoided. A reputable breeder will answer any questions you have about rats, will not hesitate to show you their rattery, and will show you any relatives to the rat you are getting. Their cages will be clean and their rats will have food and water. They won't be overcrowded with rats and they will be able to tell male from female rats at a young age, usually right from birth. They will quarantine new rats in a separate room or even a separate house, and would never cull their babies or breed so many litters they cannot find homes for them.
Rat Rescues
There are many wonderful rat rescue organizations out there which take in unwanted rats and try to find them new homes. Rescues are always the best place to start if you are simply wanting a pet, as rescue organizations always have many unwanted rats that need loving homes. Do an internet search to find out if there are any rat rescues in your area.
Rat Show
Rat shows can be a great place to find the perfect rat for you. At shows, many breeders come from all over to compete and find homes for their babies, so you will be able to see lots of different kinds of rats and compare them to find the ones you like best. You can also learn a lot by speaking with the breeders and showers. Just keep in mind that though these breeders usually know what they are doing, you still need to do a health/personality check. You can find out if there are any shows scheduled for your area by searching the internet, or contacting one of the many rat clubs across the world.
Pet Store
Generally, a pet store is not a good place to find a quality pet rat. Pet stores don't often care about small animals such as rats, as they usually only sell them for food. Because of this, they are rarely handled enough as babies, if at all, and can be very fearful of humans or even aggressive. Also, they are often kept in overcrowded cages and sickness and injury usually result. Most pet stores keep male and female rats together, so if you are buying a female there is always a chance she is pregnant. This being said, there are some good pet stores out there, and I have personally owned a few pet store rats that were wonderful pets. This is merely a generalization; pet stores rats are usually not as friendly and have more health problems than a breeder-raised rat.
Many people think they are 'rescuing' a rat from being snake food by buying a rat from a pet store. While it is true that most rats are sold for food and buying one as a pet will stop that, it is only giving the pet store exactly what they want: money. If they sell more rats, they will buy more rats, and 'rescuing' one to be a pet only puts another rat in its place which is probably then sold for food. As much as rat lovers would like to save all the rats from a fate such as this, the fact is that snakes need to eat as well, and unfortunately their diet often includes rats. By supporting a pet store that sells feeder rats and / or keeps the rats in unsanitary conditions, you are only worsening the problem.
