Rats in alberta

[HetForHuman]

OK i was at a pet store today and got to talking about rats.
the girl in there told me that you are alowed to keep rats in alberta as pets but you and the petstores are not allowed to sell them. they are only allowed to sell frozen rats.
This didnt really make any sense to me as i thought rats where illegal to have as pets in alberta.
Can anyone shed some light on this for me?
or where could i go to and ask about this? the alberta fish and wildlife people maybe??
if i can say breed pet rats in alberta im am deffinitly going to get some. im sick of paying those rediculous pet store prices for them.


Thanx

[Linds]

It is illegal to keep any live rats in Alberta. They are considered a pest. You can order frozen ones from outside the province because, well... how much of a threat is a frozen rat to the system? :p Maybe the girl got messed up on her info?

[vanderkm]

It is not legal for individuals to own or breed rats in Alberta, unfortunately for snake owners!

The regulations are referenced on Alberta Agriculture's web page that states "The Agricultural Pests Act forbids, the importation, sale or captive breeding of Norway rats or any subspecies or derivation of the genus Rattus. Pet shop owners, herpetologists and other persons interested in keeping rats as pets are not allowed to do so in Alberta. Only hospitals, universities and other related institutes of education, authorized by the government are allowed to possess live rattus species of any kind. " Web site for reference is http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/prm2579

Fortunately there are several good breeders in neighbouring provinces that provide nice feeder rats and usually make it to the herp shows in Alberta - certainly better than pet store prices.


mary v.

[HetForHuman]

thanx alot thats what i figured.
i dont know where they find some of these people who work in these pet stores.
anyone know of a good rat breeder in say B.C or Sask. i would like to see about getting some from them instead of the pet stores.

[Lisa]

To the best of my knowledge no rats of the genus rattus are allowed in alberta. that means no norway or brown rats (rattus norvegicus), no black or roof rats (rattus rattus) or any other rats that latin name starts with rattus. This does mean pouched rats such as the gambian rat (i forgot the latin) are allowed because they aren't named.

[Jeff_Favelle]

mouseman.ca Ian Muir!!!! (http://www.mouseman.ca)


He's great! I'm sure he'll be right beside me at the show in Red Deer later in August!!

[Linds]

Originally posted by HetForHuman
thanx alot thats what i figured.
i dont know where they find some of these people who work in these pet stores.


Unfortunately, the reason that most pet store employees are so ignorant in their work, is due to the fact that most places won't offer more than minimum wage, and most of the people that have been educated or whatnot fetch a higher price than that. Specialty jobs usually mean higher prices, with the exception of this industry unfortunately :( You end up with a bunch of kids that have little or no experience, but are more than willing to try.

[vanderkm]

Definately Ian Muir - nice, clean consistent sized rats. It will be great if he is coming to Red Deer. I ordered from him over this last winter and shipping by bus to Edmonton from Victoria arrived the next day and was much cheaper than flying rats out - and they stayed frozen in coolers in the cargo area of the bus.

mary v.

[andrea88]

Back in high school I knew a girl who had pet rats.
She used to take them with her to coffee bars on Whyte Ave. in Edmonton.
One day someone "ratted" her out and an officer broke her rats neck right in front of her, right on the street and handed her a ticket for $2000.
Nice hey?
So moral of the story is, if you want to keep and breed rats in Alberta, go buy a few from BC, don't be a dumb-@ss and KEEP IT QUIET.

[Lisa]

Moral of the story should be move. Just because you don't agree with the law doesn't make it right to willfuly break it. There are alternatives to rats.

[Invictus]

Just to contribute my 2 cents...

Technically, ANY rats in Alberta, live or dead, are illegal. I have to hunt down pet stores that carry them, because they even have problems importing frozen rats. The Petland by my place is lucky to get them every month, and even then, in small quantities. It's a royal pain, so when I do find them, I try to get a LOT of them.

[HetForHuman]

Hey Invictus, i found the best place to go for rats in calgary is Pices pet emporium. you must of heard of them.
i stop there everytime im up in calgary, and there prices are better than some stores ive seen, but still expensive.

[andrea88]

"Moral of the story should be move. Just because you don't agree with the law doesn't make it right to willfuly break it. "

If a law were passed tomorow that stated that you could not wipe your @ss would you seriously keep your status as a law-abiding citizen? Or would you simply think to yourself "Thats ridiculous, Ill wipe my own darn @ss if I please!" ?
I mean, if you were to wipe your @ss responsibly in a way that was not hurting others, would it really be that big of a deal?

sigh....