200 pet rats rescued from apartment

As many as 300 pet rats were rescued from a studio apartment in Kettering on Thursday morning.

The Humane Society of Greater Dayton responded to a complaint in the 3200 block of Wilmington Pike. They found the "fancy" or "pocket" pet rats and running loose throughout the apartment.

"They make great pets for children. They are very durable and they are very sweet and very nice; however, you don't want to have 200 of them," Sheila Marquis, of the Humane Society of Greater Dayton, said as rescuers began counting the rats.

"What becomes a problem is, you have one or two and with small pocket pets like that, if you don't spay and neuter, they breed quite rapidly," she said.

The housing inspector was also called out because of the condition of the apartment. The workers said the smell inside was awful.

The renter is no longer living in the apartment and turned over the animals to the Humane Society. The renter, only identified as John, had been evicted.

"They have large numbers of litters," Marquis said. "So you may have one or two but in a couple of months, you will have 13 or 14 and become quickly overwhelmed."

The humane society worked with a rescue group in Cincinnati called "Rattie Tattie" to gather the rodents and work to adopt them out.

A neighbor said the owner loved the rats.

"He's a good guy," said Darryl Tucker. "And you know, he just chose to raise rats. He's real close to his rats, he can tell you anything about them."