St Francis Rat Sanctuary

04/08/2024

Our rescue has had our GOLD level renewed by guidestar.org !

Find and check a charity using Candid's GuideStar. Look up 501(c)(3) status, search 990s, create nonprofit organizations lists, and verify nonprofit information.

07/07/2024

It is with a heavy heart that we goodbye to one of the loveliest personalities in our Delco sanctuary💔

BABE came to us in Nov 2022 with her mother ERI and sister HONEY. They were ready to be transferred from Philly to Delco when her sister got loose in the Phila foster home! So the remaining two went to Delco and the sister rejoined the group later when she was found!

We decided to keep BABE in sanctuary as a buddy to her skittish mother who never really grew to trust humans, but had a wonderful relationship with her daughters. BABE lived happily with her family until her sister and her mother passed away naturally a few months ago (at different times).

This girl was always FULL OF PERSONALITY! She trusted foster mom from the start and always allowed handling! She was a brute with mealtime and she was one of the only rats we had seen who let us know she was hungry by chewing on the cage bars. BABE also got special couch privileges because she was so good and could be trusted. She ended up having her own couch on the window sill and had coffee with foster mom in the mornings. BABE was always so full of life and was just a ton of fun!

Please enjoy this small glimpse of the lovely life of BABE who brightened our sanctuary for almost 2 years🐁❤️

27/06/2024

We lost SMOOCHIE a few days ago. 😔

She, her neutered b/f JERRY3, and 2 daughters CEE and DEE, all lived together in sanctuary care bc nobody wanted a family of 4 and we wanted to keep them together bc SMOOCHIE and JERRY3 were bonded. (Their other babies were all adopted out.)

25/06/2024

Justice for the beagles! Hopefully someday no animals will be used in research, especially rats, because humane alternatives are being found and implemented.

Envigo’s parent company Inotiv will pay $35 million, including largest ever U.S. Animal Welfare Act fine, for beagle facility

20/06/2024

We are in the midst of an excessive heat wave right now. Please put icecube-filled Mason jars in your rattie cages (please lay jar on its side on the lower cage level so it doesn't roll off a shelf and hurt a rattie!)

If you have central AC you shouldn't need to do this, but if you don't have AC, please help your ratties cool off!

19/06/2024

Everyone matters. Science can make progress without causing harm. caareusa.org

19/06/2024

7 former lab girls have arrived to safety! We are keeping 4 and 3 were adopted out.

31/05/2024

https://www.outsourcing-pharma.com/Article/2024/04/16/charles-river-looking-for-alternatives-to-animal-testing?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=ceb25b45-be73-49a7-924a-3b64e7907bb9

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has unveiled its Alternative Methods Advancement Project (AMAP), a strong initiative aimed at changing drug discovery and development by exploring alternatives to animal testing.

24/05/2024

GOOD NEWS! Thanks to one of our supporters, we have made contact with a rat person who works for a company that ships large quantities of things.

She is working on having a large amt of our excess rat cages, water bottles, and other supplies shipped to the Medina County SPCA in Ohio!

(This is the shelter that recently took in 250 rats that soon turned into almost a thousand due to the females all being pregnant).

19/05/2024

We were alerted by email to a terrible situation in a Medina County, Ohio animal shelter.

They were called upon to take in 250 rats from a severe hoarding situation, and those numbers (so far) have doubled because the females were/are all pregnant! They may end up with 1,000 rats or more and sadly we realize many will be euthanized but we have notified our sister rescue in Pittsburgh and have gathered many spare cages and supplies but have no one that can deliver them to Ohio.

If anyone here is planning to drive to Ohio for any reason and would be willing to transport some folded cages, water bottles, etc, please email [email protected] We cannot afford to ship them.

Thanks!

10/05/2024

Go to paypal.me/phillyratrescue and type in the amount. Since it’s PayPal, it's easy and secure. Don’t have a PayPal account? No worries.

26/04/2024

PLEASE HELP US to continue taking care of the needy rats in our care. Donations of food and funds for vet bills are always needed!

Thank you! PLEASE SHARE!

Paypal: paypal.me/phillyratrescue

US Mail: PRR/SFRS, 8001 Castor Ave #1-378, Philadelphia PA 19152-2742 (personal checks and money orders etc)

Chewy: https://www.chewy.com/g/philly-rat-rescuest-francis-rat-sanctuary-inc_b82488159

Go to paypal.me/phillyratrescue and type in the amount. Since it’s PayPal, it's easy and secure. Don’t have a PayPal account? No worries.

26/04/2024

Earlier this week we lost two senior girls, Bella & Eri😭 Both had complications from abdominal tumors💔

Bella came to us April 2023 with her cagemate Chickpea as a reluctant surrender by their owner who was battling serious health problems. They lived happily together until Chickpea passed suddenly in August. We then introduced Bella to our solo girl, Gretchen. Bella enjoyed her company until Gretchen passed away recently. Bella was always reserved, but very curious and loved to take treats from foster mom’s hand. She had a lot of personality even though she preferred to be around rats, not people so much. We are glad that Bella is finally at peace and back with her friends🌈🌤️

Eri came to us with her daughter Babe in November 2022. She was rescued from a snake tank by the owner’s sister, who quickly found Eri to be pregnant! She kept a few babies and contacted us to take mom and the rest of the litter. Before being transferred from Philly to Delco, one of Eri’s daughters escaped in the Philly foster home and it took some time to get her back! In the meantime Eri/Babe was transferred and once the other daughter Honey (who earned the nickname Trouble) was found, she rejoined her family in Delco!

The 3 girls lived very happily together for almost 2 years! The group was very skittish but the daughters did develop a personality and learn to trust us, and even be handled. Unfortunately Eri never truly trusted humans after her experience in the snake tank, but she did come around to take treats from foster mom’s hand, which we take as huge progress for her! We are so glad Eri was able to experience a life of love, safety and companionship. It’s what she truly deserves.

Babe is her surviving daughter so she is just getting extra attention & cuddles until we figure out where she can get integrated.

Scroll for glimpse of their beauty⬇️
Bella (Berkshire)
Eri (PEW)

05/04/2024

02/04/2024

LT DAN was brought to us about 8 mos ago as a former classrm pet. He was unsocialized and likely to bolt. Cage cleaning wasn't easy and required 2 people wearing leather gloves. He was brought to us by the teacher who seemed afraid of him.

Today we were able to hold LT DAN for the first time! No biting, no trying to escape. 🥰

30/03/2024

HAPPY EASTER!

28/03/2024

We lost AY today. She and her sister BEA were 2 yrs old and the daughters of FRAN and RALPHIE.

They were a PEW family that stayed in sanctuary care bc nobody wanted to adopt a family of 4, even though Dad RALPHIE got neutered.

12/03/2024

Today, FRAN had to be put to sleep due to a cancerous tumor in her lungs that went to her eye.

FRAN was almost 3, and came in pregnant in 2022 with RALPHIE who passed last year. FRAN gave birth to babies in mid 2022. We adopted most out but got RALPHIE neutered so he could stay with FRAN and 2 daughters.

All of the little family were/are PEWs.💔

09/03/2024

St Patrick's Day is almost here!!

05/03/2024

We would like to express a huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated supplies to our sanctuary via our Chewy registry! We could not be more grateful for this as we have been taking a bit of a hit with medical bills for the recent terminal residents we lost.

Below are just a few Delco sanctuary faces that will be enjoying your generosity🐭❤️

Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

02/03/2024

This week we are mourning the losses of 2 beautiful girls who were residents in our Delco sanctuary💔

ABIGAIL has been a beloved member of SFRS since she arrived in Philly from being found outside in West Phila in the cold rain as a baby. She grew up to be underweight as she was not properly weaned from nursing. She waited solo in Philly until a match was found and she was transferred to Delco to be introduced to new friends. ABI was a silly girl with a huge personality for such a small rat! She was a little too much for her first intro to a pair that they did not accept her. When another 2 solo girls came around we tried them and they were 3 peas in a pod! ABI recently fell victim to brain trouble at the young age of 1 year old. Her head began to tilt, she lost coordination, lost her vision, and even had respiratory distress as a result of her neurological problem. ABI leaves behind her roommate SUZY.

GRETCHEN, whom was a transfer from Philly after her cagemate passed away, came to Delco in search of a partner. She was eventually paired with BELLA who previously lost her cagemate as well. Gretchen did not seem to like people much at all, to the point foster mom had to distract her in order to get her hands on the cage for feeding time. We noticed that once she had a cagemate again she did calm down and seemed much happier. She never quite let foster mom handle her until she was too sick to feed herself. With symptoms of pituitary gland tumor, GRETCHEN declined until it was time to let her go. She leaves behind her roommate BELLA.

Both of these beautiful girls were put to rest on Monday 2/26. May they rest with the Lord who created them and rejoin their loved ones, free from the pain of their bodies❤️

27/02/2024

One of our main foster homes is in need of OXBOW ADULT RAT FOOD and CAREFRESH BEDDING.

If anyone would like to donate via Chewy we would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!

Our organization is committed to keeping domestic pet rats safe, happy and healthy while they wait to be placed in a forever home. We rescue,

31/01/2024

Thank you to Denises Rat Hammocks for these beautiful hammocks!

Please patronize her shop, folks! She helps rescues including ours!

31/01/2024

A very sad time for PRR/SFRS, as we also lost our resident, PEASY.

PEASY was a beautiful girl who was surrendered to us solo in July 2023, around the same time as 2 others. She was transferred from Philly to Delco and was introduced to the others as they became a family.

PEASY was always very skittish and weary of people, but she thrived with her girls. We are so happy she could find comfort again after her surrender in her new friends and that she had 6 months of living in happiness with them.

She grew very tired recently from respiratory disease. She fought very hard but it became too much for her unfortunately. We will miss this beautiful lady and so will her cagemates ABI & SUZY💔

29/01/2024

Today our sanctuary lost ASPIE and HERBERT.

HERBERT arrived a yr ago at 2 yrs of age. He was blind and had a tendency to nip bc he couldn't see well. He was a good boy! A large PEW.

ASPIE was one of the semiwild babies born over 2 yrs ago to a domestic PEW girl found outside who mated apparently with a wild agouti. She was skittish and couldn't be held, and her fostermom got to hold her today for the first time bc she was too weak and sick to bite. 😭

Both rats were a pleasure for us to have live in sanctuary care. We will miss them.

01/01/2024

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2024 TO ALL!

29/12/2023

Last night we lost one of our sanctuary residents, Honey😞

She arrived last year with her mom and sister. They were of an unexpected litter whose mother was found as a pregnant stray. The person who found the mom, Eri, kept a few girls, adopted some out and we took mom with a group as well.

Upon arrival the girls were very skittish and hid most of the time. Honey at first earned the nickname “Trouble” in the Philly foster home as she was an escape artist as a youth! She escaped twice while there, was caught and transferred to Delco to rejoin her family.

We believe that Honey was so grateful to be back that she never left her family’s side again! During their stay in Delco, the group was very shy but they did come around to approach foster mom and take food from her hand. Honey and Eri followed their bold sister, Babe’s lead in trusting people.

Honey loved living with her mommy and sister, she was a joy to have here! She did appear to not suffer for long. She died naturally and kind of suddenly, as she only looked uncomfortable for about a day or so.

We are so happy this girl could live out her life with her family by her side, Honey will be missed by us all, but especially by her mom Eri and sister Babe❤️

🍯🍯🍯

We have many unadoptable rats housed in our sanctuary that need care up until the end of their lives. If you would like to donate to help us to continue these rats care, you can support us via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/phillyratrescue

Or mail a check to:
Philly Rat Rescue/SFRS,
8001 Castor Avenue, #1-378,
Philadelphia PA 19152

15/12/2023

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

15/12/2023

JUST A REMINDER:

We can accept donations toward our sanctuary expenses at:

paypal.me/phillyratrescue

Venmo: -sfrs

By US Mail: PHILLY RAT RESCUE/SFRS,
8001 Castor Ave. #1-378,
PHILADELPHIA PA 19152-2742

THANK YOU!😊🐀🐀

Go to paypal.me/phillyratrescue and type in the amount. Since it’s PayPal, it's easy and secure. Don’t have a PayPal account? No worries.