Because they have endlessly growing incisors and gnaw on things?

Someone who ******* cares?

Aw, Charlie, that was mean. Rodents are great, especially rats. Look up studies about rats' intelligence and empathy, you might be pleasantly surprised. :)

As much as I love animals, three home visits? Seems a little excessive to me. One should be enough to prove they care enough about the animal to put in the effort to care for it, unless it's something as high-maintenance as a border collie or husky.

Why should a husky take priority over a rodent? I didn't realize there was a hierarchy of pets. Some people care for their rodent pets just as much as some care for their dog or cat pets. They're both animals that the shelters are trusting the new owners to look after. It doesn't sound excessive, it sounds reasonable especially since OP is running a rescue. They don't want to have to rescue the same rodent again because they misjudged a person adopting them.

Probably for instances like this and they ARE high maintenance. Rabbits really aren't easy to take care of, I hate that they are viewed as good pets for children. They are very easily hurt and you have to be very patient and gentle with them. And especially with no donation fees, you have to be extra careful. Not all people are dumb enough to say what this person did. If you are willing to go through the large process then you show you are going to take good care of the pet. Many shelters require payment for the same reason. If you give animals for free with no process abusers can easily get them.

#73 - I think you misinterpreted my point. I'm not claiming one pet is more valuable than another, I'm saying that one requires much more care than the other. Huskies need proper exercise, grooming, etc. Mice, while sociable and energetic, just need some social interaction. Which is easier, in your opinion? Because in mine, it's definitely mice. This is similar to the difference between owning a guinea pig and owning a fox. One simply requires more time.

We have this as a blanket rule because some rodents are quite difficult to care for and require a lot of time and patience. Long haired rabbits need cleaning out every day, twice in the summer to prevent fly strike, they need daily grooming, a careful diet with certain percentages of fresh food. They need a cage/hutch that meets the minimum size requirements, they need bonding to the new person, they need a pile of hay roughly the size of their body each day. A large part of those three visits is educating people on how to care for their new pet. We also teach them what bedding a they are and are not allowed to use (you should never use fluffy/wool/paper wool bedding for ANY animal, and sawdust/wood shavings should never be used as a substrate for mice, gerbils, rats, and hamsters) We teach them how to look for signs of illness, as rodents are exceptionally prone to respiratory infections and tumours, and we teach them how to administer medication to normals as tiny as a mouse. Those three visits we request are very needed because people wrongly assume that animals like hamsters and rabbits are crap and easy pets to care for, when in reality they need a lot more attention and time than you'd expect. We like to make thoroughly sure that people know this before they take one of our animals home. We also make agreements that if the new owner doesn't feel they can keep the animal for whatever reason, they will return them back to us. No matter how much time has passed, we will take them back. Any one of you are obviously entitled to your opinion and you're free to think whatever you want, but I know we are doing right by the animals in our care and I know that our system ensures that they go to the best homes where the owners have had adequate education on the pet they have chosen.

cheap and easy* animals as tiny*

I'm glad you're thorough for the sake of your more difficult pets, I just don't understand why it's a blanket rule. You're doing a great thing and I didn't mean to come across so negative, props to you.

Fluff for ANY animal? Glad you are Dr.Dolittle. What would we do without the animal queen who knows everything about all animals. I get what you're trying to say maybe it might be a choking hazard but sometimes pets are smart. My dog has a fluff stuffed pillow and just sleeps on it. Hmmmm maybe not all animals

88, that started off awesome and ended up being super condescending.

SOMETIMES pets are smart so I guess you should never ever try to avoid things that could be harmful to an animal? Wow. Look at the queen of all knowledge of animals based on one damn dog.

Sorry, I said 'fluffy bedding' which is an actual product that is sold in bags at many pet stores. It's different to the fluff you are describing and it's not that it's a choking hazard. It can twist around their legs and they can break a limb trying to get free, it can tangle in their insides, and for animals with pouches it can get stuck in the pouch and cause an everted pouch (prolapse)

Your comment is coming off as quite condescending. I can tell you as a trained vet tech fluff is a choking hazard for all animals so unless you have done your homework, have extensive experience, or are trained, simply owing a pet does not make you an expert.