* Lemon and Lime found their forever home with amazing people! *

Someone dumped more than twenty rats into a ditch on the side of a highway in Quebec. Thankfully, a passerby saw what was happening and pulled over. They reached out to the local animal services who came to help collect the rats from the ditch and take them to the shelter. You can see the story here.

Ottawa Rat Rescue stepped in and took all the males from the shelter. We rescued eight females that we have named Lemon, Lime, Lavender, Lace, Lentil, Licorice, Lupin and Lotus. Big thanks to Freedom Drivers Animal Transport volunteers for getting the rats to us all the way from Quebec!
At their initial vet visit just after their rescue, the rats were treated for mites. The mites are now cleared up, and the rats have all received a clean bill of health. Thankfully, none of the girls were pregnant (we waited past the full gestation period before making them available for adoption), and now they are ready to find their forever homes!
Lemon and Lime are being housed together in their foster home, so they need to be adopted as a pair.
Here’s a note from their foster home:
“Hello Potential adopters,

I received these special ladies one Saturday night. When I got them they were huddled in the back of the carrier with no interest in me.
Fast forward a month and they are waiting eagerly at their cage door most days. Lemon and Lime are very quiet girls. They like to run around the cage and play but I’ve had more quiet nights than not.
They eat mostly Adult rat kibble but they love their little toss up of other yummies. This usually consists of some apple, nuts or just about any morsel of food I have on my plate. They both have a sweet tooth and have been known to try and steal ice cream right out of your mouth.
If they aren’t curled up next to each other they are burrowed somewhere under a blanket or hanging in their hammock. They love love love to roam around and play. Every day I sit beside them with the cage doors opens waiting for them to come out. Some days are lazy days and they nap while I do my emails. Other days they explore the top/side/back of the cage, occasionally braving the world run high speed from one sheltered point to the next.
They are expert climbers. Lime discovered she loves my closet and more than once I have spent 10 minutes trying to convince her to come back. I have caught them a couple times rough housing each other in a gentle way. Lemon will lick Lime from head to tail once in a blue moon.
In the first few days anything that came through the cage bars they would try and bite/tug, This is most likely because they were fed through the bars. However less than a week in and the habit was gone. Super great ladies. Not once have they bitten hard. They have a litter box that they use about 75% of the time. They are still little rascals and leave little tootsie drops around their cage.
Lemon has a special lightening strike on her face. I would say that she is the more outgoing of the two. She loves to pop her head out of the cage and just watch everything you do. In the beginning she would hold back while Lime explored. Once she trusts you, she is the first one to explore and say hi. Lemon has never bitten and doesn’t show any inclination to do so. She loves having her cheek stroked. Once in a while she will get super excited and run around your hand. This is usually after I tap my fingers on the cage floor. If you sit still she will run all over you, taking time to occasionally lick you.
Lime is mostly brown with a white belly. To me, she is a Diva. She enjoys everything Lemon does, but on her terms. When she doesn’t want to be touched she will blatantly put her hand on your hand to stop you. She also lets you know when she has had enough by nibbling you gently. Worry not, she has never nibbled hard enough to actually hurt. Lime is also the lazier of the two. She likes to sleep in almost every day (who doesn’t?).
I love watching them bathe their bodies. They will grab a foot and go to town on cleaning it. Lemon likes to groom her tail and she will hold the tip of it while cleaning.
An interesting note about these ladies; they don’t like the water bottle, they prefer a fresh bowl to drink and bathe from. They love ice cream (just like me).”

Please adopt Lemon and Lime!

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Ladybird recommends Critter Nation cages. They are hands down the most spacious, and best quality enclosure for small animals on the market. They come in single and double sizes, and can be modified and customized to create enrichment and provide comfort. Critter Nation cages are available (or can be ordered) at most local pet supply stores.

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Can’t adopt but want to help?
Monetary donations are always needed, but if you’d like to donate something specifically for the rats in our care, donations of rat food, small pet blankets (used for cage lining), rat hammocks and fleece liners  for Critter Nation cages are very much appreciated!

Visit this page of our website to see all the ways to donate.