If you're here, chances are you've found a rat somewhere that you want to help (because you're a good person) but you're not quite sure how. And this page is here to help you, the good person, be able to do a good deed (save a rat in need) without (hopefully) having to climb mountains to do so. In other words, those of us who love rats as we love our own family want to help.

And if you've landed here now, you'll find that we're not yet 100% assembled. Sorry.

Here's a little guide (for me, mostly) of what you'll find where:

Wild vs. Domesticated: How to tell if you found a wild or domestic rat. What differentiates the two? Can a pet rat survive in the wild? Can a wild rat survive (happily) in the home?
** Active as of 03.26.04

Basic Care: What do you feed a rat? What do you keep a rat in? How do you handle a rat? What are their special needs?

Fostering Young: If you find a litter of rittens, what do you need to do to raise them?
** Active as of 08.03.04

Shelters: Where can you take the rat(s) you've raised or found without risking the life you've attempted to save?
** Active as of 03.19.04

Contacts: Are there people local to you who are familiar with rats who might be able to offer advice or lend a hand? How does one go about contacting them?
** Active as of 05.02.04

Wild Rats: How does one humanely trap a wild rat or rats in one's house? Are there tricks? What do you do with them once you've caught them? Is disease really a problem? Are we, our loved ones, our pets, etc at risk? And how can you keep them away?

Other Resources: Links to really excellent resources on the web.