Volunteer Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What volunteer positions are available at Rattie Ratz?
A: Rattie Ratz is always looking for volunteers to help with the multitude of tasks it takes to run the rescue. We always need foster homes, but we also need volunteers to help us with all the general tasks too! We’ve added a list of ways volunteers can help us on the main Volunteer page. Volunteering for Rattie Ratz doesn’t mean you have to be a foster home, so if you’d like to volunteer in another capacity, please take a look at the list and let us know how you’d like to help us!
Q: Is there a minimum time commitment to the rescue in order to be a volunteer?
A: While some organizations require a minimum of 3-12 months commitment of volunteer work, we do not have a minimum time commitment unless you plan to become a foster home (see below). We have a few volunteer tasks where you’d need to be actively involved with the rescue for a longer period of time before you could take on those tasks, such as being the lead for an adoption fair, or assisting with our email inbox. We all have busy lives, so we want you to know that you can be involved as much, or as little, as you want to be. And we definitely love it when our volunteers step up and get passionate about their volunteer work!
Q: What things am I required to do to be a foster home for the rescue?
A: First, please complete our Volunteer Application online in its entirety after you read though this entire FAQ page. If you’d rather not use the electronic form, you are welcome to fill out the printable version and email it to us at [email protected], or drop it off at any of our upcoming events. References are required on the application. Additional requirements include:
Q: Will I get to care for friendly, easy to handle rats if I’m a foster home for the rescue? Are all of the rescue’s rats friendly and adoptable?
A: Due to most pet stores in the area no longer selling pet rats, the demand to adopt friendly, social rats has drastically increased for us in the last few years. At this time, rats that come into the rescue who are social, friendly, and easy to handle, never make it into a foster home. Their adoption is lined up while they are in quarantine, and they are adopted as soon as their quarantine is over. For our foster homes, we desperately need experienced handlers. While we do get the friendly rats coming in, we also get many rats who are often timid, scared, and don’t trust people. These rats can show unpredictable behaviors, but in a stable foster home environment, they can become friendly and social. These rats need patience, trust training, and foster homes who are willing and able to work with them daily so that they have a chance for adoption. Working with these rats can be very challenging, but also very rewarding. If you are new to rats, and don’t have much handling experience, the wait time to foster friendly, easy to handle rats can be very long.
Q: Can I choose which rats I wish to foster?
A: To some extent, depending on the needs of the organization and which rats need to be moved out of quarantine. You may specify whether or not you are willing to care for rats needing medication, and you can request rats that are less challenging in terms of socialization needed. We want you to have a positive bond with the rats in your care, so if it’s not working out, please let us know.
Q: Will I know anything about the background of the rats I foster?
A: This varies, as our rats come from different sources. Sometimes we have a lot of information about them and sometimes we have none.
Q: How many would I foster at a time?
A: From two to a whole litter, depending on your desire, space, and time. Typically it would be two or three.
Q: How do I get my foster rats and supplies?
A: Our main intake/quarantine home is located in the Palo Alto area and our supplies are in the Palo Alto and Union City/Fremont/Newark areas. Most foster rats will need to be picked up directly from our intake/quarantine home. Sometimes we can arrange transportation, but that depends on our volunteer’s schedules. Supplies can be picked up from the supplies locations, or sometimes, depending on the supplies needed, another volunteer can meet up with you to give you the supplies you need. Our dedicated foster homes typically have some extra supplies on hand.
Q: What kind of time commitment is required for the rats in my care?
A: Rats are very social animals who bond with each other, and also with their humans. Rats need interaction daily, and the more shy, timid, or scared they are, the more time you’ll need to spend with them.
Q: As a foster home, would I need to provide my own cage and supplies?
A: No. Rattie Ratz provides the following items:
Q: What do I do when I run short of supplies?
A: Please contact our supplies coordinator at least 1-2 days in advance so you can schedule to meet to hand off the supplies. If you cannot pick up the supplies from the supplies coordinator, please give us 3-5 days, if possible, so that we can coordinate getting the supplies to you via another volunteer. You can also arrange to pick up supplies at the next adoption event. Sometimes, if someone is transporting supplies or rats to your area, you can arrange to meet that person for your supplies as well.
Q: I have my foster rats … now what?
A: This is where things get fun!
Q: What do I do if my foster rats need medical attention?
A: Rattie Ratz has relationships with certain vets and can authorize you to take an animal to the vet for treatment. If the animal has a common ailment that is treatable with antibiotics, Rattie Ratz will provide antibiotics and show you how to administer them. Because emergencies can happen at any time, keeping the mobile numbers of the Rattie Ratz Board members in your cell phone is very important.
Q: What if I have questions while I am fostering?
A: Rattie Ratz volunteers are now connected in Office365 and we utilize Yammer (internal social platform) and email to stay in contact with one another. Additionally, you’ll have the cell numbers for several volunteers, including the Board members. If your question is not urgent, you can pose a question on Yammer, and other volunteers will reply with advice or information. We also tend to share relevant news stories, ask for transport assistance, remind each other of upcoming events, and share photos and stories about our foster rats and their antics! Urgent questions or concerns should be directed to the Board.
Q: Can I foster rats with the intention of adopting?
A: Yes, and no. Foster homes are welcome to adopt their foster rats. Since setting up a foster home is an investment of resources, Rattie Ratz requires a minimum 6 month commitment from each of our foster homes. You may adopt your foster rats so long as it doesn’t affect your ability to continuing to foster for the rescue. If you adopt your foster rats, another set of foster rats will be assigned to you. As a foster home, the rats you foster will be selected primarily based on the need of the rescue, not necessarily based on your personal preferences, but we know that sometimes you just fall in love.
Q: Can I foster to complete my community service volunteer hours?
A: No. Our foster program is not currently an available option for community service volunteers. However, if you have extensive animal rescue volunteer experience your application will be considered. If you are looking to complete community service hours through Rattie Ratz, please look at the list of ways volunteers can help us on the main Volunteer page and let us know what tasks interest you.
Q: I heard that the rescue has perks for its volunteers! What perks are available?
A: We do have perks for our volunteers that we implemented in 2018 for our 20th anniversary! Perk get progressively better the longer you’re with the rescue. Also, the more dedicated and active you are, the better the perks get as well! Here are some of the perks currently offered:
Q: How do I become a Rattie Ratz volunteer?
A: Please get started by filling out our Volunteer Application.
We couldn’t keep the rescue running without dedicated volunteers like you! We look forward to working with you!
A: Rattie Ratz is always looking for volunteers to help with the multitude of tasks it takes to run the rescue. We always need foster homes, but we also need volunteers to help us with all the general tasks too! We’ve added a list of ways volunteers can help us on the main Volunteer page. Volunteering for Rattie Ratz doesn’t mean you have to be a foster home, so if you’d like to volunteer in another capacity, please take a look at the list and let us know how you’d like to help us!
Q: Is there a minimum time commitment to the rescue in order to be a volunteer?
A: While some organizations require a minimum of 3-12 months commitment of volunteer work, we do not have a minimum time commitment unless you plan to become a foster home (see below). We have a few volunteer tasks where you’d need to be actively involved with the rescue for a longer period of time before you could take on those tasks, such as being the lead for an adoption fair, or assisting with our email inbox. We all have busy lives, so we want you to know that you can be involved as much, or as little, as you want to be. And we definitely love it when our volunteers step up and get passionate about their volunteer work!
Q: What things am I required to do to be a foster home for the rescue?
A: First, please complete our Volunteer Application online in its entirety after you read though this entire FAQ page. If you’d rather not use the electronic form, you are welcome to fill out the printable version and email it to us at [email protected], or drop it off at any of our upcoming events. References are required on the application. Additional requirements include:
- Complete a minimum attendance to at least 1 adoption fair per month for 3 months prior to getting your first foster rats. Pitch in to help, talk to people, ask questions, get to know us and how we work. Coming to the adoption fairs shows commitment to the rescue and to the rats in our care.
- Sign a foster home volunteer contract.
- Agree to and complete a minimum continuous fostering period of 6 months after receiving your first foster rats.
- Allow monthly home checks to verify the health and care of the rescue’s rats., as well as cleanliness of the home as a representation of the rescue. We are a network of foster homes, so our foster homes are an extension of the rescue.
- Attend at least 1 adoption fair each month with your foster rats once they are deemed ready for adoption.
Q: Will I get to care for friendly, easy to handle rats if I’m a foster home for the rescue? Are all of the rescue’s rats friendly and adoptable?
A: Due to most pet stores in the area no longer selling pet rats, the demand to adopt friendly, social rats has drastically increased for us in the last few years. At this time, rats that come into the rescue who are social, friendly, and easy to handle, never make it into a foster home. Their adoption is lined up while they are in quarantine, and they are adopted as soon as their quarantine is over. For our foster homes, we desperately need experienced handlers. While we do get the friendly rats coming in, we also get many rats who are often timid, scared, and don’t trust people. These rats can show unpredictable behaviors, but in a stable foster home environment, they can become friendly and social. These rats need patience, trust training, and foster homes who are willing and able to work with them daily so that they have a chance for adoption. Working with these rats can be very challenging, but also very rewarding. If you are new to rats, and don’t have much handling experience, the wait time to foster friendly, easy to handle rats can be very long.
Q: Can I choose which rats I wish to foster?
A: To some extent, depending on the needs of the organization and which rats need to be moved out of quarantine. You may specify whether or not you are willing to care for rats needing medication, and you can request rats that are less challenging in terms of socialization needed. We want you to have a positive bond with the rats in your care, so if it’s not working out, please let us know.
Q: Will I know anything about the background of the rats I foster?
A: This varies, as our rats come from different sources. Sometimes we have a lot of information about them and sometimes we have none.
Q: How many would I foster at a time?
A: From two to a whole litter, depending on your desire, space, and time. Typically it would be two or three.
Q: How do I get my foster rats and supplies?
A: Our main intake/quarantine home is located in the Palo Alto area and our supplies are in the Palo Alto and Union City/Fremont/Newark areas. Most foster rats will need to be picked up directly from our intake/quarantine home. Sometimes we can arrange transportation, but that depends on our volunteer’s schedules. Supplies can be picked up from the supplies locations, or sometimes, depending on the supplies needed, another volunteer can meet up with you to give you the supplies you need. Our dedicated foster homes typically have some extra supplies on hand.
Q: What kind of time commitment is required for the rats in my care?
A: Rats are very social animals who bond with each other, and also with their humans. Rats need interaction daily, and the more shy, timid, or scared they are, the more time you’ll need to spend with them.
- A minimum of 30 minutes a day to interact with, and care for, your foster rats.
- Approximately 1 hour per week cleaning the cage and all accessories in it.
- A few minutes each day to provide your foster rats with fresh vegetables or fruit.
- Several hours once a month attending adoption events (or at least dropping off your foster rats and returning to pick them up, or picking up new foster rats if yours get adopted.
- Varying amounts of time communicating with potential adopters and other volunteers.
Q: As a foster home, would I need to provide my own cage and supplies?
A: No. Rattie Ratz provides the following items:
- A large cage to keep in your home for housing your foster rats
- A smaller cage/carrier for transporting them
- Food appropriate to the age of the rats
- A water bottle and food dish
- Bedding material for lining the cage
- Soft cloth items such as hammocks and pieces of fleece
- Wheel, igloo, and toys
- Medications, if needed
- A “Rat Primer” or “Rat Health Care” full of useful information on the care and keeping of rats
Q: What do I do when I run short of supplies?
A: Please contact our supplies coordinator at least 1-2 days in advance so you can schedule to meet to hand off the supplies. If you cannot pick up the supplies from the supplies coordinator, please give us 3-5 days, if possible, so that we can coordinate getting the supplies to you via another volunteer. You can also arrange to pick up supplies at the next adoption event. Sometimes, if someone is transporting supplies or rats to your area, you can arrange to meet that person for your supplies as well.
Q: I have my foster rats … now what?
A: This is where things get fun!
- After learning the personalities of your foster rats, you would write up a description of each one, including the background of the rat, if you know it. You would take photos of them, or have another volunteer take photos of them, to be posted in the Available Rats section of the website.
- When a potential adopter applies to adopt your foster rats, the adoption application will be reviewed by our adoption coordinator. The adoption coordinator may reach out to you for more information to see if the rats will be a fit for the adopter.
- Typically, the adopter will come to the next adoption fair to finalize the adoption. If your foster rats have an adoption pending, you’ll need to bring them to the event to meet the adopter. ,If you cannot attend the adoption fair, let the adoption coordinator know so we can arrange for alternate transportation to get the foster rats to the adoption fair. Once you’re an established foster home (fulfilled your 6-month foster home commitment), you will have the opportunity to start doing private adoptions from your home. In this scenario, the adopter meets at your house and you complete the adoption paperwork at that time.
- If you complete the adoption outside of an adoption fair, you will need to ensure that the adoption contract is complete, that you gave the adopter the appropriate receipts and handouts, and that you collected the adoption fee in full. Once the adoption is complete, you would turn in the adoption contract and fees to an approved Rattie Ratz volunteer. If you are interested on private in-home adoptions, please let us know, so we can provide you with training and complete another home check.
- You become the contact for the adopter if they have questions in the future, which can be very fulfilling and can give you an opportunity to find out how your former foster rats are doing. If you do not want to give out your contact information to adopters, please let us know.
Q: What do I do if my foster rats need medical attention?
A: Rattie Ratz has relationships with certain vets and can authorize you to take an animal to the vet for treatment. If the animal has a common ailment that is treatable with antibiotics, Rattie Ratz will provide antibiotics and show you how to administer them. Because emergencies can happen at any time, keeping the mobile numbers of the Rattie Ratz Board members in your cell phone is very important.
Q: What if I have questions while I am fostering?
A: Rattie Ratz volunteers are now connected in Office365 and we utilize Yammer (internal social platform) and email to stay in contact with one another. Additionally, you’ll have the cell numbers for several volunteers, including the Board members. If your question is not urgent, you can pose a question on Yammer, and other volunteers will reply with advice or information. We also tend to share relevant news stories, ask for transport assistance, remind each other of upcoming events, and share photos and stories about our foster rats and their antics! Urgent questions or concerns should be directed to the Board.
Q: Can I foster rats with the intention of adopting?
A: Yes, and no. Foster homes are welcome to adopt their foster rats. Since setting up a foster home is an investment of resources, Rattie Ratz requires a minimum 6 month commitment from each of our foster homes. You may adopt your foster rats so long as it doesn’t affect your ability to continuing to foster for the rescue. If you adopt your foster rats, another set of foster rats will be assigned to you. As a foster home, the rats you foster will be selected primarily based on the need of the rescue, not necessarily based on your personal preferences, but we know that sometimes you just fall in love.
Q: Can I foster to complete my community service volunteer hours?
A: No. Our foster program is not currently an available option for community service volunteers. However, if you have extensive animal rescue volunteer experience your application will be considered. If you are looking to complete community service hours through Rattie Ratz, please look at the list of ways volunteers can help us on the main Volunteer page and let us know what tasks interest you.
Q: I heard that the rescue has perks for its volunteers! What perks are available?
A: We do have perks for our volunteers that we implemented in 2018 for our 20th anniversary! Perk get progressively better the longer you’re with the rescue. Also, the more dedicated and active you are, the better the perks get as well! Here are some of the perks currently offered:
- For all volunteers, Rattie Ratz reimburses for meals/food for required volunteer meetings or training, up to a specific dollar amount per person.
- For all volunteers, Rattie Ratz reimburses for meals for every 4 hours volunteered at an event, up to specific dollar amount per person.
- For all volunteers, Rattie Ratz reimburses for parking costs for volunteers who attend events where a parking cost is incurred in order to attend the event.
- For all volunteers, Rattie Ratz reimburses a specified amount per mile for driving the volunteer’s personal vehicle for business directly associated with the rescue.
- For foster/sanctuary/intake homes, Rattie Ratz reimburses a specific amount per rescue rat per month up to a specified cap for general care expenses like toys, hammocks, laundry detergent, fresh foods, etc.
- After 1 year of continuous volunteer service, for volunteers with a greater percentage of rescue rats in their home over personal rats, Rattie Ratz covers the cost of food and bedding, available from the supplies coordinator, for all rats in the household.
- After 1 year of continuous volunteer service, for volunteers with a greater percentage of rescue rats in their home over personal rats, Rattie Ratz pays a specific amount of spay/neuter surgeries for the volunteer’s personal rats, up to a specific amount per rat and up to a specific cap per year.
- For the more dedicated and active volunteers who use their personal cell phones for Rattie Ratz coordination, Rattie Ratz reimburses cellphone usage costs up to a specified amount each month.
- For the more dedicated and active volunteers, the perks above have some the constraints waived as a thank you for their additional service to the rescue.
Q: How do I become a Rattie Ratz volunteer?
A: Please get started by filling out our Volunteer Application.
We couldn’t keep the rescue running without dedicated volunteers like you! We look forward to working with you!