Last Updated: 11/20/2023
Arizona Anyone?
Arizona is a close neighbor, so I get the most requests from this state to make a trip out for adoptions. I am happy to do so, but it takes a little coordination and patience on the part of any adopters involved. If you live in Arizona and you would like to adopt from us at some point in the next 3 months, please read over all the information on this page and follow the steps for signing up for one of our Arizona trips.
DETAILS OF THE TRIP SO FAR:
As of right now we are only gathering names for our list of interested adopters for a possible trip in 2024 to Arizona. The location we will travel to, fees involved and other important details will start to come together as we get sign ups.
Date: TBD - could be as early as February 2024
Time: TBD - usually we prefer morning (10 or 11a.m. start time with a 1-2 hour duration.)
Location: Yuma, AZ was our last trip, but we are open to other cities in AZ.
Travel Fee: it was $100 per adopter for Yuma with a minimum 4 adopter sign-up. Actual cost is by miles I have to drive, but will likely be similar if there are 4+ sign ups.
Spots Available: No one has confirmed for any of our spots. We assign 1st and 2nd pick for the following groupings; female standard size, male standard size, female dwarf, male dwarf. If we have more than 2 adopters interested in the same category, we will pair an extra litter to accommodate a 3rd or even 4th pick.
- We will have a minimum of 4-6 babies to choose from for each adopter.
- Each adopter will get to have a "guaranteed pick". This is ONE baby you can pre-reserve to be available at the time we meet. I will not offer that one baby to anyone else prior to your appointment, but it will be made available afterwards if you do not select him/her. All other selections will be based off of who is available at the time of our meeting. Earlier appointments will have more selection to choose from, but you can arrive at any time during our adoption window.
Date: TBD - could be as early as February 2024
Time: TBD - usually we prefer morning (10 or 11a.m. start time with a 1-2 hour duration.)
Location: Yuma, AZ was our last trip, but we are open to other cities in AZ.
Travel Fee: it was $100 per adopter for Yuma with a minimum 4 adopter sign-up. Actual cost is by miles I have to drive, but will likely be similar if there are 4+ sign ups.
Spots Available: No one has confirmed for any of our spots. We assign 1st and 2nd pick for the following groupings; female standard size, male standard size, female dwarf, male dwarf. If we have more than 2 adopters interested in the same category, we will pair an extra litter to accommodate a 3rd or even 4th pick.
- We will have a minimum of 4-6 babies to choose from for each adopter.
- Each adopter will get to have a "guaranteed pick". This is ONE baby you can pre-reserve to be available at the time we meet. I will not offer that one baby to anyone else prior to your appointment, but it will be made available afterwards if you do not select him/her. All other selections will be based off of who is available at the time of our meeting. Earlier appointments will have more selection to choose from, but you can arrive at any time during our adoption window.
STEPS TO SIGN UP FOR THIS TRIP:
1. BECOME AN APPROVED ADOPTER - Anyone who wants to be a part of the trip has to be an approved adopter first. You can find the steps for adoption on our Adoption Info page. Be sure to complete all the steps on that page, including notifying us in a message of interest. When you reach out, please let me know that you are signing up for my next AZ trip.
2. PAY FIRST DEPOSIT - I require everyone who wants to be kept in the loop on this trip to pay a $20 deposit. This deposit is refundable at any point while I am gathering interest and finalizing details for the trip. However, the deposit becomes non-refundable once I send out the notification requesting the SECOND deposit. If you have not cancelled by that time and requested your deposit back, it cannot be refunded because all other participants will be affected by your cancellation.
3. STAY IN TOUCH - I will send out periodic updates on the progress of the trip, which you must reply back to. The updates and other communications will be asking for feedback on details such as location, time for meeting, best dates for meeting, etc. If you do not reply back, I will have to finalize the details with the adopters who do, and the trip may not work for you in the end.
4. PAY SECOND DEPOSIT - Once there are enough adopters signed up, details have been finalized, and I'm ready to start booking times, I will request a second deposit equal to the travel fee for the trip. This deposit is NON-REFUNDABLE once paid. I do not accept cancellations for any reason because all other adopters booking at this point are counting on your portion of the travel fee so they can adopt from me. The travel fee will not be returned even if you cannot make it to the meeting or miss your scheduled appointment later.
5. BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT - After your 2nd deposit is paid, you will be able to pick a time spot for meeting with me. You will also be asked to pick a single "guaranteed reserve" baby for the trip if there is more than one person booking an appointment for your size/gender category. I will send a confirmation letter to you with all the final details of our meeting at this stage and you will be fully confirmed. I can also take orders for rat food, bedding, treats, toys, costumes, etc. that you may want me to bring for you. Our Etsy shops and website have a wide variety of items to choose from.
6. MEET UP - The final step will be to arrive on time or early for your appointment and pick out your new rats. At this stage you will pay the final payment for your rats and any additional items you ordered from me.
2. PAY FIRST DEPOSIT - I require everyone who wants to be kept in the loop on this trip to pay a $20 deposit. This deposit is refundable at any point while I am gathering interest and finalizing details for the trip. However, the deposit becomes non-refundable once I send out the notification requesting the SECOND deposit. If you have not cancelled by that time and requested your deposit back, it cannot be refunded because all other participants will be affected by your cancellation.
3. STAY IN TOUCH - I will send out periodic updates on the progress of the trip, which you must reply back to. The updates and other communications will be asking for feedback on details such as location, time for meeting, best dates for meeting, etc. If you do not reply back, I will have to finalize the details with the adopters who do, and the trip may not work for you in the end.
4. PAY SECOND DEPOSIT - Once there are enough adopters signed up, details have been finalized, and I'm ready to start booking times, I will request a second deposit equal to the travel fee for the trip. This deposit is NON-REFUNDABLE once paid. I do not accept cancellations for any reason because all other adopters booking at this point are counting on your portion of the travel fee so they can adopt from me. The travel fee will not be returned even if you cannot make it to the meeting or miss your scheduled appointment later.
5. BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT - After your 2nd deposit is paid, you will be able to pick a time spot for meeting with me. You will also be asked to pick a single "guaranteed reserve" baby for the trip if there is more than one person booking an appointment for your size/gender category. I will send a confirmation letter to you with all the final details of our meeting at this stage and you will be fully confirmed. I can also take orders for rat food, bedding, treats, toys, costumes, etc. that you may want me to bring for you. Our Etsy shops and website have a wide variety of items to choose from.
6. MEET UP - The final step will be to arrive on time or early for your appointment and pick out your new rats. At this stage you will pay the final payment for your rats and any additional items you ordered from me.
FAQs:
- What if I want to meet somewhere else besides the scheduled city? This will depend on where you want to meet. If your location is not along my planned route to AZ, I will likely have to create a different out of area trip for the new location and try to get additional adopters to sign up. If you would like to meet in CA along the I-8, I can pro-rate your travel fee based on location and meet with you on the return trip. You will have fewer babies to choose from and will not get a pre-reserve choice.
- What if I can't meet you during the times you have listed? Unfortunately, I cannot spend the entire day in AZ. If you believe you can make it close to the times available (30 minutes after the scheduled last appointment) I can make an exception to remain in the area a little longer for you. If you need me to wait longer than 30 minutes past my last scheduled appointment, there will be an additional Delay Fee for every 30 minutes I wait past the last standard meeting of the day. The Delay Fee schedule is $30/ 30 mins for the first two hours, then $50/30mins for the second two hours. I cannot stay longer than 4 hours after my standard appointments because I won't be able to drive back that same day at that point. You must pay the Delay Fee in advance of me waiting for you via Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle.
- What if I change my mind and don't want to adopt? Please see the Steps to Sign Up for when each amount is refundable or non-refundable. If you cancel your trip after you have confirmed the booking, you will lose all amounts paid up to that point. The only exception is the fees for me staying longer. If I have not yet stayed longer to wait for you, I will refund those funds to you. If I am waiting on you and you decide you don't want to come out after all, you will lose all deposits plus an amount equal to the fees for the time I've already waited for you to arrive. Please notify me of any changes in your plans ASAP.
- What if I can't make it to the appointment on time or at all due to traffic/circumstances? After your confirmation for the trip, no amounts are refundable. If you cannot make it to the appointment at all, rescheduling is the only option (in which case, none of the fees will transfer over. You would start over from step 2 for Signing Up).
If you are only delayed and running late, but can still arrive during my adoption window, your pre-reserve baby will still be there for you and you can pick from whichever babies remain after you arrive. If someone else is already picking (even if they have a later appointment than you) they will get to finish picking prior to you beginning your selection.
If you arrive after the adoption window is over, I can continue to wait for you, but you must pay the same Delay Fee as listed in the second question above. You must pay the Delay Fee in advance of me waiting for you via Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle. Your pre-reserve baby will still wait for you and you will be able to pick from all who are remaining at that point.
- What if I forget my carrier? I usually have at least one extra carrier with me. They vary in cost based on size. The small bin carriers are $50. Large bin carriers are $80.
- What if I can't meet you during the times you have listed? Unfortunately, I cannot spend the entire day in AZ. If you believe you can make it close to the times available (30 minutes after the scheduled last appointment) I can make an exception to remain in the area a little longer for you. If you need me to wait longer than 30 minutes past my last scheduled appointment, there will be an additional Delay Fee for every 30 minutes I wait past the last standard meeting of the day. The Delay Fee schedule is $30/ 30 mins for the first two hours, then $50/30mins for the second two hours. I cannot stay longer than 4 hours after my standard appointments because I won't be able to drive back that same day at that point. You must pay the Delay Fee in advance of me waiting for you via Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle.
- What if I change my mind and don't want to adopt? Please see the Steps to Sign Up for when each amount is refundable or non-refundable. If you cancel your trip after you have confirmed the booking, you will lose all amounts paid up to that point. The only exception is the fees for me staying longer. If I have not yet stayed longer to wait for you, I will refund those funds to you. If I am waiting on you and you decide you don't want to come out after all, you will lose all deposits plus an amount equal to the fees for the time I've already waited for you to arrive. Please notify me of any changes in your plans ASAP.
- What if I can't make it to the appointment on time or at all due to traffic/circumstances? After your confirmation for the trip, no amounts are refundable. If you cannot make it to the appointment at all, rescheduling is the only option (in which case, none of the fees will transfer over. You would start over from step 2 for Signing Up).
If you are only delayed and running late, but can still arrive during my adoption window, your pre-reserve baby will still be there for you and you can pick from whichever babies remain after you arrive. If someone else is already picking (even if they have a later appointment than you) they will get to finish picking prior to you beginning your selection.
If you arrive after the adoption window is over, I can continue to wait for you, but you must pay the same Delay Fee as listed in the second question above. You must pay the Delay Fee in advance of me waiting for you via Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle. Your pre-reserve baby will still wait for you and you will be able to pick from all who are remaining at that point.
- What if I forget my carrier? I usually have at least one extra carrier with me. They vary in cost based on size. The small bin carriers are $50. Large bin carriers are $80.