Busy Season Info
Every year around October things begin to pick up here at the rattery. In a normal month, we usually have around 10-20 new adopter requests. Only about 70% result in an adoption. From November-January, we have as many as 30 new adopters requesting babies every month. That is a huge increase!
I enlist help during the busy season to enable the rattery to provide more babies than we do the rest of the year. November-January are carefully planned, beginning in May/June of the year. There is a lot of planning that goes into attempting to make the season run smoothly, and some of it is not up to us. Litter sizes, whether pairings are successful or fail, having litters largely skewed to one gender or color, all of these things can affect availability and how many babies or types we can offer.
We do our very best to help everyone who wants to adopt find their perfect little Squeakin' Pups, but not everyone will be able to adopt Nov-Jan. We hope that this page will give potential adopters some basic information on some things they can do to increase their chances of adopting or getting the perfect Squeakin' Pups during this time of year. We adjust our rules for adoption slightly each year as we find processes that work better than others.
I enlist help during the busy season to enable the rattery to provide more babies than we do the rest of the year. November-January are carefully planned, beginning in May/June of the year. There is a lot of planning that goes into attempting to make the season run smoothly, and some of it is not up to us. Litter sizes, whether pairings are successful or fail, having litters largely skewed to one gender or color, all of these things can affect availability and how many babies or types we can offer.
We do our very best to help everyone who wants to adopt find their perfect little Squeakin' Pups, but not everyone will be able to adopt Nov-Jan. We hope that this page will give potential adopters some basic information on some things they can do to increase their chances of adopting or getting the perfect Squeakin' Pups during this time of year. We adjust our rules for adoption slightly each year as we find processes that work better than others.
Basic Policy Changes/Additions for November - January
In-Person Adoptions/Adoption Events: I will be scheduling events when there are at least 6 of any gender unreserved to select from in person. These events will appear on the Facebook page and in the Announcements section of the website.
Adoption Fees: There is always an increase in adoption fees from November -January to cover the additional work, food, and hired help that I have to enlist for this season. Initial adoption fees during our normal season are $50 on regular litters. During Nov-Jan, the fees begin at $65 and may be as much as $100 for babies that are unique or 'one-of-a-kind'.
Deposits: 50% of adoption fees (non-transferable, non-refundable)
100% of any bedding, food, or other items ordered through our rattery
Specialty Wait Lists: We already have Specialty Wait Lists for Double Rex, Hairless, and Dwarf rats. During the 2019/2020 busy season we are expanding our specialty wait lists to include specific Colors and Dumbo Ears. Each wait list will be posted on our Specialty Wait List page and will require a minimum $10 non-refundable deposit to secure a place on the list. All rules relating to our Specialty Wait Lists will apply to the new categories. The Specialty Wait List page can be found under the Adoption main menu.
Out of Area Appointments: I did create a page for out of area appointments. The fees and rules are listed out on that page. If you are considering adoption and would like me to meet you where you are or halfway, you will need to confirm that I am available BEFORE requesting rats. Otherwise, all meet-ups are local to myself (92020 zip code) and transportation is the responsibility of the adopter. Out of Area Appointments should be scheduled a MINIMUM of 10 days in advance. It can take some time to coordinate schedules.
Scheduling Pick ups or Adopting In-Person, BLACKOUT DATES: I try to have my calendar as open as possible for everyone during this time, however I am not available on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day. In addition, I may not be available up to 48 hours prior to and after each of those days for ANY sort of meet-up or appointment. I will also likely be 100% offline during those times. They are set aside for me to enjoy the holidays with my own family. When planning your adoption, please take those blackout dates into consideration for scheduling pick-ups or any in-person selection of rats. The adoption process takes several days and I do not count blackout dates as a business day.
BLACKOUT DATES:
I do not schedule time ranges for appointments. When scheduling, I will expect adopters to arrive at the scheduled time that we set or prior to that time. If you are traveling a long distance to meet up with us, my recommendation is to allow an extra 15minutes (minimum) and arrive early. If you stay in touch the day of our meet-up, I can sometimes accommodate showing up early, however being late may mean a cancellation of your meeting altogether, which is particularly distressing if you have already driven 2 hours or more. I do all that I can for adopters who are running late, however I am not always able to reschedule for the same day or wait until they arrive. There are additional fees for being late or cancellation of your meet-up time, if you do not cancel by the agreed on cutoff time.
Ordering Additional Items with Your New Squeakin' Pups: We sell a variety of other rat items for adopters to purchase year round. If you are requesting any items to be picked up in person with your new Squeakin' Pups, however, we do need to have your full order confirmed by no later than 48 hours prior to your pick-up appointment with us. These additional items must also be paid for in full prior to our meeting.
Adoption Approvals: I will be approving new adopters AFTER each new litter is made available. This allows all adopters who were previously waiting for babies to have a better chance of adopting. Messaging me on Facebook is a great way to stay in touch and will get a response faster than emails. All adopters are required to fill out BOTH the "Application for Adoption" and our "Disclosures and Agreements" form. If either one is missing, this will delay your ability to choose babies with us. Specialty wait list fees will have to be paid prior to gaining a spot on those lists.
Additional Fees: The following are a list of fees that everyone should be aware of. Some are already in my process, but they will be increased for Nov-Jan due to the increase in my workload. I am particularly rough on missed appointments and cancellations.
Adoption Fees: There is always an increase in adoption fees from November -January to cover the additional work, food, and hired help that I have to enlist for this season. Initial adoption fees during our normal season are $50 on regular litters. During Nov-Jan, the fees begin at $65 and may be as much as $100 for babies that are unique or 'one-of-a-kind'.
Deposits: 50% of adoption fees (non-transferable, non-refundable)
100% of any bedding, food, or other items ordered through our rattery
Specialty Wait Lists: We already have Specialty Wait Lists for Double Rex, Hairless, and Dwarf rats. During the 2019/2020 busy season we are expanding our specialty wait lists to include specific Colors and Dumbo Ears. Each wait list will be posted on our Specialty Wait List page and will require a minimum $10 non-refundable deposit to secure a place on the list. All rules relating to our Specialty Wait Lists will apply to the new categories. The Specialty Wait List page can be found under the Adoption main menu.
Out of Area Appointments: I did create a page for out of area appointments. The fees and rules are listed out on that page. If you are considering adoption and would like me to meet you where you are or halfway, you will need to confirm that I am available BEFORE requesting rats. Otherwise, all meet-ups are local to myself (92020 zip code) and transportation is the responsibility of the adopter. Out of Area Appointments should be scheduled a MINIMUM of 10 days in advance. It can take some time to coordinate schedules.
Scheduling Pick ups or Adopting In-Person, BLACKOUT DATES: I try to have my calendar as open as possible for everyone during this time, however I am not available on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day. In addition, I may not be available up to 48 hours prior to and after each of those days for ANY sort of meet-up or appointment. I will also likely be 100% offline during those times. They are set aside for me to enjoy the holidays with my own family. When planning your adoption, please take those blackout dates into consideration for scheduling pick-ups or any in-person selection of rats. The adoption process takes several days and I do not count blackout dates as a business day.
BLACKOUT DATES:
- November 28-29 for Thanksgiving
- December 22-27 for Christmas
I do not schedule time ranges for appointments. When scheduling, I will expect adopters to arrive at the scheduled time that we set or prior to that time. If you are traveling a long distance to meet up with us, my recommendation is to allow an extra 15minutes (minimum) and arrive early. If you stay in touch the day of our meet-up, I can sometimes accommodate showing up early, however being late may mean a cancellation of your meeting altogether, which is particularly distressing if you have already driven 2 hours or more. I do all that I can for adopters who are running late, however I am not always able to reschedule for the same day or wait until they arrive. There are additional fees for being late or cancellation of your meet-up time, if you do not cancel by the agreed on cutoff time.
Ordering Additional Items with Your New Squeakin' Pups: We sell a variety of other rat items for adopters to purchase year round. If you are requesting any items to be picked up in person with your new Squeakin' Pups, however, we do need to have your full order confirmed by no later than 48 hours prior to your pick-up appointment with us. These additional items must also be paid for in full prior to our meeting.
Adoption Approvals: I will be approving new adopters AFTER each new litter is made available. This allows all adopters who were previously waiting for babies to have a better chance of adopting. Messaging me on Facebook is a great way to stay in touch and will get a response faster than emails. All adopters are required to fill out BOTH the "Application for Adoption" and our "Disclosures and Agreements" form. If either one is missing, this will delay your ability to choose babies with us. Specialty wait list fees will have to be paid prior to gaining a spot on those lists.
Additional Fees: The following are a list of fees that everyone should be aware of. Some are already in my process, but they will be increased for Nov-Jan due to the increase in my workload. I am particularly rough on missed appointments and cancellations.
- Late Fee - If you are more than 15 minutes late to an appointment, there is a $5 fee for every 15 minutes that I wait for you to arrive, if I am able to wait. If I am unable to wait, you will have to pay the appointment cancellation fee to reschedule.
- Appointment Cancellation Fee - I give a deadline to all adopters at the time of scheduling their pick up which indicates when I need to be notified if you cannot make it to the appointment (i.e. need to cancel). Cancellations that happen BEFORE that time have no fee for rescheduling. Any cancellations AFTER the stated deadline for your appointment will result in a $10 appointment cancellation fee.
- Last Minute/Holiday Scheduling Fee: It takes a minimum of 72 hours to confirm a reservation and set up a date for pick up. I will not schedule any appointments within that 72 hour window, especially same-day in-person picking appointments (or "meet the rats" type appointments.) For example, if you message me your selection for adoption on Friday and want to pick up on Monday, that is within the 72 hour window and I will not be able to schedule that quickly. However, scheduling for Tuesday would be a potential day as long as we can keep in touch and settle all the items needed in a timely manner.
If you have an emergency and must pick them up within the 72 hour window - maybe you are in town only for that day due to a vacation or family event, then I can consider your request on a person-to-person basis. In order to schedule, I will still need to be available when you want to meet. There is a $25 minimum fee for meeting within 72 hours of notifying me of your interest in reserving and a $50 minimum fee for meeting the same day as your reservation. The fees are higher on certain days and I will be releasing a list of those dates later. Scheduling outside of the 72 hour window has no fee, it is only limited by my availability.
Requesting to meet during any of my blackout days is a $100 minimum fee if scheduling more than 72 hours ahead. The fee is $150 for scheduling 72-48 hours prior to the appointment time and $200 if scheduling less than 48 hours prior to the appointment time. This includes the blackout date itself (see above) and within 2 calendar days before and after the blackout date. These fees are non-refundable and in addition to any adoption fees or other fees related to your appointment. The fee must be paid prior to any reservation being confirmed along with any applicable deposits for your new Squeakin' Pups. I do not guarantee that I will accept any request that is on or near my blackout dates.
As our busy season progresses, these policies may change without prior notice. Please stay up-to-date by checking back frequently, especially if you are considering adoption in the next 7-14 days.
Have questions? We are always here to help! Please go to our Contact Us page and send us a message. Replies will be delayed during our busy season as well, however, so please allow up to 5 business days for a reply. You can also reach us on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SqueakinPups for a faster response.
Have questions? We are always here to help! Please go to our Contact Us page and send us a message. Replies will be delayed during our busy season as well, however, so please allow up to 5 business days for a reply. You can also reach us on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SqueakinPups for a faster response.