Philly Rat Rescue

05/10/2026

Because of inclement weather and limited transportation, we were only able to bring one sanctuary rat, SALVATORE.

But he won the prize for smallest pet there!

SAL was rescued last year as a baby from a snake owner who was going to toss him outside because her snake wasn't hungry.

SALVATORE was a great representative for ratties today! The priest liked him and so
did everyone else (dog and cat people).

(Note: one of the priests dressed as St Francis, and the white pigeon toy on top of SAL's carrier represents the pigeons we feed and care for at the local bus terminal).

04/10/2026

Tomorrow we take a few of our sanctuary rats to the Blessing of the Animals for the feast day of St Francis!

18/08/2026

We are receiving word that some rat rescues are closing due to volunteer health/age issues, lack of time, and other issues.

WE ARE STILL OPEN. But we are transitioning into more of a permanent sanctuary/hospice for old/terminally ill/disabled rats that require permanent care. These rats have always been our primary concern. We are limited admission due to space issues.

We WILL still do adoptions as situations arise, and we also will continue putting surrenderers in touch with our past, approved adopters as these situations also come up.

01/08/2026

We had to take CASIMIR last week to a 24/7 emergency vet bc of his tumor rupturing (our regular vet was closed).

He had to be euthanized. VEG ER Northern Liberties sent us this compassionate sympathy card. 😭💔

01/08/2026

Yesterday we took three 18 mo old brothers into sanctuary care. They are skittish and hiding, so pics will come later. They were surrendered due to deaths of their owners.

30/07/2026

PLEASE NOTE: As of 9/1/2026 we will no longer have a website but will retain our domains: phillyratrescue.com and stfrancisratsanctuary.com

Our domain host is no longer offering a free webpage and we do not have the funds or time to create and maintain a new one.

For more info contact us at: [email protected]

Check out this GoDaddy hosted webpage! http://phillyratrescue.com.

19/07/2026

Today we had an emergency with CASIMIR, and his regular vet was closed so we took him to VEG ER.

Sadly he had to be pts which his regular vet agreed would be necessary soon. We had him in hospice for an inoperable tumor but today it burst despite being on 2 meds.

VEG ER was really professional and affordable. They are available 24/7 even on holidays!

We highly recommend them for emergency rat care when your regular vet is closed.

VEG ER for Pets offers 24 hour emergency vet care in over 100 locations nationwide. Call to speak with a doctor or walk in 24/7, no appointment needed. Find a VEG near you.

17/07/2026

PLEASE NOTE: If you adopted rats from another rescue or shelter, and cannot keep them anymore, please return them to that rescue or shelter.

We are a very small volunteer rescue and have very limited space. We will only take back rats adopted from us, and/or true emergency cases when space permits.

Also: we are no longer holding cage space for owner surrenders for more than 24-48 hours.

Thanks for your understanding.

30/06/2026

PLEASE BE SURE YOUR RATS HAVE PLENTY OF WATER DURING THIS HEATWAVE! It is supposed to last until Sunday.

A good idea for them are frozen grapes, and jars full of ice cubes lying on the bottom shelf of the cage so that can lay against them, as well as plenty of water in their bottles.

Please also put out bowls of water for strays and wildlife!