The absolutely best way to find a great veterinarian for your pet rats is through word-of-mouth. Here are some ways you can get word-of-mouth referrals from your local community:
- If you also have dogs and/or cats, ask your current vet and/or their staff about veterinarians they’d recommend for pet rats.
- If you know other people who have pet rats, ask them who’ve they’ve seen AND whether or not they were happy with how their vet treated their rats. (It’s almost as helpful to find out whom NOT to see as much as it is to find out what vets you DO want to see.)
- If your local animal shelter takes in rats, ask them if they have a recommended list of pet rat veterinarians.
When you don’t have access to any of the previously mentioned sources, you can always do some internet research. While looking through the directories listed below, please note that there are so many more excellent pet rat veterinarians than there are listed in these sources. In fact, if you already know of a great pet rat veterinarian who’s not included in the following sources, you can help by passing along the information to the directories listed here:
American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (Select “Exotic Companion Mammal” from the “Category” drop down menu to view current board certified exotics veterinarians.)
Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians
The Rat Fan Club has two lists:
Midwest & Eastern US (updated 1/26/18)
Western US & Other Countries (updated 1/25/18)
If you’re not able to find any pet rat veterinarians by word-of-mouth or by using any of the above online directories, I highly recommend researching the AAHA accredited hospitals in your area. Only 17% of veterinary hospitals in the US are accredited. Accreditation is voluntary. Hospitals are checked on over 800 aspects of how their practices are run. Check out the websites and/or call the AAHA accredited hospitals in your area to see if they have rat veterinarians or can refer you to someone about whom they’ve heard great reviews from their clients:
AAHA-Accredited Hospital Locator (Search by zip code only. Do not select “Exotic Companion Mammal” from “Specialty (Other)” since most hospitals who do see rats will not show up.)
Another source which can be very helpful is Facebook. There are many regional pet rat groups on Facebook. You can post within a group that’s local to you and ask what vets they recommend. Some groups already even have lists of pet rat vets available.
Disclaimer: Please note that I do not personally endorse any of the veterinarians listed in any of the directories. Choosing a veterinarian for your rats is a highly individualized choice based both on your needs and those of your rats.
About Pet Rats Veterinary Directory
Thank you to readers who have submitted their veterinarians to the list below.
CONNECTICUT
Four Paws Vet Clinic
151 Cow Hill Rd
Mystic, CT
860-536-4204
Comments: I take my rats and other pets to Four Paws Vet Clinic in Mystic, CT. They are the best!
(Added 9/13/20)
DELAWARE
Windcrest Animal Hospital
3705 Lancaster Pike
Wilmington, DE 19805
302-998-2995
Comments: Dr. Julian at Windcrest Animal Hospital in Wilmington, DE, is my vet. He is fantastic and very knowledgeable about rats.
(Added 9/14/22)
KANSAS
Dr. Jerry Immethun
Marketplace Animal Hospital
13338 College Blvd
Lenexa, KS 66210
913-491-4585
Comments: I have worked with this vet many times, and I really like him. This is in the Kansas City area, so people on the Missouri side could use this, too.
(Added 9/13/20)
MISSISSIPPI
One of our readers is looking for a vet in the Jackson, MS, area. If you know of a great veterinarian for pet rats in Jackson, MS, please comment below.
NEW JERSEY
Mount Laurel Animal Hospital
220 Mount Laurel Road
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
856-234-7626
Comments: We have an amazing exotics team, who sees pet rats and all types of small mammals. Our team of 3 exotics veterinarians allows us to offer appointments 6-7 days a week, in addition to having our highly-trained, 24-hour emergency staff handling exotic emergencies around the clock, every day of the year! We have a separate exotics ward where our exotic patients stay during their visit with us.
(Added 11/20/22)
OREGON
Dr. Melinda Surrency
Scales & Tails Exotic Pet Clinic
4325 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy
Portland, OR 97221
971-777-4900
Dr. Deena Barrett
Narra Veterinary Clinic
7217 SW Hazel Fern Road, Tigard, OR 97224
503-213-4911
Dr. Katrina Ramsell
NW Exotic Pet Vet
Currently seeing patients at:
Southwest Animal Hospital
2425 SW Cedar Hills Blvd.
Beaverton, OR 97005
503-643-2137
Dr. Deb Ward
Oswego Veterinary Hospital
590 3rd St, Lake Oswego, OR 97034
503-505-7577
Comments: I live in the Portland, Oregon area and have found the above veterinarians to be very helpful and knowledgeable. Although all of the vets listed here are amazing, I particularly appreciate the work of Dr. Melinda Surrency and Dr. Deena Relucio.
WASHINGTON
Dr. Anneliese Strunk
The Center for Bird and Exotic Animal Medicine
11401 NE 195th Street
Bothell, WA 98011
425-486-9002
Recommended by Ann Staub of Pawsitively Pets
Comment: My favorite rat vet is Dr. Anneliese Strunk. I used to work with her and she is amazing. She no longer lives here in Texas, unfortunately. You can find her in Seattle, WA, at The Center for Bird and Exotic Animal Medicine.
(Added 8/1/16)
If you know of a veterinarian who is great with rats, please enter the vet’s name in the comments section below. Include their hospital website and tell us a little about why you believe your vet is good with rats. As mentioned above, I’ve checked a number of online resources of lists of veterinarians and haven’t yet found one that’s all-inclusive. Let’s help one another by submitting our favorite rat vets in the comments section below!
Hey I’m from Michigan and I can’t find any good vets for rats, do you know anyone? Well there’s one vet that I know of one that takes rats, but my sister brought her rabbit in for a broken leg and they made it completely worse, even breaking it in another place after he came out of the sleep medication, so I’d prefer not to trust them with my rat….
Hi Jade,
That’s great you’re seeking out a well qualified vet for your rats. It’s so important to have a good vet as part of your “team”.
Without knowing where you are in Michigan, it’s difficult to get some recommendations for you.
Have you done a search on Google for “[your city/zip code] pet rat veterinarian”?
Doing a search on Google maps is also a great way to find a vet. Once you pull up the location where you live on Google maps, type in “pet rat vet” and you’ll be able to see who’s near you.
If you want specific recommendations from people who are already using veterinarians they love in your area, asking on a facebook pet rat group page is a great way to get an answer.
If you need any further help, please let me know. You’re welcome to ask me to help you decide which vets look best to contact if you’re unable to get personal recommendations.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hey, we have a vet for our rat currently but I wanted to know if you knew of any other specialized or well known rat vets in the Jackson MS area, just so we can ensure we are getting them the best care possible.
Hi Annabel,
Thank you for asking your great question. It makes me so happy to hear you want to get the best veterinary care possible for your pet rats!
I did a little research and see there are lots of vets in Jackson, MS who see pet rats. I also found that none of them are AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) certified, which is disappointing. Usually if they’re AAHA certified you can count on them being great. Of course, they don’t have to be certified to be great, though.
The ideas in my post above give you some ways to find the best vets in your area. One of my current favorite ways to find a vet in a specific area is to do a Google search for “pet rat vet jackson, ms”. You’ll find a Google map will appear in the right had column of your results. After clicking on the map/search I did for your area, I found 6 vets who see exotic pets. (There might even be more but I stopped at 6.)
On the map page, you can look at each vet hospital’s Google reviews. To make it easier to see if any of the reviews are from rat owners, use the shortcut “Ctrl-F” or, if on a Mac, “Command-F” and then type the word “rat” into the search box.
Another great way to find vets people like in your area is to do a facebook search for nearby (or even national) rat groups. You can post a question and often you will get answers. I’d post on several pages so at least one will respond.
There’s also some very helpful information in my post Choosing Your Pet Rats’ Veterinarian. Start with the 5th paragraph (“When choosing a pet rat veterinarian….”) and read on from there. I especially like the idea of having a backup veterinarian. Nothing’s worse than having your rat get sick or injured and you find out your preferred vet isn’t available. If you have a backup vet, though, it’s no problem.
Oh, one more thing, you mentioned you wanted to make sure to have the best care possible for your “rat”. Does that mean you just have one rat? You may already know it’s almost always best to have at least two pet rats.
I hope this has been helpful. Don’t hesitate to ask further questions or let me know if you need clarification on anything. I’ll also place in the directory above that we’re looking for great rat vets in the Jackson, MS area.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rat(s),
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Good Afternoon! My name is Eli Zarzecki, and I work at Mount Laurel Animal Hospital. We wanted to inquire about possibly being listed in your directory. We have an amazing exotics team, who sees pet rats and all types of small mammals. Our team of 3 exotics veterinarians allows us to offer appointments 6-7 days a week, in addition to having our highly-trained, 24-hour emergency staff handling exotic emergencies around the clock, every day of the year! We have a separate exotics ward where our exotic patients stay during their visit with us. I have listed our website with my comment if you are interesting in reading more! Thank you!
Hi Eli,
Thank you so much for submitting Mount Laurel Animal Hospital for inclusion in About Pet Rats’ Online Directories of Pet Rat Veterinarians. MLAH looks like a great place for pet rat veterinary care!
Thanks Again,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Dr. Julian at Windcrest Animal Hospital in Wilmington, DE is my vet. He is fantastic and very knowledgeable about rats.
https://windcrestanimal.com/
Thank you so much for your recommendation, Clare. I’ll add Dr. Julian at Windcrest Animal Hospital (in Wilmington, DE,) to our directory. I really appreciate your sharing this information!
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Are there any rat vets in texas? preferably near fort worth
Hi Jamie,
Yes, there are several rat vets in Fort Worth, Texas. Here are 2 that are AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) certified:
Fort Worth Avian & Exotic
(in the Arlington Heights Animal Hospital)
1712 Montgomery Street
Fort Worth, TX 76107
817-735-8700
Summerfields Animal Hospital
4536 North Tarrant Parkway
Fort Worth, TX 76244
Phone: 817 485-8511
You can see the locations of the above vets and more nearby exotic veterinary clinics here on Google Maps.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Veterinarians in nj?
Hi Hayra,
I would use some of the links and suggestions above to find a vet in New Jersey. If you’d like to tell me what town or what your zip code is, I’ll be glad to help you find a veterinarian who’s knowledgeable about and experienced with pet rats.
I’m going to add checking on facebook for good rat vet suggestions to this page. If you are on facebook, there are many rat groups there. You can do a search and ask members of your local rat groups who they’d recommend.
Let me know if you have any other questions anytime.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I take my rats and other pets to Four Paws Vet Clinic in Mystic, CT. They are the best!
Four Paws Vet Clinic
151 Cow Hill Rd
Mystic, CT
860-536-4204
Hi Cathy,
Thank you so much for recommending Four Paws Vet Clinic. This will be such helpful information for people who live in your area. Glad to hear you’ve found a vet who’s great with your rats and other pets.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
What is the best way to add vets to the list? I know of one who should be added.
Hi Lisa,
You can place the vet’s name in the comments on this page or email it to me and I’ll add them to the pet rat vet’s list. I’ll email you separately to give you this information as well.
Thank you for contributing to the list of pet rat veterinarians!
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
My favorite rat vet is Dr. Anneliese Strunk. I used to work with her and she is amazing. She no longer lives here in Texas, unfortunately. You can find her in Seattle, WA at The Center for Bird and Exotic Animal Medicine. http://www.theexoticvet.com/
Thank you so much for sharing your favorite rat vet, Ann! Dr. Anneliese Strunk sounds fantastic. Those living in Seattle will benefit from your posting her information, here.
Thanks Again,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats