BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) — A Florida expert says fewer than 10 percent of the more than 1,000 rodents confiscated from a South Carolina aquarium will be suitable as pets.
Christina Ripley of Josephine’s Rattery & Rescue in West Palm Beach, Florida, tells The Island Packet of Hilton Head that most of the rats, mice, hamsters and guinea pigs are sick and likely will become feeder food for reptiles.
She says other rodents confiscated by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office haven’t been socialized and are likely to bite.
The sheriff’s office seized thousands of rodents, reptiles, fish and birds from Roy’s Aquarium in Beaufort during an investigation of neglect and unsanitary conditions that started July 18.
Animal control officials say other animals have been placed with rescues, leaving only the rodents.
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