Man Blames 1,300 Rats on the ‘Force of Nature’

PETALUMA, Calif. —  It all started four years ago, when Roger Dier bought a baby rat to feed his pet Indian python.

But when he saw the furry little critter squeaking for its life, the lifelong animal lover said he didn’t have the heart to let it become just another snake snack.

“I couldn’t stand it,” he told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. “I took the rat out of the cage and got to know it.”

After that, Dier was hooked on the rodents, which he described as gentle, lovable and an endless source of entertainment. He bought four more at the pet store -- but didn’t spay them.

Last week, animal control officers discovered more than 1,300 rats in Dier’s small, one-bedroom home after a neighbor complained about the foul smell. He was cited for misdemeanor animal cruelty.

Dier, 67, said depression, loneliness, denial and a recent bout of flu and bronchitis kept him from maintaining control of the fast-breeding population.

“I did not set out to do this,” he told the paper. “I do acknowledge irresponsibility and there’s a case for laziness, denial, incompetence and just plain foolishness.”

But “it was not all my fault,” he added. “It was this force of nature that overwhelmed me.”

His house, in a quiet middle-class neighborhood, reeks of urine, the Press Democrat said. The floor is covered with the chaff of feed mixed with rat droppings, and everything is gnawed on, including the sheetrock walls.

When animal control officers arrived, they found rats stacked six deep in cages so overcrowded that many had missing eyes and limbs.

Dier admitted that he felt some relief when the rodents were confiscated, noting the “crushing burden” of caring for them. He said he was buying up to 250 pounds of rat food a week.

Most of the rats have been euthanized, some because they were too sick or injured and others because they weren’t socialized enough to be adopted, said Nancee Tavares, manager of Petaluma Animal Services. “We believe quality of life is important, and there was no quality of life for these rats,” she said.

Rat lovers have expressed outrage at the killings, but Tavares said the adoptions have gone too slowly for all the rats to find homes. As of Thursday, only 12 had gotten new owners, while different shelters and animal rescue groups promised to take about 30.

“We’ve gotten a lot of people criticizing us, but not offering to take one or two,” Tavares said.