Woman kept more than 100 rats in squalor in her home

Large rat nests were found in drawers

A woman who kept more than 100 pet rats in dirty and overcrowded conditions in one room of her home has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Sarah Jordan, 31, let the rats breed in an uncontrolled way at her home in Leyland, Lancashire, the RSPCA said.

Animal rescue officers found 38 rodents running loose and 74 others in cages, with the smell of ammonia "so overwhelming it made it difficult to breathe".

Jordan was given a four-week jail term suspended for 18 months and was banned from keeping all animals, apart from cats, for 15 years.

'Stinging eyes'

Preston Magistrates' Court heard that large nests were found in drawers and under a bookshelf, while one young rat was seen drinking from a leaking radiator because the animals had no water.

The RSPCA said several of the rats were sneezing and displaying respiratory symptoms.

Three had fur loss and scabbing, one was missing half a tail and another had a large untreated wound on the back of his neck.

Many of the female rats were pregnant and have since given birth to around 80 babies, the charity added.

In a written statement to the court, animal rescue officer Jess Pierce said: “As soon as we entered the smell of ammonia was overwhelming, it was stinging my eyes.

“I had to leave the room every now and then as the ammonia had given me a headache and it was very difficult to breathe."

The rats had nested in drawers and under a bookshelf, the RSPCA said

More than 70 rats were kept in cages at the house in Leyland, the RSPCA said

It took a team of RSPCA officers more than two hours to catch all the rats and transport them to a vet.

The vet at the charity's Greater Manchester Animal Hospital, wrote to the court: “I would expect a responsible owner to contact a veterinarian for advice if they noticed hair loss or scabbing present on their rats."

Jordan told the RSPCA she had bought four male and three female rats from someone in Preston and admitted she bred them to sell, ensuring they only went to ‘the best homes’.

Jordan, who admitted four counts of breaching animal welfare law, was also given a curfew from 20:00 to 07:00.