Rat Breeder Faces Animal Neglect Charges
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A rat breeder faces a felony charge of animal neglect for his part in allegedly housing about 35,000 rats in “unbelievably squalid conditions.”
Peter Springer, who has helped run Rats R Us for eight years to breed rats for reptile food, is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 17. If he’s convicted, he faces up to three years in prison. Springer, 62, declined to comment Friday.
During an inspection in July, the state Department of Animal Health found tens of thousands of rats crammed into cages, many of them dead or dying. Survivors were feeding off each other, said Lt. Mary Kay Gagliardo. Officers needed gas masks to enter the breeding area.
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