"Rat House." In Yekaterinburg, volunteers are "rehoming" a shed full of overbred pet rats.

      A real "Rat House" was discovered in Uralmash by Yekaterinburg animal welfare volunteers. More than 40 fancy rodents were living in a cold shed, most of which turned out to be ill, the Telegram channel "4 Kanal" reports.

      The story of the "rat house" began with two pets — a male and a female. Their owner went to Moscow, leaving the rats in their grandfather's care. Over two years the animals bred so much that the cage became too small and the grandfather moved them to a shed.

      "He visited them, fed them and cared for them as best he knew how," volunteers said in the "Kryskino Logovo" community on VKontakte. "The shed is very cold in winter; the rats survived as best they could the whole time."

      It took them three hours to shovel out the rat droppings that had accumulated in the shed over two years. Now all the rats are safe, but they urgently need help, say the animal defenders. Almost all the animals are sick — many are sneezing, the adults have otitis (tilting their heads), and most of the females are likely pregnant.

      "Rehoming is currently being done among experienced rat owners who understand that the rats are not very socialized and are prepared for a long course of treatment. The first two rats have been reserved for Moscow and are slowly packing their suitcases, to be treated and sterilized at the owner's expense," volunteers at "Kryskino Logovo" also said.