DES MOINES

Police remove 46 rats from home

Regina Zilbermints
rzilbermin@dmreg.com

Animal control officers removed 46 pet rats from a Des Moines house this week but the homeowners won't face any charges, officials said.

Officers went to the house in the 600 block of Southeast Hackley Avenue on Monday after receiving an email tip about conditions in the house.

The homeowners allowed officers to enter. Though conditions in the house were poor -- officers had to wear respirators and a city zoning official was helping the residents clean the house today -- the rats appeared well cared for.

The homeowners said they had started with a few rats but the animals kept breeding and the residents asked the animal control officers for help.

Des Moines Area News

"They were very accommodating, very polite," said Des Moines Police Sgt. James Butler. "They were fully cooperative."

Butler said he had never been inside a home with that many rats but the city code does not limit the number of rats a person can have. No charges will be filed against the homeowners.

Animal control officers removed 46 rats and left five, cautioning the residents to separate the remaining rats by sex.