Up To 300 Domestic, White Rats In Rocky Point Home Watered And Fed In Rehoming Assessment: Rescuer

ROCKY POINT, NY — Strong Island Animal Rescue on Friday gained access to a Rocky Point home — where investigators have said there are between 100 to 200 rats — feeding and watering the animals, while assessing how they can be rescued.

Floridia had a "crazy" day, which started with a deer caught in a ninja cord in Port Jefferson, and then he had to race over to the home and make an assessment so that a plan can be made to rescue the rats, which are domestic, white rats, commonly kept as pets, he said.

"We're coming up with a game plan to trap them and get them to rat rescues," he said. "We've been contacting rat rescues all day, so we will be in the house probably on Monday, removing hundreds of rats and relocating them to rescues."

Floridia estimates there are anywhere between 150 and 300 rats inside the house.

On Thursday, he expressed concern that the story might not end well, but he is now more hopeful upon entering the property and seeing what was inside.

Some of the rats were friendly, happy to see Floridia, and came to him to accept food, while others were feral, he said.

The story unfolded last Saturday when a woman living at the house was arrested on misdemeanor charges after reportedly torturing and/or injuring an animal or failing to provide sustenance; she was also charged with two counts of neglect of an impounded animal, and child endangerment, online court records show.

She pleaded not guilty.

The Town of Brookhaven condemned the house, and confiscated a dog there.

The Suffolk County Department of Health Services issued a violation, and ordered a clean-up of the property.

Strong Island Animal Rescue has talked to a couple of rat rescues, and are oganizing how the rescue will go.

Volunteers are asking that if anybody can help, if there are any other rat rescues that can help, they should contact Strong Island, he explained.

"This is a big undertaking, and we're doing the best we can what we have, but we can always use more help," he said.