Humane societies across the province are preparing to accept as many as 600 rats taken from a small one-bedroom apartment in North Bay on Thursday.

The fire department and health unit in the city received complaints about a female tenant in an apartment in the city who was breeding large numbers of the rodents.

The woman later surrendered the rats to authorities.

The North Bay and District Humane Society said there was no possible way to take in all of the animals, so they are being split up and sent to humane societies in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Quinte and elsewhere.

Andrew Fraser, executive director of the Peterborough Humane Society, told CTV News Toronto that they took in 30 of the domesticated animals.

“Now the process is to get them adoption ready, so we’re just doing health exams, and there is a gestation period with some of the females so we want to make sure the nursing females and the young ones get the attention they deserve,” Fraser said.

The plan is to have all of the rodents put up for adoption.

Fraser said to have a large number of rats in need of care is rare, but humane societies are “there to help all animals great and small.”

People seeking to adopt one the rodents can visit the humane society’s website.