I treat all of my rats as beloved pets and part of the family. Their physical, mental & social well being is of the utmost importance. I love rats and they pretty much have taken over my life lol. I handle, play, snuggle my rats every day.

 

 

I decided to breed rats because I am absolutely in love with them. I think they are amazingly smart, adorable, sweet animals with so much personality! But sadly a lot of the rats out there come from not so great sources. As a community, we are overrun with rats from mills, backyard breeders, and "accidental" litters. This has caused there to be a lot of unhealthy rats & rats with just awful temperaments from aggression issues to just being timid and anxious. Rats have the potential to be so much more though.

 

Currently in rat focused groups and forums I see people posting that they think it is normal for rats to show aggression, be fearful, bite, need to be tamed or have trust training and for them to be sick all the time....NO. Just no. This is not how rats should be at all and there is no reason for it.

 

 

 

We need real responsible legit breeders who are improving the lines. And adding to the world rats how they should be- friendly, sweet, curious, cuddly love butts with strong healthy foundations!

 

 

 

I do not take breeding lightly. I have volunteered with shelters & seen how many animals are out there in rescues and need to be put down every year. I am strongly anti-BYB (back yard breeder). People should get their cats/dogs fixed, should not just randomly breed any pets or just breed for the fun of it.

 

IMO breeding should ONLY be done to improve the animal/lines as a whole. If you are not working towards a goal, you should not breed IMO.

 

I don't want to breed just to have cute babies or always have a piece of my favorite rat. I am constantly working towards many goals.

 

 

 

 

1. Health

 

I work towards having the healthiest animals as possible. This means not breeding unhealthy animals or animals that will add unhealthy/flaws to my lines. For example, rats that have shown they are prone to tumors, URIs, etc...

I also work towards building a strong healthy foundation for my babies to grow into healthy rats- having healthy moms that are of proper age/weight/maturity & making sure they have big fat healthy babies. Making sure the babies stay with mom as long as possible & get proper nutrition for the best start in life.

This also means controlling environmental factors & husbandry- clean well ventilated cages, good nutrition, and a happy stress free life.

 

 

Many health issues are more environmental or based on their care but I do believe that when you set up rats with a good background and a good start at life they will be stronger and better equipped to handle illness if it should occur or to fight it off much better.

 

 

 

2. Temperament

 

Temperament is very much genetic. During a discussion on temperament in a breeder group someone said: "nature determines how far nurture will get you" I absolutely love that & strongly agree. There are a lot of good studies out there on it as well. While I do handle my babies, I breed for temperament and want the background & genetics to be the strongest source of their temperament.

 

 

The ultimate goal is to have confident, curious, relaxed, calm and very friendly rats that do not just tolerate people but actively seek people out for attention and love. Rats that would even contemplate biting. Rats that are social and calm to other rats and that do not have hormonal aggression issues.

 

 

I breed to better temperament, monitor and correct hormonal issues in my lines and only sell lines when they are perfectly pet ready.

 

I choose the sweetest most friendly rats with the most lovely temperament to breed. I temperament test all of my babies, many many times over the course of their growth & development.

 

 

 

 

3. Type/Standard/Comformation/Genetics

 

I follow AFRMA Standards & do breed to improve structure & form. While I do not show my rats (they need to bring shows up this way!!) I still want show quality rats.

 

Body structure standards are important for overall health.

Variety standards are important as well to me, such as my Siamese line which is currently fairly marked and I am working to improve that. I try to stay away from rainbow litters & do not just randomly throw 2 rats together, my breedings have goals in mind.

 

I have the knowledge and understandings of the genetics behind my lines. I won't say I am a genetic expert, I am always studying and learning more and more on the subject. But knowing the genetics behind the rats is so important. Understanding why and how it works and what to expect when pairing, along with knowing what I need to work towards a goal.

 

 

 

 

 

While I do taking breeding very seriously it is important to note that this is a hobby. I am not breeding to try and get rich or even turn a profit. Any money I make goes right back into the rats care- food, cages, bedding, toys, vet funds, etc...  I am breeding for the love of rats.

 

One of the first things I did when I decided to breed was sit down and right down my ethical views. What do I feel is right and wrong, what is the best care methods, what am I comfortable with, what is best for the animals, my views on common issues, etc... Since then I have grown, have experiences that changed & shaped some thoughts, and have been lucky enough to have a wealth of knowledge available from the breeder community.

 

What follows is my views, practices and ethics on breeding.

 

 

• Every rat has daily interaction and health checks to monitor their physical and emotional wellbeing.

• All rats are given health care as needed. No animal will ever suffer under my care.

• My rats are kept in appropriate caging that is kept clean and well maintained. With proper ventilation and appropriate bedding and toys. They are kept indoors and provided a proper environment and temperature. 

• They are fed healthy and appropriate food in sufficient amounts. Including a wide variety of fresh fruits & veggies.

 

 

I breed for Health first and foremost, temperament & then with a focus color/variety. I breed the varieties I love and have a passion for.