Veterinary Treatment
Many health problems can be treated at home. I have a large supply of doxy and amoxy at home, which I order online. I keep children's pain medication on hand, and a first aid kit which includes: Liquid bandage, hydrogen peroxide cotton swabs, Neosporin, cleaning wipes and solutions, and syringes. This treats basic wounds and respiratory infections as well as any swelling or pain. Ear infections can be treated with home remedies. Mites and lice are treated with topical and oral Ivermectin and if that does not cut it, I use kitten Revolution. Major surgeries or broken bones are treated by the vet. In the many years of rat owning, I've had very little need for the vet thankfully, but I know where to go in the case of an emergency. I recommend keeping the number of your vet on the refrigerator just in case.
Breeding Decisions
Parents are based off of health and temperament. If there is aggression, those rats will not be bred. If there are serious health risks, rats will not be bred. There are issues in every line. They can be fixed with smart decisions and out-crossing. If a problem cannot be fixed through selective breeding, lines will be ended (Meaning, no one will be allowed to bred and will live pet strictly lives).
Cages
All the cages at the rattery are Martin brand cages. They are multi -level for optimal exercise of the rats. They get wheels, huts, hammocks, and toys. Maternity cages are smaller cages so babies cannot get lost. The rattery is located downstairs so they live in the same temperature as we do.
Diet
I use Oxbow Regal Rat Adult Formula and Mazuri rodent block as their dry meals. For protein the rats get meat, eggs, and grain free dog food such as Taste of the Wild (a pure meat dog food, avoid poor brands such as Meow Mix). Mothers and babies also get this for increased protein intake. They also get safe kitchen scraps and will share smoothies with me.
Handling/Playtime
I try and get rats out every day for playtime and socialization. Sometimes my schedule can be busy, which is why the cages have plenty of enrichment for those long work days where I cannot give everyone one-on-one time. Babies are handled from birth so they get used to being touched and picked up. Of course babies are still cautious at first. When you bring home your baby, it's had just a little over two weeks of vision, so everything around them is still very new. It is important to handle them every day for this reason.
Health Tracking
I keep a folder on my computer with each rat in the breeding program since day 1. Each rat has it's own biography, parents, temperament tracking, health tracking, date of death, and cause of death. Each litter produced has the same biography. I will put information on each baby in that litter so I can track health and temperament of the litters. It is crucial for you to keep in contact with me so I can track each and every baby produced here. If you want to know about your babies' line, just ask me. I have a lot of information and this website can only hold so much. I use a downloaded pedigree maker that keeps track of information for me and I have my files backed up on the computer just in case. There is a lot that goes on "behind the scenes" that is not publicly posted. Information on rats that do not have my prefix will be harder to get detailed information about because I will have to directly contact those breeders and ask those questions for you.
Selecting Adopters
Adopters all fill out an application. I choose them based off of their responses. If someone responds with "yes, no, maybe, I don't know, sure, yeah." and do not actually give me any information that lets me know they understand rats and care required, I will deny those applications. Those types of people have just proven to me they did not have enough time for me and my rats to decently fill out my 5 minute application. They have have basically said to me "I'm too lazy to put effort into this. These rats are not worth it." My babies are important to me. I will not hand them over to anyone that contacts me. I must trust you will provide a safe and loving home for my animals. I brought them into this world, and they rely on me to provide proper homes.
100% Illness Free Lines
I would love to say this. But, it is not true. Breeding is not an exact science. You can have perfectly healthy rats live out long, healthy lives, but carry with them a million different recessive issues that once paired with the correct match, can spread cancer and tumors and sickness into a line. I will NEVER breed sick rats with a known background of illness (Unless we are attempting to correct an issue through selective breeding). But I cannot promise rats from me will never become sick. I would love to, but that's not the reality. I feel my rats tend to have less issues than mill rats but sometimes those old recessive issues pop up in a line and I have to end it (By means of adoption, not death, unless animals become so sick and quality of life is impacted). If there is a minor issue, I will out-cross (meaning breeding to outside bloodlines in hopes to correct genetics issues through selective breeding), but if that fails after a few generations, I will end the line (by placing all in pet homes). If you hear about me breeding from a line that had a tumor, ask me about it! Chances are I am attempting to out-cross and fix the line. But if this problem goes out of control, it is not worth it to me to harm lives and I will end the line. I will never reach a goal if I don't try and overcome roadblocks, however. So I will give it my best to do what I can. It is a very sad day for me when I decide it is no longer ethical to keep a line going. When you come to me with an issue with your rat, it feels like a bullet to the heart. Okay, that sounds dramatic, but in all truth I hate knowing one of my babies has a problem that you have to deal with. I hate knowing I have caused you heartache and worry. It is VERY stressful and taxing on the emotions to be a breeder. But the bigger goal in mind is to one day produce the most healthy rats possible. To get there will be MANY years of breeding. Some of the top breeders with lines over 20 generations long can pop up a problem. No one can predict with absolute certainty that their lines are free of everything horrible. But a long, long time from now I hope to come as close to possible that I can. Know that I am always here for you. I believe the breeder/adopter relationship is important and I never want you to feel you are alone with these rats. I am there for them and you for their whole life and even after.
My Thoughts on Snakes and Feeders
I will not lie and say I hate snakes. I love ALL animals. Snakes, bugs, reptiles, birds, rodents, cats, dogs, horses, goats..etc. And all of these amazing animals need to eat. Pets or wildlife, the circle of life goes around. My dogs and cats are carnivores, eating other creatures in their kibble. Sure it's "easy" to feed kibble because it doesn't have a face, but it does not mean no creature died for my pets to eat. The same is for snakes, only their food has a face, which upsets people. My cats and dogs eat blends that contain chicken or rabbit. I own both as pets, but I would not sacrifice my pets' nutritional needs because I would get sad they are eating animals I also own as pets. I know many rat owners detest snakes for this reason. I do NOT support live feeding. It is not natural. These are captive bred animals kept in tanks or small enclosures. They are not "hunting". They are striking at terrified, cornered animals, that will likely attack back. Animals that eat whole prey (Snakes, spiders, ferrets) should be doing so from thawed. I know ferret owners feed chicks and mice. Many raw feeders will order bulk frozen (for cat and dogs). For snake feeding, I support ethically bred feeders. I do not condone killing feeders by beating them over the head. They can be humanely gassed using CO2 devices. I believe in feeders being raised in clean, spacious conditions and not overly bred in dirty bins. They should be fed a healthy, complete diet, so your snake has the healthiest meal possible. They should be free of parasites. I own a snake, and I choose to purchase from local feeder breeders. There is also a website called "Perfect Prey" that I have ordered from and the food came clean and well packaged. There is no reason, to me, that feeder animals should be abused and feel pain.
Reasons for Breeding
I have had many people tell me the following:
"Why would you produce rats when there are so many homeless one?"
"Why add to the over population?"
"There are so many rats already!"
"What happens if you can't find them all homes?"
"Why don't you focuses on rescuing and stop making more rats?"
"You're a backyard breeder!"
"You're a terrible person for breeding animals!"
First, let's look at the term "Backyard breeder".
A quick definition: "Backyard Breeder is a general term, often considered derogatory, used in USA to describe people who breed animals, often without registration. In some cases the animals are inbred narrowly for looks with little regard to health" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backyard_breeder).
From this definition I can already argue against me being a back yard breeder. My goals for breeding are to breed AWAY genetic health problems, temperament issues, and poor immune systems. My number one goal is producing healthy rats. I never focus on looks. I actually do not have a certain type/colour I breed because I wish to focus on health, looks are just a bonus for me. Some of my rats are inbred as inbreeding rats is perfectly okay. I do not closely inbreed, however. I usually breed cousins. Inbreeding can actually be a positive tool for rat breeding as it can often tell you the strengths and weaknesses in your line.
You can read more on the subject below:
Many health problems can be treated at home. I have a large supply of doxy and amoxy at home, which I order online. I keep children's pain medication on hand, and a first aid kit which includes: Liquid bandage, hydrogen peroxide cotton swabs, Neosporin, cleaning wipes and solutions, and syringes. This treats basic wounds and respiratory infections as well as any swelling or pain. Ear infections can be treated with home remedies. Mites and lice are treated with topical and oral Ivermectin and if that does not cut it, I use kitten Revolution. Major surgeries or broken bones are treated by the vet. In the many years of rat owning, I've had very little need for the vet thankfully, but I know where to go in the case of an emergency. I recommend keeping the number of your vet on the refrigerator just in case.
Breeding Decisions
Parents are based off of health and temperament. If there is aggression, those rats will not be bred. If there are serious health risks, rats will not be bred. There are issues in every line. They can be fixed with smart decisions and out-crossing. If a problem cannot be fixed through selective breeding, lines will be ended (Meaning, no one will be allowed to bred and will live pet strictly lives).
Cages
All the cages at the rattery are Martin brand cages. They are multi -level for optimal exercise of the rats. They get wheels, huts, hammocks, and toys. Maternity cages are smaller cages so babies cannot get lost. The rattery is located downstairs so they live in the same temperature as we do.
Diet
I use Oxbow Regal Rat Adult Formula and Mazuri rodent block as their dry meals. For protein the rats get meat, eggs, and grain free dog food such as Taste of the Wild (a pure meat dog food, avoid poor brands such as Meow Mix). Mothers and babies also get this for increased protein intake. They also get safe kitchen scraps and will share smoothies with me.
Handling/Playtime
I try and get rats out every day for playtime and socialization. Sometimes my schedule can be busy, which is why the cages have plenty of enrichment for those long work days where I cannot give everyone one-on-one time. Babies are handled from birth so they get used to being touched and picked up. Of course babies are still cautious at first. When you bring home your baby, it's had just a little over two weeks of vision, so everything around them is still very new. It is important to handle them every day for this reason.
Health Tracking
I keep a folder on my computer with each rat in the breeding program since day 1. Each rat has it's own biography, parents, temperament tracking, health tracking, date of death, and cause of death. Each litter produced has the same biography. I will put information on each baby in that litter so I can track health and temperament of the litters. It is crucial for you to keep in contact with me so I can track each and every baby produced here. If you want to know about your babies' line, just ask me. I have a lot of information and this website can only hold so much. I use a downloaded pedigree maker that keeps track of information for me and I have my files backed up on the computer just in case. There is a lot that goes on "behind the scenes" that is not publicly posted. Information on rats that do not have my prefix will be harder to get detailed information about because I will have to directly contact those breeders and ask those questions for you.
Selecting Adopters
Adopters all fill out an application. I choose them based off of their responses. If someone responds with "yes, no, maybe, I don't know, sure, yeah." and do not actually give me any information that lets me know they understand rats and care required, I will deny those applications. Those types of people have just proven to me they did not have enough time for me and my rats to decently fill out my 5 minute application. They have have basically said to me "I'm too lazy to put effort into this. These rats are not worth it." My babies are important to me. I will not hand them over to anyone that contacts me. I must trust you will provide a safe and loving home for my animals. I brought them into this world, and they rely on me to provide proper homes.
100% Illness Free Lines
I would love to say this. But, it is not true. Breeding is not an exact science. You can have perfectly healthy rats live out long, healthy lives, but carry with them a million different recessive issues that once paired with the correct match, can spread cancer and tumors and sickness into a line. I will NEVER breed sick rats with a known background of illness (Unless we are attempting to correct an issue through selective breeding). But I cannot promise rats from me will never become sick. I would love to, but that's not the reality. I feel my rats tend to have less issues than mill rats but sometimes those old recessive issues pop up in a line and I have to end it (By means of adoption, not death, unless animals become so sick and quality of life is impacted). If there is a minor issue, I will out-cross (meaning breeding to outside bloodlines in hopes to correct genetics issues through selective breeding), but if that fails after a few generations, I will end the line (by placing all in pet homes). If you hear about me breeding from a line that had a tumor, ask me about it! Chances are I am attempting to out-cross and fix the line. But if this problem goes out of control, it is not worth it to me to harm lives and I will end the line. I will never reach a goal if I don't try and overcome roadblocks, however. So I will give it my best to do what I can. It is a very sad day for me when I decide it is no longer ethical to keep a line going. When you come to me with an issue with your rat, it feels like a bullet to the heart. Okay, that sounds dramatic, but in all truth I hate knowing one of my babies has a problem that you have to deal with. I hate knowing I have caused you heartache and worry. It is VERY stressful and taxing on the emotions to be a breeder. But the bigger goal in mind is to one day produce the most healthy rats possible. To get there will be MANY years of breeding. Some of the top breeders with lines over 20 generations long can pop up a problem. No one can predict with absolute certainty that their lines are free of everything horrible. But a long, long time from now I hope to come as close to possible that I can. Know that I am always here for you. I believe the breeder/adopter relationship is important and I never want you to feel you are alone with these rats. I am there for them and you for their whole life and even after.
My Thoughts on Snakes and Feeders
I will not lie and say I hate snakes. I love ALL animals. Snakes, bugs, reptiles, birds, rodents, cats, dogs, horses, goats..etc. And all of these amazing animals need to eat. Pets or wildlife, the circle of life goes around. My dogs and cats are carnivores, eating other creatures in their kibble. Sure it's "easy" to feed kibble because it doesn't have a face, but it does not mean no creature died for my pets to eat. The same is for snakes, only their food has a face, which upsets people. My cats and dogs eat blends that contain chicken or rabbit. I own both as pets, but I would not sacrifice my pets' nutritional needs because I would get sad they are eating animals I also own as pets. I know many rat owners detest snakes for this reason. I do NOT support live feeding. It is not natural. These are captive bred animals kept in tanks or small enclosures. They are not "hunting". They are striking at terrified, cornered animals, that will likely attack back. Animals that eat whole prey (Snakes, spiders, ferrets) should be doing so from thawed. I know ferret owners feed chicks and mice. Many raw feeders will order bulk frozen (for cat and dogs). For snake feeding, I support ethically bred feeders. I do not condone killing feeders by beating them over the head. They can be humanely gassed using CO2 devices. I believe in feeders being raised in clean, spacious conditions and not overly bred in dirty bins. They should be fed a healthy, complete diet, so your snake has the healthiest meal possible. They should be free of parasites. I own a snake, and I choose to purchase from local feeder breeders. There is also a website called "Perfect Prey" that I have ordered from and the food came clean and well packaged. There is no reason, to me, that feeder animals should be abused and feel pain.
Reasons for Breeding
I have had many people tell me the following:
"Why would you produce rats when there are so many homeless one?"
"Why add to the over population?"
"There are so many rats already!"
"What happens if you can't find them all homes?"
"Why don't you focuses on rescuing and stop making more rats?"
"You're a backyard breeder!"
"You're a terrible person for breeding animals!"
First, let's look at the term "Backyard breeder".
A quick definition: "Backyard Breeder is a general term, often considered derogatory, used in USA to describe people who breed animals, often without registration. In some cases the animals are inbred narrowly for looks with little regard to health" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backyard_breeder).
From this definition I can already argue against me being a back yard breeder. My goals for breeding are to breed AWAY genetic health problems, temperament issues, and poor immune systems. My number one goal is producing healthy rats. I never focus on looks. I actually do not have a certain type/colour I breed because I wish to focus on health, looks are just a bonus for me. Some of my rats are inbred as inbreeding rats is perfectly okay. I do not closely inbreed, however. I usually breed cousins. Inbreeding can actually be a positive tool for rat breeding as it can often tell you the strengths and weaknesses in your line.
You can read more on the subject below:
So what happens to my babies if I don't find them homes? They stay here! ANY rat I produce WILL ALWAYS be welcomed back in the event an adopter cannot care for it. No questions asked. If I don't have a spare cage I will go out and buy one. My babies will NEVER be homeless.
I only plan litters if:
1. I have people on my waiting list. My waiting list normally has 10 or more on it at any given time. They have all paid a fee to be on the list as well, so if they back down, that fee goes towards the care of the rats. I am always accepting applications and advertising, even if I do not have available babies, so that I DO maintain a list of several people and never end up with babies and no homes. I spend a lot of extra time just screening adopters and getting the word out.
2. I have cages/time/money to care for every single rat I produce given lack of homes lined up or people backing out. I will never have more than 2 litters at once because it is impractical to think I can handle all those babies and find enough people at once. So far I have been left with 4 extra babies since I started breeding a few years ago, so it is very uncommon for me to have homeless babies, but I always plan to make sure I have accommodations lined up in the event that I do have to keep extra babies. All of my rats live in large cages (I have 1 double critter nation, one Ruud Martin cage, one martin Skyscraper, and a few other 2 level small cages for any sick/injured/teenager rats/etc. ). They are all fed fresh food and supplemented with block and a home-made organic mix. I have about 6 litters a year. They are far from suffering :)
My philosophy for being a rat breeder is plain and simple; I am tired of poor quality petshop rats. I have a link on my site about the condition rodent mills are (the places petshop and feeder rats come from). These petshop rats are incredibly unhealthy and full of genetic issues caused by the rodent mills. Do you think any of those people give one ounce of care about the genetics that go into the breeding? Heck no! My goals in breeding are to create pets that will not die at an early age from issues. If rat breeders were taken away, we would be left with getting rats from petshops/feeder bins and supporting a cruel trade. People will say, "You're just putting more lives into the world."...It is not my fault that mills exist or that people get pet rats and dump them places. Good, QUALITY breeders should not be targeted as animal abusers or told they are terrible people for creating lives, when they are the only ones trying to better the species. Removing them would result in supporting the pet mills and putting money into the pockets of people who actually DO abuse animals. Now there are plenty of poor breeders who breed without a thought to the outcome; the sorts of people who breed rats with known genetic illnesses or aggressive tendencies, and those people DO warrant being called unethical. But I want people to understand that there is nothing wrong in supporting the quality breeders out there. You are not supporting over population. You are supporting people who put a lot of effort into bettering rats as a whole so that they live long, full, happy lives and do not suffer from tumors, cancer, and respiratory illnesses.
I only plan litters if:
1. I have people on my waiting list. My waiting list normally has 10 or more on it at any given time. They have all paid a fee to be on the list as well, so if they back down, that fee goes towards the care of the rats. I am always accepting applications and advertising, even if I do not have available babies, so that I DO maintain a list of several people and never end up with babies and no homes. I spend a lot of extra time just screening adopters and getting the word out.
2. I have cages/time/money to care for every single rat I produce given lack of homes lined up or people backing out. I will never have more than 2 litters at once because it is impractical to think I can handle all those babies and find enough people at once. So far I have been left with 4 extra babies since I started breeding a few years ago, so it is very uncommon for me to have homeless babies, but I always plan to make sure I have accommodations lined up in the event that I do have to keep extra babies. All of my rats live in large cages (I have 1 double critter nation, one Ruud Martin cage, one martin Skyscraper, and a few other 2 level small cages for any sick/injured/teenager rats/etc. ). They are all fed fresh food and supplemented with block and a home-made organic mix. I have about 6 litters a year. They are far from suffering :)
My philosophy for being a rat breeder is plain and simple; I am tired of poor quality petshop rats. I have a link on my site about the condition rodent mills are (the places petshop and feeder rats come from). These petshop rats are incredibly unhealthy and full of genetic issues caused by the rodent mills. Do you think any of those people give one ounce of care about the genetics that go into the breeding? Heck no! My goals in breeding are to create pets that will not die at an early age from issues. If rat breeders were taken away, we would be left with getting rats from petshops/feeder bins and supporting a cruel trade. People will say, "You're just putting more lives into the world."...It is not my fault that mills exist or that people get pet rats and dump them places. Good, QUALITY breeders should not be targeted as animal abusers or told they are terrible people for creating lives, when they are the only ones trying to better the species. Removing them would result in supporting the pet mills and putting money into the pockets of people who actually DO abuse animals. Now there are plenty of poor breeders who breed without a thought to the outcome; the sorts of people who breed rats with known genetic illnesses or aggressive tendencies, and those people DO warrant being called unethical. But I want people to understand that there is nothing wrong in supporting the quality breeders out there. You are not supporting over population. You are supporting people who put a lot of effort into bettering rats as a whole so that they live long, full, happy lives and do not suffer from tumors, cancer, and respiratory illnesses.