So heres the deal, After building a HUGE cage that according to the rat calculator can comfortably house 8 rats, I've decided to expand our little ratsy family.I have 3 girls comming from a rescue in a few weeks, and the last I'm looking to buy from a hairless rat breeder...I have found one, I was just wondering, what are some GOOD questions I should ask to make sure they are being responsible about their breeding program. I really hope they are responsible because I've fallen in love via pictures with a 2 month old blue hairless female... my heart flutters everytime i see it haha.
Not sure where this should be posted...
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
This is posted on the ratsrule forum in the adoption thread.
"Where do these rats come from?
It happens quite often that a person brings a female home from a petstore, and she has a litter a week later. Nothing is known about the background of the animals, but they can still be wonderful and loving pets. If the person says "I bred them" you want to ask more questions, to find out what kind of "breeder" they really are.
Can a pedigree be provided for the rats?
A pedigree is just a family tree for the rats. It shows who their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents were and who bred them. Rats from a petstore don't come with a pedigree. So be cautious if a person says "they don't have one."
Are there any health problems in this line?
Serious breeders track their lines over many generations, and know what problems may occur. People who breed petstore rats often will have no idea. You may be lucky and get rats who are healthy most of their lives, or you may have to start medicating them at 3 months old, and they live a much shorter lifespan than "normal."
What kind of bedding do you use?
Pine and cedar are cheap beddings, but they contain phenols which irritate the respiratory systems of rats, and have the potential to cause internal organ damage. Good beddings include Carefresh, walnut shells, aspen, corn cob, cloth, shredded newspaper (with soy ink), or paper based litters like Cell-Sorb or Yesterday's News (Biocatolet in the UK).
What kind of food do you feed your rats?
Rats should not be fed hamster, guinea pig, or bunny food. Rats need a food formulated especially for their nutritional requirements. Seed mixes are cheap, but they are not very nutritionally balanced, nor do rats eat all of them. A lot is wasted. Lab blocks or homemade mixes can be cheaper, and provide better nutrition. You may want to feed your new rats the same diet as their breeder did, to help them acclimate to living in your house.
How many litters do you have a year?
Many reputable breeders only have 3-8 litters a year. Beware if a person gives you a very high number like 20! They may be breeding litter after litter to supply to petshops, or even to supply snakefood!
Finally, don't be surprised if the breeder asks YOU questions, or requires you to sign an adoption contract. They work hard to produce beautiful and loving rats, they want them to go to the best homes possible."
"Where do these rats come from?
It happens quite often that a person brings a female home from a petstore, and she has a litter a week later. Nothing is known about the background of the animals, but they can still be wonderful and loving pets. If the person says "I bred them" you want to ask more questions, to find out what kind of "breeder" they really are.
Can a pedigree be provided for the rats?
A pedigree is just a family tree for the rats. It shows who their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents were and who bred them. Rats from a petstore don't come with a pedigree. So be cautious if a person says "they don't have one."
Are there any health problems in this line?
Serious breeders track their lines over many generations, and know what problems may occur. People who breed petstore rats often will have no idea. You may be lucky and get rats who are healthy most of their lives, or you may have to start medicating them at 3 months old, and they live a much shorter lifespan than "normal."
What kind of bedding do you use?
Pine and cedar are cheap beddings, but they contain phenols which irritate the respiratory systems of rats, and have the potential to cause internal organ damage. Good beddings include Carefresh, walnut shells, aspen, corn cob, cloth, shredded newspaper (with soy ink), or paper based litters like Cell-Sorb or Yesterday's News (Biocatolet in the UK).
What kind of food do you feed your rats?
Rats should not be fed hamster, guinea pig, or bunny food. Rats need a food formulated especially for their nutritional requirements. Seed mixes are cheap, but they are not very nutritionally balanced, nor do rats eat all of them. A lot is wasted. Lab blocks or homemade mixes can be cheaper, and provide better nutrition. You may want to feed your new rats the same diet as their breeder did, to help them acclimate to living in your house.
How many litters do you have a year?
Many reputable breeders only have 3-8 litters a year. Beware if a person gives you a very high number like 20! They may be breeding litter after litter to supply to petshops, or even to supply snakefood!
Finally, don't be surprised if the breeder asks YOU questions, or requires you to sign an adoption contract. They work hard to produce beautiful and loving rats, they want them to go to the best homes possible."
Heres a picture of the rat in question...
![]()
So far I haven't heard from the breeder, but from the ad I had found she seems responsible. I think shes trying to downsize her breeding program though because shes moving, shes selling a lot of other things as well, like cages and such...
So far I haven't heard from the breeder, but from the ad I had found she seems responsible. I think shes trying to downsize her breeding program though because shes moving, shes selling a lot of other things as well, like cages and such...
Joined
·
1,099 Posts
The stuff around her eyes is porphyrin. A small amount is normal, but more could signify stress or illness. It's hard to know for sure with just a photo.
What Lesath is good - ask lots and lots and lots of questions.
What Lesath is good - ask lots and lots and lots of questions.
...looks like I've been beaten to it 
now I'm sad lol. Oh well, like I said the owner hasn't contacted me yet, but if lerat is actually getting this rat he might want to tell her to STOP POSTING PICTURES OF IT :evil: lol I went and got my hopes up for nothing... Looks like I'm on the search again lol.
now I'm sad lol. Oh well, like I said the owner hasn't contacted me yet, but if lerat is actually getting this rat he might want to tell her to STOP POSTING PICTURES OF IT :evil: lol I went and got my hopes up for nothing... Looks like I'm on the search again lol.
Joined
·
1,098 Posts
actually I've seen that picture on another thread as well. Is that suppose to be an ACTUAL picture of your rat? I hope it goes well :?
well thank ya matt, I just wanted to get one from a breeder so I could widen my experiences with rats, I already have 2 pet store girls, and I'm getting 3 rescues, my cage can comfortably house 8 but 6 is enough so I wanted a hairless from a breeder to have some experience there to.. But you know, I think I will opt for the shelter, it sounds like the best of ideas! Especially for the rats.Matt said:I sorrys...renay said:I dunno. I was assuming it was.. I think I'll just wait for my rescue to receive a hairless rat.. Ah and I was all excited to
I think I'd rather save an extra life.Okay so I still don't know what the deal is with this woman, and the more I think about it the more frustrated I get... she emailed me just saying "Okay when would you like to pick them up" not very responsible. Lerat if you read this let me know if you got rats from this person, or if you actually got the rats in your pictures.. because the EXACT same pictures are posted on kijiji.com and again today a new add was made up with their pictures in it.
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
