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11808 Views 66 Replies 18 Participants Last post by  RatAttack_2007, 
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So what is your opinion on people who have rats of known HEALTHY lineage and breed them? Just a question. Just curious about all your answers.

I've just noticed alot of "hating" toward people who have bred their rats. Just to clarify, I am definitely not talking about anyone who intentionally has bred their PET STORE rats. I'm talking about people who know their rats backrounds for generations.
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Thanks guys! :D

I really appreciate your input. I'm just curious cos breeding interests me. I'm not planning on breeding anytime soon though. I'm only going to be getting my first pair of males next month. I wanna go to shows and talk to more established breeders first.

I used to own hamsters and I even showed one but I never bred because I never felt all that much of attachment in return from them. They would come around if I had food but other than that they were off doing their own thing.
I dunno I was just curious. I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to get flamed the instant I put out there that I have an interest in breeding.
But believe me when I say it would be next year at the very soonest, probably later if all goes well with my first pair. If I can imagine my house full of rats after a few months with my first boys then I might consider it more seriously.. but right now I'm just tossing the idea around.

Sorry if this is a bit.... jumbled. My mind is kind of scattered today. :)
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savveth said:
Breeding is a big responsibility. If you dont mind me asking, how old are you? I know I considered breeding, but there is so much you have to put into it. I would really rather foster. But to breed it could take many years...buuutt if you do want to start a rattery, find a mentor. Here, Ill give you some that you can contact about mentoring.

http://rattery.homestead.com/
Bellarattas Nest
---> Bella is really nice and informative and has mentored people before and is mentoring people now

http://www.pxrats.com/
Phoenix Gate Rattery
--->Im not sure if she mentors, but you could ask her about it.

Make sure you do tons of research, get a mentor, and foster.

EDIT:::

Also, this is a very good topic about breeding on another forum im on. I suggest you at least skim over all of it!

http://floridarat.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2276
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Thank you for the info. Where is Bella located? I'm 20 and live in Central California. Oh, and I've already contacted a lady in a city near me that runs a rescue and I've volunteered to foster for her. :)
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Oh sorry I just looked at Bella's website and saw that she's in Florida? I think?
Lol.

Well is that too far to mentor me? Its not like we could ever speak in person. I dunno, just a question.
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Stephanie said:
Out of curiosity what rescue are you looking to volunteer for?
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I found her on petfinder.org. She seems to be just starting because she only has a pair of rats and a pair of cavys.

http://west.petfinder.com/shelters/CA841.html

I'm supposed to be meeting with her sometime next week to discuss me fostering.
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Kimmiekins said:
I'm glad you're volunteering at a rescue first. :) There is a HUGE overpopulation of rats in CA, as you may be aware... There seems to be a hoarding case once a year or more that yields hundreds of rats. I'm not actually sure off the top of my head if there are any established breeders. I could ramble off rescues in CA, but that doesn't help. ;)
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Yes, I've found several breeders within 5 hours of me. I've already been put on a waiting list for a pair of males here:

Happy Go Lucky Rattery
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Yea, I know not being able to save or keep them all is going to be hard. :(
Luckily right now I have lots of free time to spend with my future rats and rescues since my husband is the only one working. I am interested in breeding but I know how important rescue is too.

Do you guys ever have foster rats that dont get along with your own? I was thinking of just fostering males for now so that they can share the same cage as my own 2. So I should probably have atleast 2 cages to be on the safe side huh?

Thank for all your help guys! :D

I'm also nervous about getting my two boys in September. I just want everything to go smoothly...
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Awww... I just read the page about the San Jose case. Those poor rats! I am very tempted to help out.. but I wanted to wait at least a month after I got my boys to foster. To make sure they got settled and that I wasn't gonna overwhelm myself. (I also have 4 dogs and one is a 3 month old mastiff...so I do already have a bit of responsibility)

But looking at those pictures made me so sad. Their little faces pulled at my heartstrings... :(

I wanna help.... maybe I should just adopt one after I'm settle with my two? What do you guys think?
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Really?? Man, I wish I worked at a vet's office. Are you a tech or something? I'm jealous. You guys arent hiring for any positions are you? lol. I'll even clean cages I dont care. hehehe.

Myspace?
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deercreekrattery said:
I know this is a bit OT, but if you are looking for a mentor, be sure to get one who has the correct names for their rats on their websites. I took a look at that HGLR website and she's got alot of her varieties misnamed. If she's breeding, she really should know the difference between a Russian silver and a PEW. Not judging her as a person (I don't know this person or harbor any ill will), just stating the obvious. I would probably look elsewhere for a mentor as she's just not experienced enough to be a reliable mentor. Anyone who has only been breeding for 2-3 years really should not be mentoring anyone. Just my opinion. Look for long-term breeders like 5-10 years. There are very few of us left unfortunately as most breeders quit after 3 years or sometimes less.
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Really?? I am really new to rats so I didnt even know she had them misnamed! Does anyone know of a rattery that is pretty well established? I know of Bii Rattery which is right here in Fresno but..... the lady stopped answering my emails. I had already contacted HGLR before I found her and once she found out that I was even in talks with HGLR she insisted that I buy from them since I started talking with them first. Which made no sense to me because she was closer and as the prospective buyer don't I have the right to change my mind about where I purchase my rat for any reason?? Coreect me if I'm wrong of course.

Anyways so does anyone know of any established ratteries in California?
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Thank you so much for your input. It all makes perfect sense. Which rattery is RRLM?

Wow. It is really hard to find a good rattery....
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Do you know much about any other California ratteries? Any you would recommend?
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Hmm.. thats the other breeder I have been looking at. So there are not really any ratteries in CA that you completely recommend?
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I think 3-4 hours is my driving limit. Where are you located?
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Thank you so much! Sacremento is definitely a do-able drive. If I may ask what rescue are you fostering for?
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Yes please do keep me updated! I think I'm just gonna rescue instead of buy from breeders for a while. It makes me feel better. I like saving little lives when I can. :)
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Thank you! I will definitely save their information for the next time I look to get a rat from a breeder. Thank you!
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