Introduction
Theres a lot of misconceptions about rat breeding. On the surface, it may seem pretty simple, a task that anyone can do. I mean, its just putting a male and female rat together, right? But there is a lot more to breeding responsibly. Knowledge of genetics and how dominant and recessive genes work, as well as knowledge about health, how to identify health concerns, and temperament heredity and epigenetics. Then you also need to have an understanding of the different varieties, colors, fur types, etc. including the names of each, sometimes across several clubs. You also have to make some tough calls, and be able to put your feelings aside for the wellbeing of the animals. This includes euthanizing, both young babies and adults. Underneath, there is a lot more to breeding than meets the eye, and not all of it is fun. And unfortunately, its really easy to call yourself a breeder, or start up a rattery page, but not everyone is in it for the animals, and even others are just scammers. Below is a guide to identifying a responsible breeder. Beyond the points below, if something gives you a bad impression or sends up red flags, its ok to follow your gut!
Activity/Presence
Do they have an online presence? More than sharing public content from other ratteries or google, but actually sharing original content, discussing their rats, their goals, their set-ups, their pairings, litter announcements, etc. How long has the page been active? Is it just a few months old and theyre selling "rare" colors or varieties with "limited availability" and a rush to sell ("get them while they last!")?
Do a search online. Search facebook groups. See if they post elsewhere, or if others have had experience with them. Are their posts all sales? Is it just excessive advertising? Or do they actually seem to enjoy rats and interact with the public? Have other people had experience with them? Are they listed on any blacklist groups?
Money VS Animals
Responsible breeders care about the well-being of the animals, not about money. This means they will have an interest in you and the home you will provide. This may seem like a hassle, but it means they actually care and are taking the time to ensure a good fit for you and the animals. Applications and/or discussion involving questions about your cage, other pets, the diet the rats will be on, bedding, etc. A breeder who doesnt bother to get such information and only care about the money are unlikely to be actually putting in effort for breeding quality rats and are more concerned with quantity, rather than quality. A breeder who doesnt ensure their animals are going to suitable homes is not responsible and should be avoided.
By the same token, you should be able to ask questions as well. Inquire about the breeders set-ups, the rattery, what they feed, what bedding they use, ask them about their rats, about the parents, how long they have been breeding, how long a particular line has been going, any health issues or temperament issues, any guarantees they have, their adoption policy, etc. Dont be afraid to ask questions! If the breeder seems annoyed or offended by such questions, or acts as though answering them is beneath them, or an inconvenience or waste of time, then go somewhere else!
Sales
Sales are a business tactic for moving products quickly to make way for new products. We arent talking discounts on older/retired rats looking for a pet home, but rather, things like holiday sales, covid sales, black friday/cyber monday sales or any sales that are intended to move stock quickly to make room for new babies. Animals are not products, and breeding so many that you need to have a sale on existing animals is a red flag. A responsible breeder does not breed more than they can care for at any given time, this includes being able and willing to find appropriate homes for each and every baby, without relying on sales to get a quick response. Responsible breeders look for homes that are willing and able to purchase and provide for the rats. Rats are not expensive pets to purchase, and should be priced for the work involved. Offering discounts devalues the animals and frankly, is just shady.
Guarantees
Responsible breeders are working towards healthy, temperamentally sound rats and ensure that by having guarantees in place. These guarantees should cover things like temperament, ensuring the rats are stable, social, friendly, and without aggression or skittish behavior. It should also cover genetic health, such as malocclusion, megacolon, chronic URI, etc.
Photos
Housing & Crowding
What kind of housing do they keep their rats in? There are acceptable and unacceptable types of housing, some are more apparent than others, some have particular conditions to consider. There isnt necessarily a one size fits all option for caging. Below are some tips, but judge it individually, ask questions and if something sends up a red flag, listen to your gut.
Lineage Information
Responsible breeders keep track of their lines. They should be able to tell you the parents and about the line. The health, temperament, the goals they have for the line, etc. Some breeders breed colony style, with one male to several females, but typically colonies are established lines themselves, and information on temperament and health should still be obtainable, and information on the line in general should be known. Breeders should be able to share photos of the parents (or colony) upon request.
Inbreeding, Linebreeding and Outcrossing
To begin, lets explain these three terms:
Inbreeding is the process of crossing two closely related animals. An example would be breeding a father to a daughter.
Linebreeding is a milder form of inbreeding, typically breeding rats who are more distantly related. An example would be breeding uncle to niece or breeding cousins.
Outcrossing is breeding unrelated animals.
People who do not understand genetics often will vilify linebreeding and inbreeding and will pride themselves on not breeding rats who are too closely related. This is a common opinion in many lay-people's minds, primarily due to the stigma of it in the human population and in other animals who have small gene pools, such as dogs. Having a grasp on genetics, how health issues are passed to offspring, and understanding just how diverse the rat population is, as well as the benefits of inbreeding and line breeding, and the disadvantages of outcrossing, can lead to a different viewpoint on the subject. Most health issues are recessive in nature, and doubling up on these issues can lead to offspring presenting health issues/defects. Inbreeding allows you to know exactly what sort of issues, be it health AND/OR temperament issues, are in a line and allows you to effectively breed away from those issues. Inbreeding gives a very clear picture of the line and not only allows you to breed out undesired health and temperament issues, but also allows you to retain the positive attributes in order to make a consistent, well documented line!
In contrast, outbreeding can hide genetic flaws until two unknown carriers are paired. These issues can hide for a long time, passing down to carriers like an infection you cant get rid of, having to tiptoe around it. I see this often in breeders who insist issues like malocclusion is gene linked in marbles, adamantly refusing to breed two marbles for fear of malocclusion, not acknowledging that these issues are line issues and can be bred out with effort. Outcrossing can also introduce poor genetics, including heath and/or temperament issues. Building a rattery on outcrosses makes it difficult, if not impossible, to predict and guarantee the quality of the rats produced. The exception might be crossing two stable, consistent lines which have consistent lineage information so that you know what positive and negative attributes you are breeding together.
Baby Ages/Sizes
Pay attention to ages and sizes. Responsible breeders dont let babies go home before 6 weeks. Reserving from well established lines at an early age can be done responsibly, but if the breeder has only been breeding for a few months or the line is on its first generation, this is a hard pass! Temperament and health cannot be guaranteed without a thorough history on the line. Even if the line was from an established breeder, its always a good idea to have had at least a couple generations born in the breeders own rattery to make sure they consistently meet expectations, since sometimes breeders can lie about quality, or may have low standards.
Aside from acknowledging the size of the rats as it pertains to age, also be observant on size in relation to health. Small, scrawny, undersized rats may be unhealthy, either from poor nutrition, or they may be Failure To Thrive, which is an inability to properly absorb nutrients and often results in a rapid decline and short life span. Sometimes these will even be sold for more as "dwarf" even if they are not! If a breeder advertises 6 week babies who are teeny tiny, thin, or sickly looking, go elsewhere, even if it pulls at your heart strings, purchasing these babies only encourages poor breeders to continue producing low quality animals with low quality lives.
Genetic Knowledge
Questionnaires
The wellbeing of the animals is always first and foremost for responsible breeders. As such, responsible breeders will have some form of questionnaire to be sure that the home their rats are going to is suitable, educated and able to provide the proper care for the life of the animals. A breeder who does not ask questions and just takes money is not looking out for the wellbeing of the animals and should be avoided.
Contracts
Similar to Questionnaires, a contract ensures that the animals will be taken care of properly life long. A contract is NOT only for the breeders expectations of care, but also for the buyer warranties and guarantees from the breeder. A contract is binding and outlines the expectations for both buyer and breeder and both can be upheld should there be an issue with the buyer (for example, breeding pet rats out of contract), or with the breeder (for example, selling a sick rat). This is a benefit to both parties and should not be looked at as an inconvenience.
Breeder Support
Selling an animal is not a one and done deal. As breeders, we need to be able and willing to provide lifelong support for our buyers and be able to answer any questions or concerns you may have over the life of your rat. This is a key point that I often find problematic. I cannot tell you how often I get messages from adopters who got impatient and went to an irresponsible breeder or pet store for their rats, but come back to me looking for support and questions for basic issues as well as severe issues, such as aggression. I have even had to euthanize rats over the years from bad breeders who sold for profit to people who wanted rats NOW and rushed into a quick purchase. Please understand that responsible breeders often have a very busy workload of assisting their own adopters, doing rattery business, cleaning, pairing, health checking, etc. Although I absolutely care about the well being of all rats, having someone message me needing advice for their poorly bred rats because their impulsively chosen breeder wont help them leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. It is a breeders responsibility to assist their adopters, and a buyers responsibility to look into their breeder to be sure that they will be there for support if its needed. If they cant even help you with basic information or give wrong information for basic things, or you arent comfortable messaging them about rats they produced for any reason, thats an indication that they may not be a responsible breeder and waiting, although difficult, is the best option. In the end, if you rush into a quick sale, please dont expect the responsible breeders to pick up the slack brought about by your own impatience, there simply isnt time in the day for it. However, my website is and always will be here as a guide and resource for you. All the information here is here for your benefit, whether you are an adopter of mine or not. Utilize it, and if you absolutely are at the end of your rope with no answers, then you can message me and I will do my best to assist, when time permits.
Handling From Birth vs Hands Off
This is heavily debatable, so much so, that I have written a separate article about my stance. I am including it here because I often see it used to determine a good breeder vs a bad breeder, but there are so many factors to consider, that it is not useful for determining a good breeder in every aspect. For an in depth look, please refer to my page on temperament. In short, handling babies can be good or bad depending on circumstances. For a long-time breeder who has well established lines that produce stable, predictable temperaments, handling babies is perfectly acceptable. There is nothing wrong with providing additional socialization to an already socially stable line. However, for a new breeder with lines that are not producing consistent, stable results, or a first generation litter where the temperament of the line as a whole is largely unknown, or constantly outcrossing, handling babies can hide potential genetic temperament issues, such as aggression or skittishness, or may dull these poor behaviors and give an unrealistic view of the genetic temperament of the line. If a breeder socializes babies every day, they are influencing their temperament through epigenetics and may not realize the line has issues or may not realize how bad these issues are, making it more difficult to work on improvement, and will always be genetically sub-par, even requiring socialization to be stable, whereas genetically stable rats dont require socialization to be temperamentally sound, friendly rats. So when considering hands on vs hands off, in order to conclude whether their method is appropriate requires you to know more about their lines. I recommend asking the breeder why they choose to breed hands on or hands off. They should be able to give you an educated answer. If their answer is simply "to make the babies friendly!" they likely do not actually understand genetic temperament as a whole and may not be actively working towards improving the genetic temperament, instead relying on socialization to make babies friendly, which isnt ideal long-term.
Hard Culling/Euthanizing
(This section may be triggering)
Hard culling is a term used by breeders which means that an animal is removed from the breeding program by way of humane euthanasia. Hard culling is done for a variety of reasons. Primarily, the decision to euthanize is due to behavior or health concerns, where the quality of life for the animal is too low to consider keeping or rehoming. Some breeders may choose to cull for other reasons, especially if they are also dual breeders (which means they breed for pets and feeders). When a breeder is dual breeding, they may choose to hard cull for color, gender, variety, etc. in order to meet their needs for feeders while holding back the rats who best fit their breeding goals. This is a touchy subject, particularly (and understandably) to pet owners, but even to pet only breeders, this is something that needs to be well understood and the breeder should be familiar with, and follow the AVMA guidelines, even if they only hard cull for serious things, such as aggression, intense fear and health, which are all things that should be culled for, at a minimum, as these things have a negative affect on the animals quality of life. A breeder who does not know the AVMA guidelines may not be prepared in the event of an emergency and the animals could suffer by being left in a bad condition while the breeder decides what to do, or may result in the use of an inhumane method unintentionally due to lack of prior education and planning. Breeders who practice inhumane forms of euthanasia (CONTENT WARNING - Discussion of Methods - This includes: Baking Soda and Vinegar or Dry Ice to create and unregulated CO2 gas, using a bag and hitting the bag against a hard surface, CD over 200grams, Freezing over 10 days. These are NOT acceptable forms of euthanasia! ACCEPTABLE FORMS of Euthanasia are: 1-10 days: Freezing | Up to 200g: Cervical Dislocation | All Ages/Sizes: Regulated CO2. BFT can be used but does have a higher percentage of failure with larger rats, so regulated CO2 is more ideal - END CONTENT WARNING), with no regard to the animal, or interest in researching humane methods are to be run from! Euthanizing an animal is not ever something that we enjoy, and please understand, contrary to what others may tell you, it is NOT done for profit. Not only do pet rats go for significantly more than frozen feeders, but many breeders actually donate their culls to raptor/rehabilitation centers for no gain. There is not much profit in feeder rodents, especially once the costs of food, bedding, health care, etc. In order to be profitable, you would need to run a very large scale rodentry with subpar care, which should be avoided (related - supporting small scale feeder/dual breeders is better than supporting large chain mill breeders since small scale hobby breeders care more about overall health and wellbeing, offering better care and diet, which also provides better nutrition to the fed animal, so it IS good to have small scale feeder breeders, do not condemn them, as the animals in their care are treated more humanely than mills. And with that, always support responsible feeder breeders over irresponsible ones! There is as much a difference between them as there is between pet only breeders! Ask questions!)
Unfortunately, sometimes it is unavoidable, even for pet only breeders, and a breeder should be knowledgeable and prepared in the event they need to euthanize an animal. If that means they go to a vet for it, so be it. Generally long term breeders will be prepared in home to euthanize a rat if it is needed. A vet is typically stated by new breeders who think that they would never need to euthanize a rat, but long term, those costs add up, particularly when you get into your second year of breeding when your oldest rats are having difficulties and may end up being consecutive euthanasia charges. So being knowledgeable in the AVMA guidelines is a necessity, especially if a breeder is new working with unestablished lines. A new breeder with new lines who is anti-cull sounds great in theory, but in practice, likely means that you have a chance of getting aggressive or skittish or possibly unhealthy pet rats since this means that they will avoid culling poor tempered or unhealthy rats because they "deserve a chance to live," which sounds very kindhearted, but in actuality, these rats typically have a low quality of life, needing extreme "trust training" to have any semblance of a good life, and this "trust training" can sometimes take upwards of 1/2-1/3 of their total lifespan, which is considerably unfair to the animal to have to endure such a large portion of its life in intense fear and stressful forced handling. In animals with a longer lifespan, like dogs and cats, it is easier to justify 6 months to a year of stress for 7+ years of happiness. In rats, who average 2 years, to spend a 6 months to a year of stress and fear, its much harder to justify for a year or year and a half of happiness. Ethically, is it worth it if the discomfort lasts longer than the joy?
Do they have an online presence? More than sharing public content from other ratteries or google, but actually sharing original content, discussing their rats, their goals, their set-ups, their pairings, litter announcements, etc. How long has the page been active? Is it just a few months old and theyre selling "rare" colors or varieties with "limited availability" and a rush to sell ("get them while they last!")?
Do a search online. Search facebook groups. See if they post elsewhere, or if others have had experience with them. Are their posts all sales? Is it just excessive advertising? Or do they actually seem to enjoy rats and interact with the public? Have other people had experience with them? Are they listed on any blacklist groups?
Money VS Animals
Responsible breeders care about the well-being of the animals, not about money. This means they will have an interest in you and the home you will provide. This may seem like a hassle, but it means they actually care and are taking the time to ensure a good fit for you and the animals. Applications and/or discussion involving questions about your cage, other pets, the diet the rats will be on, bedding, etc. A breeder who doesnt bother to get such information and only care about the money are unlikely to be actually putting in effort for breeding quality rats and are more concerned with quantity, rather than quality. A breeder who doesnt ensure their animals are going to suitable homes is not responsible and should be avoided.
By the same token, you should be able to ask questions as well. Inquire about the breeders set-ups, the rattery, what they feed, what bedding they use, ask them about their rats, about the parents, how long they have been breeding, how long a particular line has been going, any health issues or temperament issues, any guarantees they have, their adoption policy, etc. Dont be afraid to ask questions! If the breeder seems annoyed or offended by such questions, or acts as though answering them is beneath them, or an inconvenience or waste of time, then go somewhere else!
Sales
Sales are a business tactic for moving products quickly to make way for new products. We arent talking discounts on older/retired rats looking for a pet home, but rather, things like holiday sales, covid sales, black friday/cyber monday sales or any sales that are intended to move stock quickly to make room for new babies. Animals are not products, and breeding so many that you need to have a sale on existing animals is a red flag. A responsible breeder does not breed more than they can care for at any given time, this includes being able and willing to find appropriate homes for each and every baby, without relying on sales to get a quick response. Responsible breeders look for homes that are willing and able to purchase and provide for the rats. Rats are not expensive pets to purchase, and should be priced for the work involved. Offering discounts devalues the animals and frankly, is just shady.
Guarantees
Responsible breeders are working towards healthy, temperamentally sound rats and ensure that by having guarantees in place. These guarantees should cover things like temperament, ensuring the rats are stable, social, friendly, and without aggression or skittish behavior. It should also cover genetic health, such as malocclusion, megacolon, chronic URI, etc.
Photos
- Stolen Images - Scammers will often source their photos from other places. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell, but if it seems suspicious, you can try a reverse image search to see if their images are stolen. If you are wanting to buy a rat, do they only offer a single photo? If you request additional photos, will they get some? If they refuse, or if the additional photos look like a different rat, best to go elsewhere.
- Cleanliness - An easy tell is photos of cages. Are they constantly dirty? Do they regularly comment along the lines of "dont mind the mess, its cleaning day" where the bedding is gross with poop lining the floor? Rats poop and pee, some poops in the bedding is not a sign of a bad breeder, but if cages are disgusting with poop caked on bars and more poop than bedding visible, looking like cleaning day should have been 6 days ago, and especially if this is constant, then it may be best to look elsewhere. Afterall, if they are comfortable posting gross photos like that, what is "too messy" in their opinion and how often does that occur and go unseen?
- Baby Appearance - This is covered more in depth on the "Identifying Healthy Rats" page, but in short, always look at the appearance of the rats posted. Do they look healthy? Are they stained with urine? Do they have porphyrine around their eyes and nose? Glossy eyes? Puffed fur? Scabby skin? Are they scrawny with lackluster fur?
Housing & Crowding
What kind of housing do they keep their rats in? There are acceptable and unacceptable types of housing, some are more apparent than others, some have particular conditions to consider. There isnt necessarily a one size fits all option for caging. Below are some tips, but judge it individually, ask questions and if something sends up a red flag, listen to your gut.
- Permanent Housing - Should be of suitable size and safe bar spacing (1/4"-1/2") and appropriate ventilation and not overcrowded. Traditional wire cages, appropriately made bin cages (at least 2 opposing sides must be cut out and replaced with hardware cloth), or racks (yes, even racks - As fossorial animals, racks can offer a secure, comfortable place for rats, given they are clean and not overcrowded. Racks can still have hides and hammocks and chews and toys and dont have to be bare!) are all acceptable. Aquariums, bins with inefficient ventilation (only one side cut, or just the top cut, or just drilled holes), small hamster cages, are not acceptable caging for long term housing.
- Maternity - Can be smaller size, at least until babies begin exploring and being messy. It is common to have pairing and birthing is done in smaller cages/bins and mom and babies are moved to larger cages/bins/racks when they begin being mobile. There are lab style caging for maternity that are sometimes used. Others use bins or smaller cages and some may choose to use aquariums. Cages should be solid surfaces, ideally be single level (to prevent fall injuries) and bar spacing no larger than 1/2" to prevent babies from being injured or getting through bars. If using aquariums, inquire about the frequency of cleaning, particularly with mobile babies, a 10 gallon tank, for example, can become overcrowded very quickly and Id even be hesitant to accept aquariums for litters larger than 6 by 3 weeks, as this would produce too much ammonia to be used safely without daily deep cleaning and added ventilation (such as the use of a fan to move air within the aquarium). For a pair of rats, aquariums need to be cleaned every 3 days at most, ideally with something to move the air (such as a small computer fan) to be considered safe. For a litter and mama, cleaning would need to be done every day to every other day depending on litter size. If a breeder is dedicated to a strict cleaning ritual, an aquarium can be safe and efficient, but it is not particularly ideal to the average breeder.
Lineage Information
Responsible breeders keep track of their lines. They should be able to tell you the parents and about the line. The health, temperament, the goals they have for the line, etc. Some breeders breed colony style, with one male to several females, but typically colonies are established lines themselves, and information on temperament and health should still be obtainable, and information on the line in general should be known. Breeders should be able to share photos of the parents (or colony) upon request.
Inbreeding, Linebreeding and Outcrossing
To begin, lets explain these three terms:
Inbreeding is the process of crossing two closely related animals. An example would be breeding a father to a daughter.
Linebreeding is a milder form of inbreeding, typically breeding rats who are more distantly related. An example would be breeding uncle to niece or breeding cousins.
Outcrossing is breeding unrelated animals.
People who do not understand genetics often will vilify linebreeding and inbreeding and will pride themselves on not breeding rats who are too closely related. This is a common opinion in many lay-people's minds, primarily due to the stigma of it in the human population and in other animals who have small gene pools, such as dogs. Having a grasp on genetics, how health issues are passed to offspring, and understanding just how diverse the rat population is, as well as the benefits of inbreeding and line breeding, and the disadvantages of outcrossing, can lead to a different viewpoint on the subject. Most health issues are recessive in nature, and doubling up on these issues can lead to offspring presenting health issues/defects. Inbreeding allows you to know exactly what sort of issues, be it health AND/OR temperament issues, are in a line and allows you to effectively breed away from those issues. Inbreeding gives a very clear picture of the line and not only allows you to breed out undesired health and temperament issues, but also allows you to retain the positive attributes in order to make a consistent, well documented line!
In contrast, outbreeding can hide genetic flaws until two unknown carriers are paired. These issues can hide for a long time, passing down to carriers like an infection you cant get rid of, having to tiptoe around it. I see this often in breeders who insist issues like malocclusion is gene linked in marbles, adamantly refusing to breed two marbles for fear of malocclusion, not acknowledging that these issues are line issues and can be bred out with effort. Outcrossing can also introduce poor genetics, including heath and/or temperament issues. Building a rattery on outcrosses makes it difficult, if not impossible, to predict and guarantee the quality of the rats produced. The exception might be crossing two stable, consistent lines which have consistent lineage information so that you know what positive and negative attributes you are breeding together.
Baby Ages/Sizes
Pay attention to ages and sizes. Responsible breeders dont let babies go home before 6 weeks. Reserving from well established lines at an early age can be done responsibly, but if the breeder has only been breeding for a few months or the line is on its first generation, this is a hard pass! Temperament and health cannot be guaranteed without a thorough history on the line. Even if the line was from an established breeder, its always a good idea to have had at least a couple generations born in the breeders own rattery to make sure they consistently meet expectations, since sometimes breeders can lie about quality, or may have low standards.
Aside from acknowledging the size of the rats as it pertains to age, also be observant on size in relation to health. Small, scrawny, undersized rats may be unhealthy, either from poor nutrition, or they may be Failure To Thrive, which is an inability to properly absorb nutrients and often results in a rapid decline and short life span. Sometimes these will even be sold for more as "dwarf" even if they are not! If a breeder advertises 6 week babies who are teeny tiny, thin, or sickly looking, go elsewhere, even if it pulls at your heart strings, purchasing these babies only encourages poor breeders to continue producing low quality animals with low quality lives.
Genetic Knowledge
- Use of Proper Names/Terminology - Responsible breeders should have a solid grasp on genetics and should use the proper terminology and names of varieties and colors. In particular, they need to know what they are working with (there are a lot of varieties, colors, markings and fur types, they dont need to know everything, but need to know what they are working with and be able to identify it). A breeder who uses generic terms like "Tan" or "Grey" are key giveaways, as neither of these terms are accurate for rats. Some people will go so far as to make up names for their rats, like "Polar Bear" or "Blackberry" etc. These are not real varieties and are made up to sell. A quick google search will usually tell you if something is real or not. The only notes Ill leave here is that A) there are different clubs around the world that may use different names B) Sometimes genes are renamed by different clubs well after they are discovered and sometimes the original name lingers (for example, Silvermane was renamed D'Argent, Marble to Spotted Tabby, Tonkinese to Siamese Sable, and so on) and C) New genes (and even old genes once lost) do pop up occasionally, but typically this is well noted (its a big deal!). For example, our "Ruby Siamese" are new, and we have not distributed them elsewhere and they are not recognized by any club, so it may look like a made up variety, however, we have years of documentation on them available for anyone to read.
- Misidentifying Varieties (or Genders) - Accidents happen, but typically these are righted prior to rats going home, particularly for mistaken genders. If a breeder is unable to identify a males large hanging testicles by 6 weeks, they do not need to be breeding! There are some things that are inexcusable and this is one of them. Misidentified varieties can indicate a breeder who is not knowledgeable. Some things are more forgiving, such as a rat that is UK mink but labelled American Mink. Others however, can be an attempt to scam. For example, a silvered black labelled Silvermane, a runt or Failure to Thrive labelled Dwarf, Double Rex labelled Patchwork, etc. Particularly if they are asking more money for "rare" varieties. If you're in the market for a particular variety, its a good idea to be able to recognize it for yourself so that you are not scammed. Similarly, if someone is selling a variety for a lot of money, verify that it fits the description!
- Dominant vs Recessive - A good breeder knows how genes work in the varieties of their choosing. If they dont know what varieties they are going to get from a given pairing, then they probably dont know genetics well. For example, if they are breeding a siamese to a black rat and are promising an entire litter of siamese, or seem surprised that they got standard babies from two rex parents, they probably havent done much research. Understanding which genes are dominant and which are recessive is basic knowledge and a good indication of genetic knowledge.
- Temperament - If they have a first generation litter and expect the babies to all be perfect because mom and dad are, they probably arent very knowledgeable on genetic inheritance in regards to temperament. Temperament is so much more than just what the parents are. Temperament is influenced by several past generations, as well as epigenetics, which is the environmental factor. If there is aggression 2 generations back, for example, there is still a chance that aggression could show up in the current litter. This is why selling first generation babies is typically frowned upon, particularly if you have no information on the previous generations (and lets be honest, anyone can say their rats are great, but it doesnt necessarily make it true, even when getting stock from other breeders with established lines, its always best to hold back the first couple generations, at the very least).
Questionnaires
The wellbeing of the animals is always first and foremost for responsible breeders. As such, responsible breeders will have some form of questionnaire to be sure that the home their rats are going to is suitable, educated and able to provide the proper care for the life of the animals. A breeder who does not ask questions and just takes money is not looking out for the wellbeing of the animals and should be avoided.
Contracts
Similar to Questionnaires, a contract ensures that the animals will be taken care of properly life long. A contract is NOT only for the breeders expectations of care, but also for the buyer warranties and guarantees from the breeder. A contract is binding and outlines the expectations for both buyer and breeder and both can be upheld should there be an issue with the buyer (for example, breeding pet rats out of contract), or with the breeder (for example, selling a sick rat). This is a benefit to both parties and should not be looked at as an inconvenience.
Breeder Support
Selling an animal is not a one and done deal. As breeders, we need to be able and willing to provide lifelong support for our buyers and be able to answer any questions or concerns you may have over the life of your rat. This is a key point that I often find problematic. I cannot tell you how often I get messages from adopters who got impatient and went to an irresponsible breeder or pet store for their rats, but come back to me looking for support and questions for basic issues as well as severe issues, such as aggression. I have even had to euthanize rats over the years from bad breeders who sold for profit to people who wanted rats NOW and rushed into a quick purchase. Please understand that responsible breeders often have a very busy workload of assisting their own adopters, doing rattery business, cleaning, pairing, health checking, etc. Although I absolutely care about the well being of all rats, having someone message me needing advice for their poorly bred rats because their impulsively chosen breeder wont help them leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. It is a breeders responsibility to assist their adopters, and a buyers responsibility to look into their breeder to be sure that they will be there for support if its needed. If they cant even help you with basic information or give wrong information for basic things, or you arent comfortable messaging them about rats they produced for any reason, thats an indication that they may not be a responsible breeder and waiting, although difficult, is the best option. In the end, if you rush into a quick sale, please dont expect the responsible breeders to pick up the slack brought about by your own impatience, there simply isnt time in the day for it. However, my website is and always will be here as a guide and resource for you. All the information here is here for your benefit, whether you are an adopter of mine or not. Utilize it, and if you absolutely are at the end of your rope with no answers, then you can message me and I will do my best to assist, when time permits.
Handling From Birth vs Hands Off
This is heavily debatable, so much so, that I have written a separate article about my stance. I am including it here because I often see it used to determine a good breeder vs a bad breeder, but there are so many factors to consider, that it is not useful for determining a good breeder in every aspect. For an in depth look, please refer to my page on temperament. In short, handling babies can be good or bad depending on circumstances. For a long-time breeder who has well established lines that produce stable, predictable temperaments, handling babies is perfectly acceptable. There is nothing wrong with providing additional socialization to an already socially stable line. However, for a new breeder with lines that are not producing consistent, stable results, or a first generation litter where the temperament of the line as a whole is largely unknown, or constantly outcrossing, handling babies can hide potential genetic temperament issues, such as aggression or skittishness, or may dull these poor behaviors and give an unrealistic view of the genetic temperament of the line. If a breeder socializes babies every day, they are influencing their temperament through epigenetics and may not realize the line has issues or may not realize how bad these issues are, making it more difficult to work on improvement, and will always be genetically sub-par, even requiring socialization to be stable, whereas genetically stable rats dont require socialization to be temperamentally sound, friendly rats. So when considering hands on vs hands off, in order to conclude whether their method is appropriate requires you to know more about their lines. I recommend asking the breeder why they choose to breed hands on or hands off. They should be able to give you an educated answer. If their answer is simply "to make the babies friendly!" they likely do not actually understand genetic temperament as a whole and may not be actively working towards improving the genetic temperament, instead relying on socialization to make babies friendly, which isnt ideal long-term.
Hard Culling/Euthanizing
(This section may be triggering)
Hard culling is a term used by breeders which means that an animal is removed from the breeding program by way of humane euthanasia. Hard culling is done for a variety of reasons. Primarily, the decision to euthanize is due to behavior or health concerns, where the quality of life for the animal is too low to consider keeping or rehoming. Some breeders may choose to cull for other reasons, especially if they are also dual breeders (which means they breed for pets and feeders). When a breeder is dual breeding, they may choose to hard cull for color, gender, variety, etc. in order to meet their needs for feeders while holding back the rats who best fit their breeding goals. This is a touchy subject, particularly (and understandably) to pet owners, but even to pet only breeders, this is something that needs to be well understood and the breeder should be familiar with, and follow the AVMA guidelines, even if they only hard cull for serious things, such as aggression, intense fear and health, which are all things that should be culled for, at a minimum, as these things have a negative affect on the animals quality of life. A breeder who does not know the AVMA guidelines may not be prepared in the event of an emergency and the animals could suffer by being left in a bad condition while the breeder decides what to do, or may result in the use of an inhumane method unintentionally due to lack of prior education and planning. Breeders who practice inhumane forms of euthanasia (CONTENT WARNING - Discussion of Methods - This includes: Baking Soda and Vinegar or Dry Ice to create and unregulated CO2 gas, using a bag and hitting the bag against a hard surface, CD over 200grams, Freezing over 10 days. These are NOT acceptable forms of euthanasia! ACCEPTABLE FORMS of Euthanasia are: 1-10 days: Freezing | Up to 200g: Cervical Dislocation | All Ages/Sizes: Regulated CO2. BFT can be used but does have a higher percentage of failure with larger rats, so regulated CO2 is more ideal - END CONTENT WARNING), with no regard to the animal, or interest in researching humane methods are to be run from! Euthanizing an animal is not ever something that we enjoy, and please understand, contrary to what others may tell you, it is NOT done for profit. Not only do pet rats go for significantly more than frozen feeders, but many breeders actually donate their culls to raptor/rehabilitation centers for no gain. There is not much profit in feeder rodents, especially once the costs of food, bedding, health care, etc. In order to be profitable, you would need to run a very large scale rodentry with subpar care, which should be avoided (related - supporting small scale feeder/dual breeders is better than supporting large chain mill breeders since small scale hobby breeders care more about overall health and wellbeing, offering better care and diet, which also provides better nutrition to the fed animal, so it IS good to have small scale feeder breeders, do not condemn them, as the animals in their care are treated more humanely than mills. And with that, always support responsible feeder breeders over irresponsible ones! There is as much a difference between them as there is between pet only breeders! Ask questions!)
Unfortunately, sometimes it is unavoidable, even for pet only breeders, and a breeder should be knowledgeable and prepared in the event they need to euthanize an animal. If that means they go to a vet for it, so be it. Generally long term breeders will be prepared in home to euthanize a rat if it is needed. A vet is typically stated by new breeders who think that they would never need to euthanize a rat, but long term, those costs add up, particularly when you get into your second year of breeding when your oldest rats are having difficulties and may end up being consecutive euthanasia charges. So being knowledgeable in the AVMA guidelines is a necessity, especially if a breeder is new working with unestablished lines. A new breeder with new lines who is anti-cull sounds great in theory, but in practice, likely means that you have a chance of getting aggressive or skittish or possibly unhealthy pet rats since this means that they will avoid culling poor tempered or unhealthy rats because they "deserve a chance to live," which sounds very kindhearted, but in actuality, these rats typically have a low quality of life, needing extreme "trust training" to have any semblance of a good life, and this "trust training" can sometimes take upwards of 1/2-1/3 of their total lifespan, which is considerably unfair to the animal to have to endure such a large portion of its life in intense fear and stressful forced handling. In animals with a longer lifespan, like dogs and cats, it is easier to justify 6 months to a year of stress for 7+ years of happiness. In rats, who average 2 years, to spend a 6 months to a year of stress and fear, its much harder to justify for a year or year and a half of happiness. Ethically, is it worth it if the discomfort lasts longer than the joy?
Thats it for now! Hopefully you leave with a better understanding of what makes a breeder responsible and what to look for to help you weed out the good and bad and make sure you get your pet rats from a great breeder so that you can have the best time!