Scruffians Rattery

03/08/2024

Look at this! NZ now has an official rat club :D

Exciting news! The Registered Rat Breeders have done a big revamp of our website and expanded and improved our club. We’re now an official incorporated society - The NZ Fancy Rat Society - and, while we’re still home to the registered breeders, we have expanded membership to include pet rat owners and everyone interested in rats. We’ll be sharing lots over the next few months, including breeder intros, tips and tricks, health and feeding info, how to’s, and competitions.

If you’d like to join the NZFRS membership is free, signing up is super simple, and we promise to send very few annoying emails. Check out our shiny new website for more info!

On the first of every month we’ll be running a competition. This month’s competition is for all new members - sign up and you’re in to win! Scruffians’ potential future stud Tiberius will pick a name at random and the winner will get a prize pack including a ‘rare’ green sputnik, a cozy winter snuggle sack and hammock set, and some natural willow twig chews.

Www.NZFRS.co.nz

29/03/2024

I'm still not breeding rats while I have my own human babies but I'm lucky enough to live with the other Kate who runs Winnie's Rattery - she's just paired two of her girls so, all going well, we'll both be snuggling babies soon! I'll keep the scruffians page updated with pics as they grow :)

26/11/2022

The little ones are nearly ready to move out! These will be my last litters for 6 months or so, so if you'd like some Scruffians babies now is your last chance until around May next year -

Scruffians Rattery has babies! Hello! I have 2 litters of nearly-Christmas babies who will be ready to move out in a few weeks. The first litter is Edi and R2's. This is a markings line litter, 5 very fun and friendly babies. 2 little girls and 2 little boys will be looking for pet homes. They're a....

17/11/2022

08/11/2022

My flash has run out of batteries so I failed at getting good pics of Edi's kids. Here's a fuzzy photo of one of the little girls sticking her tongue out though! They're a super friendly fun bunch - so nice that I'm very tempted to keep all of them but I will try to be sensible. The 2 little boys will be looking for a new home soon, one chunky goot berkshire and one sleek little black variberk.

08/11/2022

Here are some recent pics of Acorn's little beans. Acorn has them on a short leash and they're not often allowed out of their nest so they get very excited when I get them out and they can explore without being told off! There will be a few little boys available from this litter so if you're on my waitlist and looking for babies keep and eye on your emails :)

27/10/2022

Fuzz!

24/10/2022

Acorns bubs have the faintest touch of colour now. It looks like there's a pretty even split of hoods and berkshire.

24/10/2022

Edi's babies are at the ultra cute stage now! They're all very very sweet

19/10/2022

Sorry for the lack of updates! I broke some bones in my foot so everything but the have-to jobs have been put in the too hard basket for the last week or so. Here's some news from the rattery:

Edi's babies are growing fast! Their eyes are open now but Edi is a very strict and attentive mum so they haven't been allowed out of the nest for an explore yet. There are 3 girls (splitcap, minimal hood, and goot vari) and 2 boys (black vari and goot berk) The girls will be staying here but the boys will be looking for a pet home so keep an eye on your emails if you think you'd like to add them to your crew.

Edison's babies didn't make it past day 2 unfortunately :( I just don't think she's cut out to be a mum so she's going into early retirement.

I've had my old man Fish with Acorn for over a month and thought he was probably too old to father any babies but he proved me wrong! Acorn gave birth to 11 little ones yesterday. I'm so happy because Acorn is the only breed-able fluffy line girl I have at the moment - everyone else is either on health watch or I left it too late to pair them. This litter combines the 2 branches of my fluff family tree which means all of my favourite squishy fluffs will live on through these little ones

10/10/2022

This will be the last of my garden posts until my summer plants wake up. Today Equinox, Squid, and Fish are showing off dandelions, bamboo, and camellia.

Dandelions (modeled by Equinox) are super underrated and should be grown intentionally IMO. They're so pretty (look great sprinkled through your lawn!) the bees love them and they're really nutritious. I mostly give my rats the flowers as a treat because I don't have that many of them and I don't like to pull up whole plants but all parts are edible. Don't get them muddled up with toxic catsear which looks similar.

Bamboo (modeled by Squid) is great for rats because it can be used for so many things - you can make bridges and toys from the stems, the leaves make great nesting material, and whole branches instantly turn cages into little forests which is great fun for your rats. I have a clump of the nasty quick spreading kind but I kind of wish I had more of it as all my animals love it so it gets used heaps.

Camellia (modeled by Fish) is a winter flowering tree that seems to be pretty popular so is easy to find - if you don't have one in your garden you're bound to know someone who does. Some sources say that camellia is toxic but I think that's people getting it mixed up with rhododendron (which is very toxic) as camellia is fine and is in fact related to tea - you can try some of it too if you like! My rats don't actually eat camellia except for sometimes the petals but they like stripping the leaves off and because it's quite hard wearing it stays looking good in their cages for quite a few days. The branches make great semi-permanent cage items also as their smooth surface makes them easy to clean.

10/10/2022

Darwin and Squid are sharing good ol' grass and plantain today.

Grass (modeled by Darwin) is VERY popular with my lot. The girls usually get it once a week - I just pick a bucket full and pack it tightly into jars which are spread around the rat room. In spring they love the lush new growth and in summer the seed heads are very popular. They like to eat it, nest in it, and spread it everywhere. If you want to grow a patch of grass for your rats then sprouting bird seed is the cheapest and easiest way to do it. I just don't mow a patch of the lawn though and that's even easier 😂

Plantain (modeled by Squid) is a common plant that is sometimes seen as a w**d but really shouldn't be as it's great for animals (and has lots of uses for people too) is easy to pull out if you don't like it and isn't particularly spready. It copes really well with hot and dry as well as cold so it looks lush and lovely pretty much all year long. I pull it out by the roots and then replant it in my rats' dig box where it lasts a few days before getting munched to bits.

10/10/2022

Edison gave birth to 2 very small bubs 3 weeks ago. I wasn't even aware she was pregnant because she wasn't round at all (2 babies don't make much of a tummy) She'd been paired with old man Squid for a long time but I didn't think he was up to the task anymore as he seemed much more interested in cuddling and having snacks brought to him in bed than anything else so I'd just moved her in with R2 when her babies were born. She tried hard to be a good mum but sometimes with really small litters like hers the milk just doesn't come in. I tried topping the babies up with formula but it's tricky when they're so little and they died :(

Rats go into heat right after they give birth so, because Edison was in with R2 at the time, I'm guessing he managed to get some attention before she moved to her maternity cage because today - exactly 3 weeks after her first litter - Edison had these 4 little ones. I have fingers and toes crossed that they do better than their siblings. There's one very small one but the other 3 are looking good 🤞

10/10/2022

Edi's babies are growing fast! Sadly there is no blaze which is what I was really hoping for in this litter but the 2 variberks look like they're going to be very pretty and I'm sure all of them will be cuties :)

09/10/2022

The babies have coloured up a bit more - looks like two variberks, two hoods, and a berkshire.

09/10/2022

My oldest boy (Fish) and one of the youngest (Flick) are showing off today's plants - Kawakawa and willow.

Kawakawa (modeled by Flick) is a small native tree with distinctive heart shaped leaves. People often make it into tea and balm but you can eat the leaves as they are. They're bitter so only some of my rats like them and usually only a few mouthfuls but they're totally safe to eat and are really pretty so fun to use for photos or in naturalistic cages.

Willow (modeled by Fish) is one of my most used plants for the rats. I'm lucky enough to have 3 willow trees and usually include willow stick chews in my adoption packs. Willow has lots of medicinal uses one of which is as a pain killer. I often turn my whole rat room into a willow grove with lots of big branches for the girls to climb around on and chew up. My rats sometimes like to eat the leaves and bark but mostly use willow as nesting material, nibbling off the leaves and carrying them off to cosy up thier bedrooms.

08/10/2022

And then there were 5 :( Sadly one of Edi's bubs passed away. It looked like it was most likely black eyed white which often don't survive and it was born quite a lot smaller than the others. The 5 remaining bubs are doing well though and now have the slightest touch of pigment.

08/10/2022

Here are 2 flowering 'w**ds' modeled by Fennec, who somehow crept in for a second photo, and Einstein.

Pūhā (modeled by Fennec) is said to have lots of health and nutritional benefits and its very popular with all my animals. Be careful not to confuse it with catsear which is toxic and looks quite similar. Pūhā has much fleshier stems and white sap.

Onion w**d (modeled by Einstein) is a strong smelling plat similar to spring onions but much easier to grow. Some of my lot are really into it but I think others find the smell off putting. Raw onions and onion w**d are toxic to rats (and humans too) in large quantities so don't give your rats lots of this at once.

07/10/2022

Edi's beans are here! Only 6 which was a bit of a surprise considering how round she was 😂

06/10/2022

Today we have 3 fluffy boys - Sherlock, Watson and Boxer - showing of some more garden snacks.

Nasturtium (modeled by Sherlock) is probably my favourite rat plant. I've been giving it to my ratties forever and it's always well liked. It has quite fleashy stems which hold lots of water so it stays looking nice for ages before it starts to wilt and the flowers are really pretty. It's great for floating on the surface of water for an added challenge when pea fishing, wrapped around branches in cages and on play tables, and chopped up and added to food for a bit of extra colour.

Roses (modeled by Boxer) are are another safe plant to give to rats. The flowers, stems, and leaves are edible but because of the thorns I only give my lot petals, flowers and hips. Make sure you know where any roses you use have been grown - most cut roses that you buy from the shops will have been imported and covered in chemicals so get your flowers from your own garden or gardens that you know for sure haven't been sprayed with anything.

I used to think of dock (modeled by Watson) as a rather annoying w**d but have changed my tune a bit since finding out its edible - for humans as well as most animals - and the long tap roots are really good at breaking up compacted soil. I often pull it out by the roots so that it stays fresh in cages for longer but the leaves can also be picked, chopped up, and added to rat salads.

05/10/2022

Next up in my collection of garden munchables are mint and calendula/pot marigolds modeled by Squid and River's boys - Fennec and Flick.

Mint is an easy to grow herb, so much so that its almost a w**d here. Some people say rats don't like mint and I've seen it recommended as something to plant to keep rats away, those people clearly don't have pet rats though because most of mine love it so I 'd say its probably a bit of a myth. It does have a strong smell though so it'd be a good idea to watch your rats carefully when you first introduce it to make sure it's not upsetting anyone. Mint has some medicinal properties that you should keep in mind when giving it to you pets, one of which is that it the antioxident it contains (rosmarinic acid) reduces asthma symptoms in rats so it would probably be good for resp (as well as antibiotics of course) (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29983238/)

Calendula is an easy to grow plant with bright happy flowers that tends to grow and flower pretty much all year for me. My rats occasionally get the flowers and most find them tasty. Like mint it has a number of medicinal properties to keep in mind, most importantly for me is that it has been shown to cause reduced pregnancy weight gain so isn't a good thing to give to pregnant mums.

04/10/2022

Now that its spring and my garden is waking up I thought I'd take some pics of the plants I grow for the ratties. First up - borrage, silver beet, and viola/pansies modeled by my black boys: R2D2, Cricket, and Zero.

Borage (modeled by R2 - black vairberk) is a herb with fluffy-ish leaves and blue star shaped flowers. I use the leaves in salads sometimes and the flowers as a garnish to pretty up all sorts of things. The rats get both leaves and flowers occasionally and tend to only have small nibbles so it's enrichment rather than a main food. It has some medicinal properties so keep these in mind when you're feeding it to your rats - it has been used for respiratory and cardiovascular disorders as well as to increase milk production among other things. It's really easy to grow and is an annual but seems to come back every year for me.

Silver beet (modeled by Cricket - black self) is spinach-y green that I think is gross which is unfortunate because it's super healthy and so easy to grow year round. I give it to all my animals and they all love it. It's a particularly good source of iron so if you have vegetarian rats or mums and bubs its a great thing to give them regularly.

Viola and pansies (modeled by Zero - black splitcap) are cute colourful edible flowers. They don't taste like anything much but my lot love them and they look so cute holding them in their little hands. They're easy to grow and flower through winter and spring when your garden might not be producing much else.

03/10/2022

After a loooong wait and a few failed pregnancies we finally have bubs due any minute! Edi is looking like a little round pumpkin so could have quite a big litter. Dad is R2D2, my black variberk boy, this will be his first litter and I'm really looking forward to seeing what markings they might produce. Fingers crossed for blaze 🤞

23/09/2022

https://mailchi.mp/ceb3be4cb848/baby-rats-11784578
We wont have babies for a wee while now as my last two pairings didn't work out BUT I do know of some super cute little ones looking for homes! Let me know if you're keen :)

Scruffians Rattery DOESN'T have babies, but there are some super cute ones needing homes soon! Hello! My last two pairings failed so I wont have any bubs ready to move out until December at the earliest now. However, I know of a few other babies looking for homes that I thought I'd let you know abou...

26/07/2022

I'm very sorry for the lack of updates! My camera battery died and I can't find the charger ANYWHERE! I've just ordered a new one so I'll be able to get individual pretty pics of the little ones who are now nearly 5 weeks old and so super cute.

I've just sent the email out to my waitlist to line up new homes for Uno's bubs and some extras

Scruffians Rattery has babies! Hello! Scruffians Rattery is slowly getting back into breeding and we have babies ready for homes now and mid way through August. Uno had 11 little ones on Matariki who will be ready to move out on the 19th of August. This is a markings line litter and the bubs are...

03/07/2022

Here are the beebs today!

01/07/2022

I forgot to upload yesterday's photo - here it is! The bubs are starting to colour up properly now and I was totally wrong about them being all agouti - looks like there's a pretty even mix of black and goot :)