11/19/2021
Borrowed from Sunny Birch Rattery & Crimson Devils Rattery
Hi everyone. Finally another RBF update. Warning that this will be long and may include information that is slightly different/surprising. I encourage you all to read it and develop your own opinion. I believe in diversity of thought and when NEW things in science are discovered, there is not a simple black/white way to approach things.
First of all, I wanted to address one thing that is prevalent in many rat groups. Sadly, there are breeders currently shaming and bullying other breeders for not doing what they think is best. This is incredibly close minded and cruel. To bring the community together, you can’t rip others apart. Many people have different ideas on how to approach the RBF info, but are legitimately scared to speak up. In truth, I’m sure as soon as this post is made it will be sent to certain breeders and I will be blacklisted.
As you all know, I am a full time scientist and published scientific author. I pride myself in my ability to think critically and I think my experience in the super-regulated bio pharmaceutical field has bestowed knowledge that allows me to consider obscure details in this situation. Even though I am ‘pro-science’, I still respect people with different opinions and ideas. Why? Because science isn’t cut and dried or unchangeable. There is no singular correct way. New information is constantly being discovered by people who sent against the grain and found out something new because they didn’t follow the status quo! Also, when something is first discovered, scientists don’t simply trust the first few people who discovered it. It is repeated over and over by a variety of other people to ensure accuracy and replicability.
Here’s what I’m getting to: I will not be closing my rattery. Not now at least. And here’s why:
-I have spoken to multiple VETS who have encouraged potential adopters to still enjoy their pet rats, and go ahead with ownership. They think education and awareness is the best path forward and have confirmed that the risk is low.
-While the approach has been with the best intentions, the initial approach on how to deal with RBF was made while conversing with experts in LAB RATS. Most bacterias/viruses/etc. are unacceptable in a lab setting, as a clean slate is required. A lab environment is no where close to home environment. For perspective, when I clean my lab at work, it takes about 4 different highly caustic chemicals and two days. This is a highly regulated environment where any additional bacteria/viruses cannot be tolerated for scientific accuracy, and the same strict guidelines should not be expected in a pet home.
-I spoke to Charles River and asked for their recommendation. I was under the impression that they recommended de-population because that was what I was told that the directors at CL stated. They told me they haven’t made any such recommendations. That an RBF-free colony would be nice (obviously!), but there is something to note about there being a widespread finding of it but relatively few cases. With complete transparency, I did not talk to a director, but I prefer it that way. Who do you think performed daily tests in the lab? Scientists or directors? Let me tell you something, I have NEVER seen my director in a lab. Obviously he was a genius in order to get that far, but the little guys who are currently working directly with the subject are actually the ones with the best knowledge about current happenings.
-This one was shocking to me. But there is a possibility there are different strains. Let me emphasize that I did not bring this up, it was presented to me by the CRL scientist I spoke to. This means that there may be different types of the bacteria that causes RBF but only SOME are infectious. They basically said this could explain why so many rats are positive but so few people get sick. This means that there is a possibility that we could be getting positive results for strains of the bacteria that are NOT infectious. We don’t even know for sure if the PCR tests catch all strains. This isn’t to say it is likely, but the point is that we currently just don’t know enough.
-To follow up with the above…wouldn’t that mean that it would be best to wait until further testing allows us to look at different strains? Here’s a secret, it will never happen. Science revolves around money, we research things that have a huge impact on human health and/or have the possibility to create giant monetary gains. We already have tests to test for RBF, and they are mostly created and needed in order to assess laboratory animals. Laboratories already have a test that works for them, as any unacceptable bacteria make the animal a poor model for experiments. Only breeders and pet owners (currently, while infection rates are low) will benefit from increased research to determine strain differences. And I don’t see the rat community coming up with literal millions of dollars to fund this kind of research.
For now, I will be breeding less frequently as I will be constantly reevaluating my decision. Any major changes will be posted on my page. I absolutely would love to have a RBF-free guaranteed colony one day but the research is lacking and the ways to potentially create RBF-free rats is largely untested.
I breed rats to make people happy and I encourage all potential adopters to do their research and due diligence. If you want to adopt a rat that is proven to be clear of the bacteria that causes RBF, you absolutely should. I respect your ability to evaluate your family’s risk and make the decision that you deem is best. I will even help you find ratteries that have undergone testing and tested negative.
I will not tolerate bullying of any kind. I realize that not all breeders have this approach and will be itching to blacklist people with these thoughts, but I want to assure you that I have done my research. I am a professional scientist myself and have plenty of friends who work with lab rats, and I have made the decision I think is currently the smartest one for my situation and the information I have. I believe people should be able to make informed decisions regarding their own decisions for their household.
Please try to look up scientific articles about RBF in the fancy and other research based articles, you will find that they don’t exist. Even Charles River admits that there are lot of considerations and implications that have to be considered, especially when comparing their usual expertise in strict lab rats to the expectations in the pet trade.
If you have ANY questions please talk to me. If you are worried about RBF, remember that purchasing a rat from a breeder will still be better than purchasing from a pet store, as many pet store rats are overbred and are even more likely to bite and expose owners to any unwanted bacteria. Stay safe and happy my friends.
