06/16/2024
******EDUCATIONAL POST******
Alright so I have seen a LOT of misinformation being spread in this group. Some even harmful.
1.) Rattus norvegicus domestica is the scientific name for fancy rats. BOTH standard ear and dumbo ear are fancy rats. They are not different types of rats.
2.) Dumbo ear rats are NOT friendlier. Rats have varieties, not breeds. And NO variety or s*x is friendlier than the other. Friendliness has to do with selective breeding.
3.) Male do tend to be lazier than females and females tend to be more rambunctious, but each rat is an individual and you may have a hyper male or a calm female.
CAGES:
1.) Tanks are not suitable for rats. They do not provide proper airflow. I have seen some use tanks and provide the needed airflow, but a basic tank and lid is not appropriate.
2.) Rats are fossorial animals NOT arboreal. They need more length/width than hieght. Some rats do love to climb so minimal hieght should be 20in tall.
3.) Minimum floor space should be 23in in one direction
4.) Many groups will tell you a cage should be minimum 32x20. Insamu rat will tell you A cage should be big enough for 4 rats even if you only have two. So a cage should be at minimum 8 cubic feet. 24 x 24 x 20. The more floor space though the better.
5.) Towels, cotton, fleece are NOT appropriate rats NEED a deep layer of substrate. Kiln dried pine, aspen are appropriate. Paper bedding is not appropriate for rats. That colorful kaytee bedding many use has poor absorption and ammonia build up will cause uris. Paper can be mixed or needs changed practically every other day. If a person has a wood allergy h**p is a better option.
6.) Rats love tunnels, boxes and toys. Cages should be cluttered.
7.) Rats do NOT need chew toys. They grind their teeth down by Bruxing. Chewing is a learned behavior that many breeders breed out.
8.) Wires do NOT cause bumblefoot. Bumblefoot is caused by a dirty cage.
REPRODUCTION/S3X:
1.) Rats can NOT get pregnant before 5 weeks old. Females do not go in to heat until 5.5 weeks old. 6-9 weeks is average. NO good breeder separates before 5 to 5.5 weeks old. No one in my breeding groups has ever had a rat get pregnant when waiting to separate at 5 weeks old.
2.) Rats do not care if they are related. A brother and sister rat over 5-6 weeks old will mate.
3.) Female rats can get pregnant immediately after giving birth. There is zero reason to keep a male with a female.
4.) Boy have b@lls. Females have a v@ginal opening. Females can have fat pads but those are not b@lls. Only females have n*pples. It is very rare for a rat to be inters3xed and for a male to have n*pples.
TEMPERMENT:
1.) NO well bred rat bites! Fingers smelling like food or being red/pink eyed is NOT an excuse. They know the difference! If your rat bites it IS aggressive. No rat bites food hard enough to equal making a person bleed.
2.) It does NOT take days/weeks for a well bred rat to decompress or get use to you. A well bred rat should be friendly and not be skittish from day one. If a rat is semi well bred a day or two may be needed. Anything over a week your rat is just poorly bred.
3.) If you want a well bred rat than buy from a reputable breeder.
4.)RED FLAGS:
** does not c*ll. Culling does not always mean euthanizing which is hard c*lling there is also soft c*lling which means to remive from the breeding program and keep as a pet.
** sells skittish or aggressive rats or sells pups from bucks or does who have aggression. If the female had maternal aggression the pups should NOT be sold as pets.
** boast about handling daily. Many breeders believe in masking which means the nurture (handling alot) masked the rats true nature. And when the rat goes to a new home they can resort back to their true nature of being skittish. A good breeder should NOT have to handle their rats daily for them to be friendly. Selective breeding makes a rat friendly. Reputable breeders handle only for health checks. And the ones who are naturally friendly and not skittish continue the line or get sold as pets.
** does not keep track of their lines.
** does NOT inbreed. If a "breeder" does not inbreed than stay FAR away. Inbreeding is essential in rat breeding. If anyone ever tells you inbreeding causes issues it just means they had poor quality rats. Rats can be in**ed for 100s of generations. It takes 20 gens for them to be identical.
Hello I am a small scale pet rat breeder.
