Mirkwood Rats

04/05/2024

Goodbye sweet Belladonna. To say this loss hurt is an understatement. Bella was my original Mam- birthing 12 fabulous kittens and being the most welcoming and friendly rat through it all. Bella loved her food and company- she loved food so much that I couldn’t even tell you her favourite 😅. I’ll miss her face and cuddles. I’ll miss the way she hopped away with a hazelnut or coconut curl. She now gets to join her daughter Cheetarah and her sons D**k, Gengar and Phantump. She was a gannet right to the end. March 22- March 24

13/04/2024

Well done Sharky 🦈🦈

Wow- what a fantastic show today in Stannington. Thank you to everyone that attended and took part in the AGM.

Varieties: 33 Entries 🐀
Best Variety 🏅
Beeghos Barracuda 🐟

Pets: 41 Entries 🐁
Best Pet 🏅
Mirkwood Sharky 🦈

Well done to everyone who took part.

Can’t wait to see you all next time.

30/01/2024

Our Ponyo 🐀🥰

Happy new year!!

Here are our first Naughty and Nice nominations for 2024.

Naughty:
Beeghos Porridge
She's just crazy.

Nice:
Azarath Ponyo
Constantly affectionate, though a little bit of a stalker sometimes!

Think you have a rat that deserves to be showcased in naughty and nice?
Email- [email protected]

17/01/2024

Sally- you beautiful little thing ❤️

05/01/2024

Rattie pile 🥰 Got to collect them all.

04/01/2024

When your local pet shop have a new years sale ❤️ Looking forward to trying the Goat food in the girls mix

23/12/2023

So many ladies ❤️

10/12/2023

Had a really fun day yesterday at the NERS Stannington Christmas Show. I was very lucky to come away with some rosettes for Mirkwood Sharky. She spent most of the day causing mischief… so no change there. This was my first time placing in varieties with something I bred- I’m over the moon and incredibly proud of my daft girl bringing home her ribbons. Well done to everyone who took part -

08/12/2023

How many bucks can fit in one hammock? 😂😂

05/12/2023

Very much looking forward to reading this ❤️🐀

It’s finally time to share- is here!

I’m so so excited to announce that I have been secretly been working hard on writing a book on rat care! This is something I have wanted to do for a really long time, but it’s taken multiple years to get to where we are now; a comprehensive and real tangible book on all aspects of pet rat care that I can hold in my hands.

I am really proud of this project; its been the biggest article I’ve ever written 😂 and it’s the accumulation of all the knowledge I’ve acquired during my time in the rat world and I can’t believe I am actually at the point of being able to share it with the world! It’s finally real!

Only one week until the book is available to purchase, and over the next couple of weeks I’ll be sharing loads more information, links and sneak peeks, and I’ll be showing you the front cover soon too! Yesterday I was with Ebonie from Bogglesandboops Small Pet Photography who has taken some absolutely beautiful photos of the book including the one you see below - more on that soon too!

01/12/2023

Something a little fun ❤️

24/11/2023

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to Chee. She will always be close to my heart and I’ll be forever thankful we got a year together. She was special to me- my very first litter. The most confident kitten, who turned into a beautiful addition to my mischief. My little Cheeseburger❤️

22/11/2023

Oh Howl you handsome potato 🥔!

20/11/2023

This 🎄❤️

I've thankfully had very few enquiries asking for kittens for Christmas despite having some at homing age around that time! But there are a few reasons why I won't home rats as Christmas presents or close to Christmas:

1. They're not a toy. I get it, sometimes money is a bit tighter so a big thing has to be a present. That's fine, the set up can be the present! But the rats themselves aren't just for Christmas, they're for the next ~2 years. We've all heard Dog's Trust's campaign by now against gifting animals for Christmas, and the same applies to rats! No, the set up may not be as exciting as the rats themselves, but I don't want the rats to be a one hit wonder, then interest to be lost.

2. If the kittens come to you close to Christmas, it can be a bit overwhelming. New environment, new people, new smells, away from most of their siblings; going to a new home can be a lot for a little kitten regardless of the time of year. Now add in the hustle and bustle and excitement of Christmas, and it can just be far too much for them and start things off on the wrong foot.

3. Kittens need a good amount of time investment to build a bond, especially at the start. Will you and/or your children have time to give to them when Christmas is usually a very social time, and the children will want to play with their other presents too? You'll have less time than you think!

4. I simply don't have rats to demand! Plus I would rather home to people who have been waiting, and wanted rats regardless of the time of year.

I will always be supportive of genuine people who want to have pet rats, and I'm more than happy to help with getting the right set up as a Christmas present. But the statistics around pet homing as Christmas presents are alarming, and my rats’ long-term welfare and wellbeing will always be my top priority.

19/11/2023

That face 😍

16/11/2023

The most recent litter at Mirkwood. It certainly wasn’t a pairing I intended- but due to the loss of my original breeding doe and a mammary tumour, I used my wonderful girl Ponyo. I hadn’t intended to use her- but I suppose this is the reality of breeding.. sometimes there isn’t a choice. She made an excellent Mother and her litter is now 12 weeks. Three of the babies are staying with me and two have been home with the other local breeders in the area. ❤️

14/11/2023

❤️ Belladonna, Arwen and Bommy.

13/11/2023

Happy Birthday to my very first Mirkwood litter, the Bashy clan! 1 year old today 🥰