Pocket Puppy Rattery

18/11/2024

Our photoshoot for our Lucky Packet Litter went so well! This litter also adopted out very quickly (no surprise considering how cute they are!).

We got some beautiful rats from this breeding. Mink, Mink Pearl, Dove, Essex, Variegated and so many adorable blazes!

Remember to join our Whatsapp group to be the first to know about available pups.

As always, thank you to Petrus van Wyk for the incredible pictures!

31/10/2024

Happy Halloween!

22/10/2024

A small litter, but a good one. Some of the best temperament we've ever seen. These puppies are so outgoing! These are from our experimental breeding with Mr Marble. Three pups will be staying with us, and the other two have already been adopted!

But keep your eyes peeled. Our Lucky Packet Litter is coming in just a few short weeks, and we have plenty of pups available with some gorgeous varieties!

10/10/2024

Send a message to learn more

04/10/2024

Pepsi, our OG Queen ❤️ Mother of our Pepsi Co. line and my first ever heart rat. Her legacy lives on even after her death.

02/10/2024

Our stunning recent litter. These are the 11 pups from POP Pepsi Co. Cheetos and POP Queen Elinore. They have all been adopted, but we will have more pups available soon!

02/10/2024

Our fascinating unknown variety, Marble for day 2!

02/10/2024

Rattober time!

23/09/2024

Hammocks are baby approved.

07/09/2024

Feel free to join the community if you are a pet rat owner, breeder or enthusiast!

23/08/2024

Tooths

12/08/2024

Say hello to our August 2024 Breeding pairs! Remember to join the Whatsapp group to be the first to know about updates and available pups.
https://chat.whatsapp.com/IBFMe72snSwLFVg7MB94up

03/08/2024

Good day adopters and supporters.

We have officially made our first pairings for Spring, and if all goes according to plan, the pups will be born before the end of the month. In preparation, we would like to remind you of our adoption process as well as updating you on a few changes to our adoption guidelines.

First off, we are making the following 2 changes:
1. We are moving away from the waitlist. Adopters who are already on the list will get first pick of pups, but after the current list is cleared, we will be moving to a first-come, first-served policy.
2. From now on, we require that first-time adopters adopt a minimum of 3 same-sex rats. Keeping 3 rats is no more effort than keeping 2, and it prevents lone rats should one rat pass away. Losing their only rat companion is very traumatising for a rat and can cause them enough stress that they cannot be introduced to new rats.
If you have an existing colony, you can adopt a minimum of 2 same-sex rats. This is so that the pups have same-age company, which is very important for their development.

With that, a reminder of our adoption process:
Once the waitlist is cleared, we will post available pups on the Whatsapp group, Instagram and Facebook. Pups are adopted out at 6 weeks old. Adoption costs at this time are R150 per rat. Adoption costs include parasite treatment before they leave the rattery, 250g of dry food per rat, and a honeycomb hammock.

If you would like to adopt pups, you can contact us with the pups you are interested in. We may ask questions about your setup and for pictures of it if you have not adopted from us before. We may also ask about your planned diet for your rat. If your setup is ready, we will arrange payment and pick up of your pups.

We are always happy to answer any questions you may have, or give advice when you're getting you're setup ready.

Once we have taken photos we will share some of the pairings we're doing first!

We look forward to our 2024 season of breeding and to see everyone receive their companions!

12/04/2024

Our store is live!

Check out Pocket Puppy Rattery Merch on Bonfire and shop official merchandise today! Featuring limited edition custom apparel, printed with care in the USA just for you.

07/04/2024

Thank you to all our supporters! We have officially adopted out all our available pups. We do not breed during the winter, but our next breedings are planned for Spring of 2024. You can expect the following litters:
(Spring litters)
1. Russian Blue Harley x Agouti Harley and Russian Blue carrier
2. Down Under x Russian Blue
(Summer litters)
3. Burmese x Burmese
4. Russian Blue x Russian Blue

Keep an eye out for updates and available pups!

17/03/2024

We have puppies available! These 3 boys have some of the most incredible temperaments I've ever seen. DM us if you are interested or have any questions!

13/10/2023

HOW DO WE TEMPERAMENT TEST OUR RATS?

Temperament testing is not one single test or a series of tests done on a single day. It is an ongoing process over the first few weeks while the pups develop. This then continues over the next few months if the rat is going to be used for breeding.
The most outgoing pup in a litter may not necessarily be the best rat as an adult, while another pup may take longer to mature and become better with age. Try to keep at least a few rats from each litter to evaluate for breeding and not only the pup who was best at 5 weeks of age. It is good to compare siblings as they mature in order to breed the absolute best rats.

Temperament tests differ greatly between breeders and breeder groups. It is also determined by the temperament-goals a breeder aims for. Some breeders select more passive rats who may become “lap rats” when older, while others select the most outgoing and active rats who will remain playful and active in old age. These rats will also be a better choice when it comes to training a rat tricks.

Just like people, rats have very different personalities; some are more outgoing and energetic, while other rats are calmer. Regardless of their temperament, rats should always be safe to be around. A rat with aggression cannot be pet placed or homed with other rats.
A confident, outgoing and friendly pup interacting with humans and the environment, will be less likely to bite or become aggressive later in life. The following tests can be performed to evaluate the confidence of the pups but are not limited to these examples:

1. MEETING THE HUMAN
When the pups’ eyes open and they start to explore, place your hand inside the cage and see who comes up to you to investigate. A negative respond will be a pup who hides away. A positive respond will be a rat who comes up to smell you or who climbs in your hand with confidence. Repeat this a few more times a day or few days apart and see how the pups develop.

2. INTERACTING WITH NEW OBJECTS
Add a new object to the cage every day. This can be something like a cardboard tunnel, a toy, a ladder, a ball of paper with treats inside. A negative response will be a pup who avoids the object. A positive response will be a pup who immediately investigates and interacts with the new object.

3. UPRIGHT HOLD IN YOUR HAND / TRUST TEST
Wrap your fingers around the rat’s shoulders and hold it upright with its back feet and tail dangling. Slightly open your hand, not enough for the rat to fall through, but to only see how it will respond if it doesn’t feel secure anymore. A poor response will be a rat who grabs onto you or who wriggles to try and get away or climb onto your hand. A good response will be a rat who relaxes completely and who “falls through” your hand. Do not drop the rat though.

4. HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL SPACES
Add accessories to the cage as the pups develop. Take note of the pups who first discover the top level and hard to reach places like a sputnik or hammock. Less confident pups tend to hide in the nest box while confident pups will explore.

5. ACCEPTING TREATS
A rat should take treats from you inside and outside the cage. Use a type of treat where they need to stay with you to get it or even have to climb on your hand, e.g., a drop of yoghurt on a spoon or your finger or a biscuit pinched between your fingers.
A nervous rat will sometimes refuse food.

6. EXPLORING OUTSIDE THE CAGE
Pups of about 2,5 to 3 weeks can be taken out of the cage and placed in a new environment. Supply them with a “safe space” where they can return to, like a small carry cage or cuddle bag.
Place the entire litter of pups in the cage or bag and allow them to leave this area at free will.
Pups who are first to explore, are usually more confident.
When this test is repeated in the days to follow, combine the test with test no. 10, “meeting other rats and humans”.

7. FINGERS THROUGH THE BARS
Although it is good practice to teach children not to poke their fingers through the bars of a cage, the breeder should use this as a temperament test prior to adoption. A rat aggressively biting fingers, should not be adopted to a pet home or used for breeding.
Some pups will grab or softly bite fingers as part of playing or interacting. They can be taught to not cause any damage by regularly poking your fingers through the bars until they are ready to go to their new pet home.

8. SOUND TEST
Place a rat on a table or on the bathroom floor, as long as it is a new environment and away from other rats. Use an object to create a sound the rat did not hear before e.g., ring a bell or crunch or tear paper.
Most rats will react on this, but you want to see how fast the rat takes to recover and investigate the source of the sound. Some rats may be startled and run to you for security which is still a good response.

9. PROBLEM SOLVING
This test does not evaluate aggression or confidence levels of a rat, but rather identifies a rat who has the ability to solve problems and who loves to interact and take part in activities. These rats will be better to use if an owner likes to train their rats tricks.
In general female rats are better candidates as they remain more active during their lives and in general are also more inquisitive.

10. MEETING NEW RATS AND HUMANS
Rats need to learn to socialize with rats other than their siblings and mother. Let them meet other adults with GOOD temperament during week 4-8. They imprint on the behaviour of other rats and learn how to socialize in a group. Introductions later in life may be much easier if they were successfully socialized with other rats during this phase.
It is also good to meet new people if possible. This can serve both as a temperament test and as part of socialization and preparing them for a new pet home.

Please note that the “scruff and tuck” method for temperament testing is usually used by feeder breeders to evaluate submissiveness in rats. They aim to breed a more passive colony, less likely to bite or to chew out of bins. These rats are usually happy with a life inside a small bin cage. Although this is the ideal when breeding feeder rats, these qualities hold no value to the pet breeder who generally aims to breed rats who want to explore and interact with people.
Rats who passed other temperament tests successfully, differed greatly in response to the scruff and tuck test. Some good-tempered rats responded very poorly to scruffing which proved that it wasn’t a very effective test to evaluate how outgoing and friendly a rat is.

Additional sources:
ISAMU RATS: Assessing temperament in rats

07/10/2023

13 more pups born into the Pocket Puppy Rattery family today! We will have puppies available for adoption before the end of the year! Remember to join our Whatsapp group to be the first to hear about news, and available pups.

https://chat.whatsapp.com/IBFMe72snSwLFVg7MB94up