Looking to buy from a breeder, am I missing something?

[fellgrail]

New to this forum, in fact I only found it by researching Atlantis Rattery, which by the sounds of it I really dodged a bullet.

So it's become apparent to me that even though a breeder may be responsible in how they treat their rats, that doesn't mean they are actually doing a good job breeding for health, and it doesn't mean the rats they sell have any better pedigree than pet store rats, right?

The current rattery I'm considering is True North Rattery. From what I can see they keep their rats in big home made enclosures that they actually sell, they seem to treat them well and give them plenty of play time and human exposure.

I've owned rats in the past from pet stores, and they were great, although they all had health problems later in life.

My understanding is that the benefit of going to a breeder like the one I mentioned above, is that they have been socialized to a degree, and there is maybe some slight indication that they'll be healthier, although I understand that this is really shaky ground given they all seem to be breeding for looks, and lineage doesn't go back very far.

I found True North's list on FBRA here, if anyone would like to take a look, the current litter I'm interested in are the three rats listed on her shop, which I'm mostly linking to in case I'm about to make a grave mistake. Their parents are Atlantis and Squirt.

It seems like buying a pet store rat is a risk because you don't know the lineage, and chances are it had a bad upbringing and could be sick or have behavioural issues.

Rescuing a young rat doesn't seem any better though. Chances are it's coming from a bad place, you don't know it's lineage, and from what I've read here, many have serious problems either medical or behavioural.

So as someone who wants rats that start off fairly well adjusted, wouldn't a breeder be a great option? I'm sure there are some very sketchy operations that don't take good care of their rats at all, but setting aside their lineage, a breeder that interacts with the rats, keeps them in good sized cages, and starts the socialization process... isn't that a good thing?

I'm just looking for some young rats I can raise from babies and mold into great companions as I bond with them. I don't want adults, and if I can, I'd like to avoid behaviour problems that would just take more time to fix (if ever). Some people might be strong enough to attend to a rat that has behavioural problems for its entire life, and maybe I could if I already had a handful of well adjusted rats, but I'm starting from scratch and to have my only rats come along with behavioural problems and medical issues is something I'd really like to avoid.

However, given the strong stance I've seen browsing the forum, I feel like I must be wrong, I must be missing something. I'm humble enough to admit I'm probably a dumb idiot when it comes to this subject, which is exactly why I'm making this post instead of just rushing to my own conclusions.

If anyone could explain to me the flaws in my logic, and also look into True North for me to see if I'm missing something, that would be really appreciated!

 

[jorats]

When I first started out with rats, I bought pet store rats. They didn't live long but then I wasn't feeding them properly and keeping them in small enclosures. Some where social and some where not. Then I decided to just buy from breeders, at the time, these breeders were reputable, again, the rats were not living long and some were social and some were not. Finally I decided to just rescue rats, from online ads, shelters, spca, and such. But by then, I started to work with my vet and found a better diet, better housing, better play area, mental and physical stimulation and my rats life span was greatly improved, from 18 months to 40 months in some cases. So really, breeder, feeder, rescue, it's all the same. Some are social, some are not but all could be healthy depending on how you care for them. This forum is dedicated to helping homeless rats which why we push for rescues and not breeders.

 

[fellgrail]

Thanks for the reply jorats! Is there some kind of directory for rat rescues near the GTA? And is it possible to rescue young rats, or do they tend to be older and already set in their ways?

 

[jorats]

You can check the humane society, Toronto animal services and other organizations like that. But also, check your kijiji, I've always adopted babies in this way.

 

[Lady Katra]

Hello, I am hoping for some help and not to just get fussed at!! I admit when I first got a few rats from the pet store it was to raise and feed a snake that I had finally gotten the nerve to get... unfortunately or maybe fortunately for my rats, I quickly because attached to the little buggers..but other than the extensive research I have been doing, I am lost...now I have 2 sets of fancy rats on babies, 3 pairs of Dumbo's on babies and 3 more females due any minute !!!!! HELP!!!

 

[SQ]

Lady Katra, can you start your own thread. I am suggesting that because it sounds like you want help for a number of things that would not fall under the title of this thread. By starting your own thread it is more likely that people will see, understand and respond to your inquiry. This is just my opinion.

When you start a new thread, could you give a bit more info on what you are requesting. I am a bit confused so other people might be as well, or maybe they wouldn't .... I'm not sure what "2 sets of fancy rats on babies, 3 pairs of Dumbo's on babies" means

btw girls can get pregnant within 24 hours of giving birth so I hope you have all girls over 5 weeks old separated from boys

 

[fumblesquid]

In my experience rescue, breeder, and pet store rats are all the same gamble with medical issues. My feeder bin rats lived the longest, my rats I took in from someone that bought them from a breeder lived the shortest, and my rescue rats have lived both short and long lives. I don't have many data points to go off as I've only had 16 rats in my lifetime, but I sincerely don't think breeders have the capability to breed for better genetics in rats.

To really breed out illnesses you'd need a laboratory setup with a lot of time and dedication. No rat breeder (to my knowledge) has the scientific background and funding to breed hundreds of rats until they find some sort of gold standard for health. Although breeders can avoid breeding noticeably deformed rats, the study of genetics is far too complicated to just breed the healthy happy ones and expect much of a difference. I apologize that this sounds like a salty rant, I just care a lot about this topic.

If you want young rats but don't want to support a breeder, try reaching out to rescues ahead of time and ask to be contacted when they take in a pregnant rat. You should be able to coordinate with them to adopt some babies while they are still young, so you can start the bonding experience early