Questions and Answers
We aim to be as transparent as possible. Below are some of the questions we have been asked before as well as potential questions individuals might want more information on. Please read through these and if you would like any further clarification or have more questions, please dont hesitate to contact us.
General Questions
What varieties do you breed?
These details can be found HERE.
Please note that rittens will not always be available for adoption from all the lines.
Each line profile will have information on which rats are available to the public at this stage as well as pricing.
I want a *insert specific variety*, why can't I get that here?
The varieties we breed can be found HERE.
We breed according to our own set of goals and, most importantly, we breed what WE enjoy.
We will never breed according to what is the most popular of what adopters want.
We breed for ourselves, and on occasion, we sometimes decide to share some of the rats with the public.
Are *specific variety* nicer/healthier/better than other varieties?
We get this question a lot.
At the end of the day, how nice/healthy/friendly etc a rat is, it totally dependent on the line and how they were bred.
Each of our lines have profiles that give you an overview of what the rats from the line are like. You can read about them HERE.
Our goal, for every line, is to breed rats to the URC standards with excellent temperament, conformation, and health.
How much do your rats cost?
Our rats can start at R700 for a same-sex pair.
Our pricing is dependent on the amount of work we have put into the line, the number of generations the line has, as well as the complexity of the line's variety.
Pricing can be found under each lines profile HERE.
Do you deliver/fly rats?
We are willing to meet you at an agreed upon area at the adopters cost. (R5 per km as per AA rates)
We are able to fly rats, however there are a lot of costs and effort involved.
We would rather refer you to one of our sister ratteries if you are looking for rats in their area.
On occasion we may fly rats to and from our sister ratteries, in the event of this we will put up a notification for adopters if they are interested.
However, please note that the specific breeders adoption applications will still apply.
Information on flights and estimated costs:
★ Shipping is often done through an airline. The rats are flown in cargo of a plane just like other animals.
★ One of our sister ratteries will be responsible for collecting the rats from the airport. The adopter will then have to schedule a time to collect the rats from the breeder.
★ Flights can be upwards of R500 per flight.
★ The adopter would have to rent a crate for the flight which can be an additional R500 - R1000.
★ The breeders will also charge you for their travel to and from the airport (R5 per km as per AA rates) as well as their time. These fees can start at R300.
★ To fly a pair of rats you will be looking at a cost of R2 500 or more.
★ Flying rats is a lot of effort and only really worth it if more than one adopter wants rats. We would rather refer you to a breeder closer to you.
Why can't I just buy 1 baby?
This is covered extensively in our Adoption Process document.
Here are some additional links to articles which justify our reasoning:
Do I have to fill in the whole application? Can't I just email/Whatsapp you?
Yes. Failure to complete the application properly will result in an immediate DENIAL.
We only sell our rats to APPROVED adopters.
Return adopters, if purchasing another pair of rats within 6 months of their first pair, do not need to complete the whole application.
They will, however, be subject to a screening questionnaire.
Can you send me photo's of the available babies?
We get countless messages about this.
We will share pictures of the available babies to our WHATSAPP group FIRST. THEREAFTER we will make an announcement on our page and post the available babies to our website.
We cannot share these pictures with you beforehand because we are often still in the process of making our selections.
Yes, we will continue to share pictures to our pages and websites, BUT, the first time we confirm the AVAILABLE rittens will be to our waitlist Whatsapp group.
Can I get first pick of the babies when they are born?
No. Available babies will be posted to the Waitlist Whatsapp group for approved adopters to choose from.
Yes, we will share lots of pictures of the babies on our websites and pages. But these may not be the babies that will be available to pet homes.
Our process works as follows:
★ Breeders will make their selections at 6/8 weeks old.
★ Sister ratteries and other breeders will then have the option to choose rittens from the litters.
★ RETURN ADOPTERS will be able to choose from the rittens offered to pet homes.
★ Rittens will then be posted to the Waitlist Whatsapp group for APPROVED adopters to choose from.
★ Rittens will be shared/advertised to our website/pages, approx 3 days after they are shared to the Whatsapp group, for the general public to choose from. NB: individuals will still need to be approved before they can purchase rittens.
Why did someone get a baby before me?
We operate on a first come first served basis on our waitlist.
Return adopters who are on the waitlist will get first pick of the rittens, this will be shared privately.
Can I take my rittens home earlier?
No. Rittens will only be allowed to go home after 8 weeks of age.
These specific details will be up to the discretion of the breeder and will be communicated with each adopter.
We are aware that some breeders do allow their rittens to go home earlier than 8 weeks. Babies can be a lot of work! They eat a lot of food, take up space, make a lot of mess, and some breeders just want to get rid of them ASAP to make room for other rittens.
We have found that this is often not in the rats best interest, and we have decided that going forward we will not allow rittens to leave the rattery before 8 weeks of age.
Baby rats need to be given the time to grow, not only physically but emotionally and mentally as well! From weaning to 8 weeks of age, rittens are learning about how to be “good” rats and how the dynamics work in a colony which will help set them up for life.
We only want what's best for our rats and we will do everything in our power to ensure a smooth transition from our home into yours.
Remember, we aren’t doing this for the money. We breed first and fore-mostly for OURSELVES. We just happen to occasionally have babies available that we would like to share with potential adopters.
We don't HAVE to adopt out our rats. We have alternative options which are clearly laid out on our websites and pages.
Can I get a discount on the rats?
Our pricing is dependent on the amount of work we have put into the line, the number of generations the line has, as well as the complexity of the line's variety.
Each line will have their own pricing and this will be confirmed with you when you reserve your rittens.
Discounts may apply to return adopters, however, this will need to be discussed.
Can I breed the rats you sell me?
Please don’t.
Obviously we understand that we cannot stop you if you choose to breed the rats.
But you WILL be BLACKLISTED with ALL the URC Breeders in South Africa and Internationally.
We are always willing to work with new breeders. Please just disclose this to us and let us know that you are interested in breeding.
That way we can ensure that we give you better breeding stock and help mentor you on the line.
We always want what's best for the rats, so let us give you the tools you need to thrive and produce well-bred animals.
Can I keep just a single/lone rat?
No. This is incredibly unfair and we do not support this at all. This has been covered extensively in our Adoption Process.
Here are some additional links to articles which justify our reasoning:
Our Ethics & Protocols
How often are your does bred?
My does have 1, MAX 2 litters in their lifetime.
I only pair a doe a second time if:
They are an exceptional doe and I do not have a daughter better than them.
I am always trying to make progress in my lines. I put a lot of work and energy into the rats I produce and I often hold back a few generations before I even consider adopting out.
Occasionally, I will have a litter than ONLY produces bucks, in this case I would have to re-pair the doe if I wanted to continue to line breed the line and prevent outcrossing. (This can be said for a litter that ONLY produces does, as I also maintain the same principle with my bucks.)
Sometimes I might only have a few does in the litter, and if the does I produce are not better than their mother I will opt to pair a son back to his mother in order to progress my line that way. This, however, is rare.
If the above scenario was to happen, I would then consider pairing the son to his mother AND a daughter, even if she was not as good as the mother. The reason for this is so that I can see what the rittens are like from both does and this helps me gather information to better improve my lines.
I need to re-pair to confirm genetics.
This is another valid reason to re-pair a doe. It's so important that, as a breeder, you know your lines through and through. This can only be achieved through pairing and record keeping.
Ethical breeders keep records on their lines. These records are important for breeders to track the entire history of a line. All the way from genetics, to temperament, to littermates etc.
You can't always blindly trust pedigrees, no matter who they come from. I've received pedigrees from established breeders riddled with errors. It's always best for a breeder to develop their own records and do their own research into the lines they breed.
When do you breed your does?
This is dependent on each line.
On average we breed our does between 4 to 6 months of age.
Does are typically retired after their first pairing. If we need to breed a doe again she receives a 3 to 4 month break from the birth of her first litter until she is bred again.
We avoid breeding our does when they are older than 12 to 15 months of age.
Here are some additional links to articles which justify our reasoning:
What happens to the babies you don't adopt out?
I'm super transparent when it comes to my rats. A lot can be found on my page or my website.
I breed primarily for myself.
On occasion. I might have some babies I would like to share with the public. But I only let them go to exceptional homes.
I don't believe in adopting out sub-par rats. Or rats that aren't appropriate for pet homes. Because of this. I very rarely adopt out my first or second generations.
I wrote a whole post on this HERE.
The babies that are not appropriate for pet homes, or babies that are skittish etc. Are humanely euthanased via AVMA standards and donated to Dami's Exotics.
How many adopters do you have? Do you have enough adopters for all the rats you breed?
I have A LOT of people who contact me asking for rats.
Many potential adopters want rats at a drop of a hat. They are often quite impulsive and aren't willing to wait.
Many choose to go to a pet shop rather than wait for a rat from a breeder.
I also have a long waiting list of APPROVED adopters who are willing to wait for my rats.
So yes. I do, technically, have more than enough interested individuals to adopt the rats I produce. HOWEVER, most of them just don't make the cut to become approved adopters.
I have incredibly high standards for adopters to meet, you can read about this HERE.
I don't breed for the money.
I breed according to goals and to better the fancy.
But mostly, I breed for myself. Because I enjoy my rats and I want to breed healthy, happy, well tempered animals with excellent conformation.
Do all the babies you breed get adopted out?
No.
Not because I can't find adopters, I have a long list of people who want my rats, but because I only adopt out babies from Gen 3 onward with excellent temperament.
I also keep their parents and 1 to 2 siblings to monitor health.
If a baby is excellent and does not find a home. I offer them to sister ratteries or they stay with me until they find a home.
I won't let my babies go to just any home. I have an extensive adoption process and I don't let just anyone have one of my rats.
Why breed so many if they aren't appropriate for pet homes?
I have goals that I want to achieve for each of my lines. I regularly post about my goals on my page as well as under each lines profile.
Most of my babies I breed from my "work in progress" lines go to breeders.
Even the ones who are not yet ready for pet homes.
A pet home and a breeder home are different. And I only let my babies go to breeders who I know will do good by them.
First and second generation babies are assessed. The best babies are kept back to continue with my breeding program. I will then offer some babies to breeders. And the babies that do not meet my goals are humanely euthanized via AVMA standards and are then donated to an owl/reptile rehab and rescue.
Yes. There are a lot of babies. I have 6/8 lines I'm working on.
Most of the does get bred once. Unless they are exceptional or if I need more information on their genetics.
But not all of these babies can be adopted out as that would be incredibly irresponsible for me to do.
The babies are not yet at a place where I'm 100% happy with them.
And it is impossible to know the health of a line in just 1 generation.
The 2 lines that are appropriate for pet homes started in 2018.
I have been working on them for 2 years.
That is the only reason why they are now in a place where I would be happy adopting them out.
You can read more about this HERE.
At what age do you adopt out your rats? Do you have older rats available for adoption?
I don't let my babies go earlier than 8 weeks old. Some of them I even keep back to assess until 12 weeks.
So at minimum the rats will already be 2 to 3 months old when they are ready to leave for their new homes.
My rats also always come back to me if an adopter doesn't want them anymore. On that occasion I might have older rats available, but this is a rare occurrence.
I don't adopt out my retired breeders. I need to keep all of them to monitor each line.
The only time I would euthanize a retired breeder is for health or temperament reasons.
I have enough space to keep all the rats I breed all the info is on my website with regards to my set up.
I only keep rats who meet my high standards of temperament and health.
You breed a several litters each year. Why do you only adopt out so few?
I have 8 lines in total. Only 2 (two) of these lines are appropriate for pet homes.
The reason only these 2 lines are at a point where I am happy to adopt them out, is because I am at Gen 3/4. I have been working on them for the past 2 years.
The rest of my lines are still relatively new/starting up, and they are not pet quality yet.
You can read more about this HERE.
I only adopt out very few rats each year. The reason for this, and I'll say it again, is because I breed first and foremost for myself.
If I feel that a rat is nice enough to be shared I will offer them to the public. But I don't HAVE to adopt out any of my rats.
I'm very picky with regards to who my rats are adopted out to.
I don't let just anyone have my rats.
If an adopter is approved it's because they passed my extensive adoption process and I feel that they are special enough to have one of my special rats.
My rats are my pride and joy. I will never adopt them out to a home where I don't feel they will be cared for like royalty.
I'd rather keep them, or humanely euthanize and donate them. Because that way I know where they are and what has happened to them.
A very good reason for why I'm so strict can be read HERE.
I see that you scruff your rats. Do you use this to test them?
No. I don't use scruffing to test for temperament. I also don't use the phrase "temperament testing" either. I evaluate temperament up until 8 weeks of age. Sometimes to 12.
The rats I keep behind for my breeding program are then also assessed throughout their lives for temperament, health, longevity, fertility, conformation, type, and quality.
Scruffing is also perfectly harmless and is used as a tool to handle the rats in cases of administering medication or health checks.
Can I adopt one of the babies that don't qualify for pet homes?
Unfortunately I cannot allow that.
I won't let a rat with poor temperament be adopted out.
Rats that are aggressive or skittish are not happy rats. They live their lives in fear and that's unfortunately not fair and I don't support that at all.
Husbandry Questions
Why do you keep your mom's & babies in bins?
Bin cages are excellent and safe for mom's and babies.
They can be fully customized to have a deep base for bedding which allows the mom to make a nice nest.
Bin cages are safer than wire caged because babies can't fall through the bars. They also aren't too high so babies can't fall and injure themselves.
Bin cages are also easier to clean and sterilize between litters which helps ensure the health of new moms' and babies.
Bin cages can also be a great option for full time housing for your rats, as long as the size is appropriate.
You can learn how to make your own bin cage HERE.
Why don't you use or recommend fleece?
Fleece is quite popular in the Fancy, however, it provides ZERO ammonia neutralization for your rats.
In order for fleece to be "safe", you need to change out your fleece out every 2 days MINIMUM. This depends on the number of rats you have, if you have more rats you will have to change out your fleece more often. Failure to do so can lead to serious respiratory infections in your rats.
Fleece retains and absorbs ammonia. Imagine sleeping in your own bed after you wee'd in it? (Ew)
When washing your fleece, you need to make sure you're using an animal safe detergent and rinsing it thoroughly, otherwise you risk respiratory infections in your rats.
In addition to all of this, fleece does not allow your rats to burrow and thus provides zero digging enrichment.
What bedding/substrate do you use for your rats?
We make use of kiln dried pine in our cages. The brand we use can be found HERE.
Kiln dried pine (KDP) is one of the most common types of bedding used by breeders (NOT to be confused with sawdust!).
Kiln dried pine is extremely affordable, absorbs and neutralizes ammonia well, and helps reduce the "smell" of your rats.
KDP can be changed out every 1 to 2 weeks depending on the amounts of rats you have and how much "traffic" those areas have.
KDP is great for burrowing and dig boxes which provides amazing enrichment for your rats.