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AKA "The Crazy Rat Lady" as my friends call me.
My passion for rats began in 2010. Living in a flat, where I was never allowed pets, was hard. Having grown up with pets all my life, I decided to buy two "feeder" rats.
My "heart rat" as they say, was a little black hooded "Ratatouille" who I nicknamed Touie, and an even smaller black self who I named "Baby". I had had them just a week, and little Baby, due to awful respiratory issues, passed away in my hands. That was my first heartache with rats, and I knew it wouldn't be my last.
Touie passed in October of 2012 and took my heart with him.
Over the years I’ve adopted more rats and lost rats, had a break from rats and even rescued a wild rat who I named "Olive".
All of my losses have been due to health related issues, and by starting up this Rattery, my goal was to breed rats for not only health but for temperament and conformation.
My passion lies in C locus, so my first breeder doe was a Sepia doe named Amber. She was the founding doe of my first line: Sepia (URC standards aka. Sable Siamese).
I later received my first Russian Blue pedigree rats from Imagine Rattery.
I have been really fortunate enough, to have had the opportunity, to meet and work closely with, Imagine Rattery, who I am proud to call my "Sister Rattery".
We now share Essex, Saddles, and Le Mans lines.
Our Set Up
Cages & Husbandry
We make use of a few different cages in the rattery.
Main cages:
Does - (93.5 x 64 x 74 cm)
Bucks - (93.5 x 64 x 74 cm)
Maternity cages/bins:
(70 x 60 x 40cm)
We make use of bin cages and lady rat cages for our does and their babies until weaned.
Grow-out cages:
(93.5 x 64 x 74 cm)
Babies at the ages of 3 - 4 weeks are moved into this cage so that we can assess how they handle changes in their environments.
When the babies are weaned at 5/6 weeks, the bucks and does are then separated and introduced into our colony to learn important social dynamics.
We are a fleece-free rattery!
Instead, we use sputniks and hanging plastic baskets for the rats to cuddle in.
Sekelbos sticks, wooden ledges, and parrot toys are used for climbing and chewing.
Kiln dried pine and oat hay/eragrostis is used in our cages as bedding and for enrichment purposes when scatter feeding.
For more information on setting up your very own cage, please click the button below:
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Substrates
All our bedding changes include a dusting of diatomaceous earth, a natural bug killer.
Our trays and surfaces are thoroughly cleaned with F10 and treated with Ultrum Powder/diatomaceous earth.
Kiln Dried Pine (KDP)
KDP has the best ammonia neutralisation and oudour control compared to other beddings we have available in South Africa.
The most common bedding used by breeders. (NOT SAWDUST!).
Affordable.
Absorbs ammonia well and helps to reduce the overall “smell” of your rats.
Can be changed 1-2x per week (depending on the number of rodents you have).
Good for burrowing.
Oat Hay/Eragrostis/Teff/Straw
We use various hays in our rattery as nesting material. Hay is a great source of enrichment for your rats and the rats absolutely love making nests with it.
Affordable.
Absorbs ammonia well and helps to reduce the overall “smell” of your rats.
Can be changed 1-2x per week (depending on the number of rodents you have).
Good for nesting and burrowing.
Great for scatter feeding.
Pine Pellets
We use pine pellets in our litter boxes. This creates a different "texture"/"area" so that the rats can differentiate this bedding from the other substrates we have in our cages.
Great for your litter boxes.
Expensive if filling a whole cage.
Absorbs urine and neutralizes ammonia well.
Not great for burrowing.
Diet
Here at Imagine Rattery our rats are fed according to their specific roles/needs.
Our rats receive a combination of the URC dry mix & pellets in their diet. Nursing does and babies receive the URC breeders mix, porridge, dried fruit & veg, and dried/fresh proteins.
The URC mix has been researched and constantly tested in our own colony to ensure optimal health in our rats. Ratios have been carefully researched and we are able to provide you with all the reasons WHY a certain ingredient made the cut!
If you would like to learn more about the URC diet, please don't hesitate to contact us.
The URC Dry Mix
The URC Dry Mix has been researched and each ingredient serves a purpose. We are always researching and collecting data on how our rats do on this mix and we will consistently update the mix as new research comes out.
We feed this diet to our rats, and we want to ensure that they are fed the best possible diet we can provide.
Over 65 ingredients in the Maintenance mix
Healthier added proteins (mopane worms & dried fish)
Limited processed ingredients
Locally sourced ingredients
No need for unnecessary supplements
Proven, trusted, and tested by multiple breeders and pet owners in South Africa
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Dried Fruit, Veg, and proteins
This is one of the specific mixes our nursing does and growing babies receive.
We want to ensure that our does and their babies receive the best diet possible so that they can grow into healthy rats.
We feed this on a treat basis to our adult colonies only as the mix they receive is sufficient for their diet.
Fruit is minimal as to prevent the addition of too many sugars in their diet.
The URC Breeder Mix
This is one of the specific mixes our nursing does and growing babies receive.
We want to ensure that our does and their babies receive the best diet possible so that they can grow into healthy rats.
Oats
Various whole grains
Linseed
Safflower seeds
Pellet: Bergafat (Omega 3), corn & flax seed oils (Omega 6), brewer's yeast (Vit B), Lysine (improves immune system and mineral absorption), wheat germ (Vit B, iron, vitamin E, copper, calcium, magnesium and manganese)
Monty & Me Essentials
Our rats receive Monty and Me Essentials to ensure that they are getting all the minerals they need to thrive.
This pellet contains:
18% protein and 5% fat
*We are in the process of sourcing a more effective pellet for our bucks that is approx. 16% protein and 2.5% fat. This is due to the fact that bucks are less active, and do not need extra protein and fat for breeding and lactation.
