Where?

You will need to decide where you are going to go to get your rats and since getting rats from reputable sources sometimes takes some time, start thinking about this well in advance of when you would like to bring the rats home. So what are your options?

Pet shops

To some people the obvious answer is a pet shop but I would strongly advise against this. Pet shops source their rats from large rodent farms or breeders who do not take responsibility for the rats that they breed. Either way the supplier has no ongoing contact with owners, so has little idea of the quality of the rats they are breeding, and this is often poor (in terms of ongoing health and temperament). Buying rats from a pet shop also supports an industry that trades in these wonderful animals as almost valueless individual 'units'.

Responsible breeders

Getting your rats from a responsible breeder has many advantages including:

• Well socialised rats;
• Bred with consideration:
• More robust health-wise;
• Sound temperament;
• Properly sexed;
• Ongoing support and advice.

Rescue rats

As with all species many rats find themselevs in rescue through no fault of their own. Many of these rats do not have significant problems and would make lovely pets even for owners without a great deal of experience. Rescues are not just older rats and it is often possible to get rescue kittens who have been well socialised and cared for whilst in rescue. A lot of rat rescue is not carried out within big rescue establishments, but by committed individuals around the country who bring these rats into their own homes while they find them new humans. I am very involved with rat rescue in the North East and if you are interested in homing rescue rats I will try to help you to find the right rats for your own situation. Any rats that we are currently personally involved in finding homes for will be listed here.

Shunamite rats

I do not breed huge numbers of rats and enquiries always greatly exceed the number of babies I have available. My rats are thoughtfully bred with primary consideration for their ongoing health and longevity. This is not an exact science and the outcome for any specific pairing cannot be fully known until the offspring have matured and aged. Overall Shunamite rats are robust and have excellent resistance to infection. Average lifespan is well above the UK average, but varies from litter to litter. Statistics for my rats can be seen in the lifespan section.

When working my own line, I only breed from rats with excellent temperaments, but this can mean different things to different people and not all rats are the same. I like my rats to be outgoing and demanding - I do not breed couch potatoes! I expect all of my rats, regardless of gender, to be active and neophilic (confident and investigative in new situations) but with a strong desire for human company. My rats tend to be quite dominant, and you do need to establish that you are the boss, but they make excellent alphas and there is rarely any bickering amongst my groups. They do hate being alone, and thrive on the company of other rats and their humans.

There will always be some difference between outcrosss and inbred litters. Inbreed litters are more predictable and will more than likely follow the general trends for the line. Any outcross has the capacity to affect the outcome for the offspring, either favourably or unfavourably - or more than likely both. Outcross litters are less predictable and may reveal issues seen in neither of the parent's lines. Making choices for outcrossing is extremely difficult and sometimes compromise is necessary, for instance, in order to use an outcross from an established line with equal health and longevity a rat with different temperament traits might be accepted. Inbreeding on the original line following an outcross, reinforces the original temperament qualities of the offspring.

If you contact me requesting babies I will often pass you on to another local breeder and make you aware of resuce rats available in the area. However, if you are specifically interested in Shunamite rats and are willing to wait (potentially for many months) do let me know and I will try to accommodate you. All requests for rats will be followed up with an application form, further discussions, and where at all possible a visit to meet our rats.

Where to put the cage

Finally, when asking "Where?" it is important to consider where you will keep your rats once you get them home. Rats prefer their environment to be cool/warm and fairly humid. Very warm � above around 28 degrees C � or dry rooms are not suitable for housing rats, neither are those where the temperature regularly falls below around 5 degrees C. Therefore conservatories where the temperature fluctuates dramatically are particularly unsuitable. Rats are prone to heat stroke and are at risk when the environmental temperature reaches over 30 degrees C, especially in any situation where heat is likely to be concentrated, such as in a car or in a tank.

It's best not place your rats� cage next to a fire or radiator, but equally keep it out of draughts. In very hot weather black out blinds, fans, air conditioning units, placing the cage in a shaded spot, placing a chilled bowl of water with ice cubes (or frozen peas) in it in the cage, placing a house brick in the freezer and putting into the cage and/or filling the water bottle regularly with chilled water can all help to keep your rats comfortable. Obviously, the measures taken will have to be more extreme if you live in the south of England, or if your home is prone to over heating. Upstairs rooms often become hotter and retain heat more than those on the ground floor. If the weather is particularly cold ensure that your rats have plenty of clean dry bedding. If temperatures within your home are regularly falling below 5 degrees C you may wish to use a low level background heater in the room you house the rats in. Otherwise you might run into problems with their water freezing overnight.