Ratmom said:
Breeders may say their first priority is health, but to me that is a lie. Honestly how can you know you are breeding for health most rats don't get sick until past breeding age. It's more about markings and colors. To me there is no such thing as a perfectly healthy rat.
What kind of red flags does ratz realm have? Everyone gets rats shipped from her and I haven't heard of any red flags. If I sound bitter I am, because I'm tired of losing rats.
I can totally understand your reasoning, ratmom. It's difficult enough to lose them and to deal with the illnesses when they're from bad stock, but to be sold the moon and the stars over a wee rat only to have it turn out badly.. Well, it's doubly awful for everyone.
I know that the breeders I researched are breeding for those things I find most important [health, temperament] because I've sat down and talked with them - business and on a more personal level, I've asked around about them, researched their lines, did thousands of searches on their rats, etc.. Alot of information is out there, even just from people's personal web pages and forum posts about the rats they received from particular breeders. In the case of TEK, I also had the luxury of being able to speak with his apprentices and breeders who cross lines with his, ask their opinions of the rats, of his rattery in general among other things. I made out well because he is so very involved in the rat community that nearly everyone knows atleast of him, if not knows him personally.
In a more general sense.. You know a line is healthy because the breeder has kept up with their lines. You know a rat is healthy because the breeder knows the lines [and any issues] back several generations. No, it's not 100% guaranteed, but when you've bred that line for 4+ yrs and have seen several litters come through and have had no issues for all those generations.. Well, it's almost as good as.
I would feel weird going through and pointing out particulars on any one breeder, and I don't know the rules about that on here. But, I can give you the list of Red Flags I go through when I look at a breeder.
There are a few basics such as - Anyone claiming to have bred out all tumors, myco, illnesses, etc.. That is impossible. Anyone claiming they can breed pet store stock into good stock is completely wrong. If, in their 'care' section, they say that cedar and pine might be okay, or that store bought seed mixes are okay, aquariums are okay [for anything other than maternity cages] or anything along the lines of the basic info every new rat owner is given, don't deal with them. One of my personal points is if they can't afford to have their own web page [something not hosted on a free website type thing] then I refuse to deal with them.
How old are the does when bred, under 6mo or over 1yr is a Big Red Flag. If they're bred more than 3 times, another Big Red Flag.
How many litters do they have? If they have several in a year [5+], or several within a month, Big Red Flag. The breeders I know will not have more than 2-3litters a month max. There is no way to socialize 5+ litters, track all health, and properly care for all of your other rats.
Are all of the rats from knows sources. You would be surprised how many people think 'Unknown [insert letters here] rat' is good enough. Anything saying Unknown, Pet store, or rats with no letters is a Big Red Flag. I go so far as to research the lines of the breeders they outcross with, and apply all the same questions.
Do a majority of the rats have unusual markings, like blazes, masks, caps, etc.. Many of these markings are High White, which is the carrier for Megacolon [deadly condition]. Big Red Flag. Any breeder saying you can safely breed high whites is lying. There are such things as safe markings that are similar, but they are fairly specific in what coat colors and patterns they come in.
Do they provide proper care for their rats. Does everyone look healthy, are the babies scrawny at all, are the cages clean and up to your standards of housing, do they provide good vet care, etc.. If no to any of the above, Red Flag.
Do they have left overs from previous litters, but are still breeding? If yes, Big Red Flag. If they couldn't find homes for that lot, then they don't need to be making more to not place on good homes. Good breeders have good waiting lists.
Some other things that raise flags for me are:
Do they charge different prices depending on age, markings, etc.. The breeders I know and trust charge a standard price for all babies.
If they get huffy after you ask them any of these questions, it's a Red Flag. If they won't answer your questions now, they won't be there to answer them later.
In the end I talk with them. See how I feel about them after a casual chat with just some questions on their practices and standards.
I really hope that helps in some fashion! From what I've heard, the breeders in Canada are less than exemplary.
