Welcome to Rat 'n Rave Rattery. We are located in South West Lower Michigan, near the town of Holland. We are a small rattery and we only breed on a limited scale. Our animals are bred to a strict standard that puts health and temperment above all else while still following the standards for type. We do not show our animals nor do we sell to homes that show for show purposes. We feel that it places to high of a risk on the lives and well being of animals that are sold for this purpose. Please respect this as it is a personal decision and if you intend on showing, we ask that you look elsewhere for your purchases. If you are looking for a new addition to your family and would like more information about us or our rats, please feel free to contact me or check out our availables page. Litters will be registered with NARR.
 Rats make wonderful pets for kids of all ages. They are clean, quiet and can be trained to do various tricks. Since they are social animals by nature, it is best to keep them in colonies of two or more of the same-sex. If you insist on keeping a single rat, you must be willing to spend a great deal of time interacting with your pet. They are not like most other rodents, and do best when they are able to be with their humans.
Make sure they are given a spacious, clean environment to live in with safe toys to keep them entertained when you are not able to be with them.
  While I have had rats on and off throughout my life, I really became interested in them as a breeder in 1997. I was fascinated by their personalities and loving nature and wanted to learn as much about them as I could. The internet provided a wealth of information and opened up a whole new world for us. I researched breeders and everything I could get my hands on pertaining to rats. I still credit Ratso


for so much in this. While I do not at all recommend pet store rats, he was a treasure. Who knew at the time that he would inspire such an adventure. This boy would come running on a dime whenever I called his name, even if he was in a sound sleep. He was a practical joker when it came to my Mom. She was afraid of him and he would take great please in coming from nowhere, running at her, and then saunter off with his little rattie "grin" when she let out a yell. She eventually grew to love him too although she could never quite bring herself to touch him. I still miss them both tremendously.


 Chumley was the start of my chocolate line that I continue to work on today. He is also the beginning of the tortishell line. Another pet store animal that to this day I wish I could track down his breeder. His health and temperment were the epitome of what a rat should be. I can still see a lot of him in his decendants. He was the victim of a supposedly safe litter (Stall Dry) that we were trying out and he ingested it, became impacted and died in my arms. He was in the prime of his life and I will never forget him. You can follow his breedings in this chart that I put together back in 1998. He was an extreme silvered chocolate that resembled blue when he was young and I can not tell you how frustrating at times it was trying to figure out what color he truely was. He had the torti markings that are evident in so many of his descendants.
 Today we are still focusing our breedings on this line and it has proved a very worthwhile endevor indeed. General health is strong although a few of my girls have developed nonmalignant mammary tumors.
We maintain a very small rattery to ensure that our animals get proper, daily socialization. When I plan a breeding, it is strictly for myself. I go in to it planning to keep all of the resulting litter. We occasionally do offer some for sale on a limited basis to pet homes or breeders that do not show. We feel that the risk of infectious diseases are just too high right now and until some drastic measures are taken, we reserve the right to refuse any home that we feel is unsuitable for these reasons.
 At the moment, our animals are kept in our kitchen in one large 4 level Martin cage with a large Fern excercise wheel


and two smaller Marchiorousa cages. I really like the Marchiorousa cages for air flow, and ease of cleaning. They are very versatile but because they are traditionally for guinea pigs, they are not suitable for young rats that can easily slip between the bars. We do not use PVC anymore for play areas and tunnels as they have been linked to serious health issues for people. We use dryer venting that is disposable for tunnels and hang them with cable ties from the tops of the cages. They are replaced weekly. We also use clean older shirts from yard sales, goodwill or that our kids have grown out of as hammocks. They can chew all they want and we just throw them out and replace. They are inexpensive alternatives to commercially sold hammocks and the rats love them. Rat wheels make good excercise equipment for the younger rats. Most rats as they mature tend to ignore the wheels. It is still important for them to get their excercise so make sure that you find other alternatives to keep them healthy and active. For litter, We use a combination of Cell-Sorb and Eco Fresh in the cage bottoms. It is best to avoid wood type shavings as they contain oils that can damage the lungs of your rat(s). We used to have our rats all in a room of their own, however I found it so much nicer to have them in the same room as us on a continuous basis. Even though I spent a great deal of time in the rat room prior to moving them out here, they get far more attention from all of us, including visitors, as opposed to being away from life's activities.They are used to TV blaring, dogs barking, appliances being used, and even the fire alarm when I cook :-)
They are out of their cages daily, and out of the house itself almost daily as the weather allows throughout the late Spring, Summer and early Fall.



Yard sales can be a treasure trove of fun new toys for your rats. Plastic doll housing units and other items can provide hours of entertainment for them. Be sure to wash thoroughly and check for sharp edges and small parts that can be removed and swallowed. Be creative.

A little shameless Rattie PR :)

Rats make wonderful pets for both young and young at heart alike. As shown above, they are both gentle and tolorant. RnR Pongo is shown here at the park making new friends. Overcoming their reputaion can be difficult at times but we have found with a little bit of education to the public, more often than not, they are well accepted.
Our Son, who has Tourette's Syndrome, has overcome so much with the help of these animals. They have taught him about patience and compassion as well as responsibility. He was teased endlessly in school because of his tic's and was becoming withdrawn and sad. We pulled him from school in favor of homeschooling, using the rats as part of his lesson plan. Genetics, etc. He would travel everywhere, including stores, laundrymats, libraries, etc. with Cherry and Speedy (taking turns as his traveling buddies). It helped calm his tics that were at that time, off the charts.It was an amazing turn around and today you would never know what he had been through.
Animals can do so much for our health and well being if we give them the chance. Open your mind, Open your heart. Rats are easy maintenance, very clean and love to be with their humans. I liken their temperment to that of a dog, without the shedding, barking and midnight walks in the snow or rain. They are great for those with limited space. If you are considering owning a rat, it is wise to buy them in same-sex pairs. They are social and live in colonies by nature and a solitary rat is a lonely rat. I will be adding more information as time allows. Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments.
Now that you know a little bit about us, why not spend a few minutes getting to know our rats. Click on the buttons below to proceed.