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.