Goals
These are the goals I am currently working on with the lines I have in my rattery...
The Roan Line
Health: I have not had any health issues with my roan line thus far. I recently out-crossed my roan line to improve temperament and conformation so I plan to monitor the line closely to see how this has effected health.
Temperament: My goal with temperament right now is to get them to wind down a bit. My roan female is incredibly sweet but she is all over the place, getting into everything. I out-crossed with a line known for being very calm and cuddly as described by the owner/breeder of the male used for the out-cross. My original roan litter was not up to my standards and I chose to retire the male used and not keep any of the babies from that litter for breeding. The most recent litter seems to be quite an improvement. The babies are very calm and friendly. Let's hope we can keep improving by inbreeding from this cross.
Conformation: The original female I brought in is a nice looking girl, with nice eyes, ears, and size. While she is large she is missing some of the substance I look for. She also has a very poor tail set. I out-crossed to a line from Jeannot at Alces Animals in Santa Barbara. His line had a lot of what I was looking for to improve. The male was large with nice substance, good definition to the head, and a beautiful tail set. The babies from that litter are a huge improvement, tail set is still not quite where I want it to be but has definitely improved. We definitely got the substance we were looking for and I am excited to see how these babies mature.
Colorpoint Line
Health: This line is an established and long lived line. I will always be on the lookout for health issues and work on them as they arise.
Temperament: The rats from this line are quite sweet and floppy. They love to give kisses and get attention. The main thing I am working on is that the males can be slightly dominant. This is not the case with all the males in the line, and is not a huge issue, but I would prefer it be a little less. I am working on this by allowing males to mature to at least 6-8 months before choosing to breed them. This means I am keeping more males than I normally would for a line, but I believe it will be worth it!
Conformation: The original rats I brought in for this line varied greatly. The rats I received from RH have nice size and substance, wide heads, and beautiful coats and markings. The rats I brought in from DCR had beautiful body shape and definition to their heads. The combination of the two lines has been quite successful. It is still a work in process to get rid of the pinched muzzles, poor tail set, and good size. It will take some time but we are definitely making progress!
The Dwarf Line
Health: I have now brought in a few different dwarf lines. The line from RH has been good. My only issue with them is that they occasionally have some poryphorin around their eyes, but it doesn't seem to bother them and I have not had any with poryphorin around the nose or any sniffles. I recently outcrossed due to a health issues that arose in the background of the females I originally used. So far not issues have popped up, but we are always watching.
Temperament: The RH line is not quite as outgoing or "floppy" as I would like, but hes a nice boy, who enjoys attention. The line I outcrossed to (a variegated line from AL originally from BFF) have incredible temperaments. So far the original outcross takes after mom. I hope this trend continues.
Conformation: I am happy with the two lines I am starting with, but dwarfs in general inherently come with quite a few conformation issues. The outcross to the AL line seems to have made quite a nice combo with the dwarf line. The dwarf carriers I am getting now are looking as nice as any rats I have produced. They do need a bit more size, and heads are a bit variable, but definitely moving in the right direction.
Ethics
- Does will be bred at a minimum of 5 months, often times older.
- Bucks will be bred at a minimum of 6 months, often times older.
- I will never breed more than 12 litters per year, often times less.
- I will never breed any rat known to have aggression issues.
- I will never breed any rat known to be particularly susceptible to Myco.
- I will never breed any rat known to have genetic tumors in their line.
- All rats to be adopted out will need to go home with a friend unless there is already a friend for them at home.
- I will always use aspen, carefresh, or yesterday's news as bedding for my rats.
- I will always feed my rats a nutritionally sound diet.
- I will always keep my rats in wire cages cleaned on a regular basis. (litters 2 weeks and younger are in bins or tanks)
- I will always follow proper quarantine practices.
- I will always do all I can to provide my rats with the best possible homes.
- I will always do all I can to provide my adopters the best possible rats.
