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Post by Jarhead on Mar 29, 2009 22:46:28 GMT -5
So I've been keeping rats as pets for a little over two years now. I LOVE them! I don't need to tell you guys why they are so awesome.  But anyway, I've recently become very interested in starting my own rattery. To those of you who breed, how did you get started? What info or tips do you have to share? |
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Post by Mindy on Mar 30, 2009 21:50:55 GMT -5
Hrm, I have no tips, sorry ;_;
*fail*
But, I wish you good luck and you should talk to Auren.
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Post by Ratlet on Mar 31, 2009 16:54:57 GMT -5
I wrote this for someone else, so most of it probably doesn't apply to you LOL. But in the spirit of laziness...
- Join as many rat forums as you can. Read, post, get to know other people. Reading is learning no matter what way you put it. Never be afraid to ask questions - that is what these people are there for. Listen to the breeders and form your opinions on who is best.
- DO NOT rush into it. Enjoy pet ownership while you can! It's so easy when you have your couple of ratties to get to know and love. Learn by doing as well as reading. Owning 3 rats and owning 30 rats all at one time is a very different experience and a lot of work (how many rats total have you had all at one time?). Make sure you've owned a lot of different rats (say 20?) that have gone and passed, both male and female, to get a hands on approach to what is expected. Eventually you'll learn exactly what a rat is going to do just by looking at them. Eventually you'll learn the exact moment when a fight has gone too far. Believe me, it may not seem like it at the time, but there is a huge difference in owning rats when you are a breeder. You look at each rat with a different approach: how will this rat benefit in my lines? What are it's faults?
- Don't buy 2506734239489243 rats because you want to. Have a set goal or you will get overloaded /fast/. It's very exciting when you first start but you shouldn't make my mistake - take it easy, take only what you need.
- Learn genetics! Just bit by bit. It's so confusing at first but once you get to know it, it is heaven sent. You could give me almost any possible scenario and I would be able to answer what the offspring would be. I mostly learned through reading other people's conversations on forums.
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Post by cstr on Apr 2, 2009 22:53:19 GMT -5
www.afrma.org/rminfo7b.htmratguide.com/breeding/breeding/breeding_methods.phpRead those two links. Becoming a breeder is not something to take lightly. It's a lot of money. A lot of time. Your rats could die giving birth or something could go very VERY wrong. Get a mentor. A good one. One thats been around the block more than enough times. Learn genetics. Get a good understanding of them. You have to be serious and willing to stick with it or else other breeders will think little of you. Breeding is not something easy. :/ It really isn't. Here's another link: www.goosemoose.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,118/forum,rat/topic,4218.0 Join that forum and ask them about becoming a breeder. They'll tell you how it is.
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