Ethics and Breeding Aims

My rats are first and foremost pets. All breeding rats are from respectable breeders, whose ethics are similar to mine, and are from known lines with a full family pedigree. I am primarily breeding for health and temperament, followed by appearance (both type and colour). Any rat who has had health problems, or does not have the desired personality will not be bred from.

In order to monitor the health and temperament of the rats, it is essential to keep records through the lives of not only the rats I have here, but also the rats who have been homed. Any new owners will be asked for updates on a regular basis.

I do not condone the practice of culling, both of kittens and adults. Should an unwell rat, with no hope of recovery and no quality of life, need to be put to sleep, it is taken to the vet for humane euthanasia.

Homing Policy

All potential owers are asked to fill in an application form, this is not designed to be a test, but provides a useful tool in getting to know new owners quickly. I do not always have kittens available, and as a result you may have to wait until kittens become available, alternatively I may be able to point you in the direction of another local breeder, or help with transport from a breeder further afield.

  • You will be required to sign a contract when purchasing your kittens. All kittens are sold on under a pet only contract unless otherwise arranged.
  • I will only rehome kittens in same sex pairs or trios, unless you have another kitten of roughly the same age and this is previously arranged.
  • Kittens will not under any circumstances be homed under the age of 6 weeks of age.
  • In the event of a rat no longer being able to stay in their new home, they must be returned to myself. I will then decide whether to find them a new home or to keep them permanently.

If you are unable to wait for kittens from a breeder, rats are often found in rescue centres up and down the country. It is not just adult rats or those with temprement issues that end up in rescue. All to often rats are born in rescue, many of these are handled from a young age exactly the same as those from a breeder. If you are considering buying rats from a petshop, take a moment to read the following article.

Varieties

Russian Blue Point Siamese
Russian Blue Point Siamese Top Ear
Black Eyed Simaese
Black Eyed Siamese Dumbo
Black
Black

I am currently breeding primarily for Russian Blue Point Siamese, in top ear and smooth coat. Related varieties such as Black Eyed Siamese, Russian Blue and Silvered Black may also be available.

Each mating is carefully planned and I can only say what I expect in terms of variety based on the genetics of the parents. However rats are not made to order and I can not guarantee the number of kittens in the litter or the number of each sex, and rats do have a habit of surprising you.

When I decided to breed, RB point Siamese was a natural choice for me, since I'd fallen in love with the variety the first time I saw one. Although there is a myth that Siamese rats are more aggressive than other varieties, I have never found this to be the case, and have handpicked my foundation rats from established lines that have a good reputation both as pets and on the show bench.

Russian Blue Point Siamese is currently shown at NFRS Shows under Blue Point Siamese, in the Guide Standard class, having moved out of New Varietes at the end of 2008. Hopefully, with more breeders working on and showing this variety, it will move out of Guide Standard.