# General Question



## mopydream44 (Jun 10, 2007)

So guys I've been thinking that someday I might want to be mentored to be a responsible breeder by a responsible breeder .....I've also considered running a rescue.........but before anyone flips out both would be way way WAY in the future, both are really just "wouldn't it be nice" ideas, and both would be done properly of course 

I do have a question though. If I wanted to be mentored by a responsible breeder, would it be terrible if I went though the whole process, and never had the chance/desire to breed? I guess what I'm trying to ask is would a breeder be upset if they decided to teach me what they know and I decided not to breed in the end?

I know it sounds crazy but I guess I was thinking that if I ever wanted to be a breeder, oh let's say when I was 40, I'd be afraid that it might be too late to learn, and no one would be my mentor. Now I'm 25 and going through a quarter life crisis  I'm willing/able to learn but I KNOW I would not want to seriously do this until I'm VERY VERY settled. Ya know, marriage, house, career, child (?) but will it be too late to start by then? 

Should i consider learning in the next few years while i'm in my prime, or should I just wait until I am definitely ready (possibly when I'm old and crusty)?


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

too late by 40 to aspire to be...
at 25 & in my prime...

hmmm


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## mopydream44 (Jun 10, 2007)

errr I didn't mean any offense. I don't mean 40 is too old in general  I meant my fear is that it might be too old to start training to become a breeder. Oy.... and I really didn't mean i'd be too old to learn. And hey what do I know maybe 25 isn't prime...goodness knows I'm not using it well. I have a crappy job that doesn't pay what a college grad should be making. I don't have my own house. I'm not settled to one location yet. 

All of the things I mentioned are the reasons I don't think I'd be ready for something like a rescue/breeding (the absolute right way with a mentor) until much later in life. I truthfully don't know much about it. I guess I was thinking that maybe a breeder wouldn't want to invest time in an older student because the line wouldn't be carried on as long. 

I really meant no harm  My sister is almost 40, and believe me if she thought I was taking a crack at individuals older than I, she would have my head! My fears are probably irrational but don't be insulted by my question please .


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## Kimmiekins (Apr 14, 2007)

There are (good) breeders who start in their 20's, there are good breeders who start in their 40's... heck, there are good breeders that start in their 60's.

Never too old.


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

Mopy.. I was just messing with ya but in a humorous way I hope you get my point... you are never to old to follow a dream.

Now more to the point of your question...

If you are unsure what you would do with a skill that you would go to the extent learning by a mentor then that pretty much speaks to me that you are not ready to pursue that endeavor. I've mentored people in other completely unrelated areas & I know what I seek in a potential student. I believe a mentors in this area would sense that as well & most likely come to the same conclusions based on the same findings... commitment to the education & application of the learned skills. Since you are still unsure about this they would most likely tell you that you are not quite ready for their training since it is a rather lengthy & involved relationship. You have to respect that because there are so few out there worthy of being considered proper mentors. It would be senseless for them to focus on someone who is unsure of their path & in the process skip past someone who is convinced this is what they wish to pursue & is committed follow through with the learned skill because their schedule is too full. 

Consider this... why not volunteer with a rescue if you have one in your area. Or even a step further, befriend a local breeder (if available) & foster a litter. 

In the meantime there is so much material online about proper breeding ethics you could research on your own. Read it, see if you can grasp some of the theories & standards... see if it still holds your interest. There is a massive amount of detailed record taking that will be involved in establishing your own line as well. Are you someone that is ready for that part of being a breeder? That painstaking meticulous record keeping? Breeding isn't all about the joy of watching cute babies grow up... it can actually be quite unemotional & rather mechanical.

I speak of this with some experience. No, I am not a rat breeder. I come from a family who bred various species of livestock & farm animals & I participated in various aspects of this process. In those years I learned about proper breeding of rabbits, chickens, goats, pigs, dogs & cattle. I had hands on training from a very young age with all of these animals. I know about the joy of watching the span from conception to birth with a wonderful outcome & I've shed tears over those times when it ended badly for both the unborn & the Mother. 

Ponder on your desire a bit further & attempt to answer these questions. 

What is your motivation in this? 
What is your goal?


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

I think 40 would be a fine time to start. You'd be established, have the funds needed....

And consider this... no one takes 20-somethings seriously, anyway... Best wait until you're 'respectable'. :lol:


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

oh no... Forensic... you went there (hehehe)


(pssssttt-- Mopy, no one takes 40 year olds seriously either)


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## mopydream44 (Jun 10, 2007)

Well thanks everyone. I suppose it was a bit silly to think I wouldn't be able to pursue this later in life. 



> You have to respect that because there are so few out there worthy of being considered proper mentors. It would be senseless for them to focus on someone who is unsure of their path & in the process skip past someone who is convinced this is what they wish to pursue & is committed follow through with the learned skill because their schedule is too full.


that makes complete sense. I was thinking it would never be a waste of time on my end to learn anything new; however, I guess it would be selfish to take up a persons time to possibly not go through with it in the end, as they could focus on a person who actually would carry through. 

Like I said it's just a thought because I know I'm not ready for anything like this in the near future but I could see myself in the future wanting to do this to improve a genetic line, provide healthy and loving pets, educate owners about rats, and possibly help put an end to major pet stores selling animals. 

I am not sure I could pursue this without an emotional attachment, so it's probably not the thing for me, and I would never breed any rats if there were rescue rats nearby that need homes. I think my future is going more in the direction of helping a rescue at first, and running my own in the future!

I guess I'm not really a potential future breeder but I wonder if anyone else on here would be 100% committed to learn to become a breeder (the proper way)

thanks for the replies


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

I am...

but I won't because of so many reasons. One is that there are so many shelters out there with pets needing homes. I believe my time would be better served trying to save the few that I can by taking them in myself or by networking with others in order to place these pets that are already here with those who can provide them with a forever home. I feel my time is best served by talking with others & attempting to pass along my real time experience that I obtained by trial & error to others who are new to certain pets. There would be no way I could get involved with things like that if I was head buried in books, updating my record keeping & going over lab results from last months necropsy reports. 

I also don't follow or agree with a lot of what is so often promoted within the rat community as the "gospel" or "the proper way" on breeding. I've met with & interacted with several breeders of rats both online & real time. Some have been extremely down to earth people & I share many of their views & applications & some have been, well... how can I say this without .... oh the heck with it... they're elitist & impossible to interact with on a personal level. But the details of that I would prefer to not share on a public board. (ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip)










Hypothetically... If I were to pursue a breeding plan I would enjoy the intellectual exchange with others who are already involved with their own breeding but no way would I seek out their permission to move forward nor would I feel obligated to strictly follow their plan because there are always going to be flaws to any well thought out plan, accidents will happen & unforeseen outcomes in breedings will occur... there is no perfected method & there is never a guaranteed or predictable outcome in the procreation of life. A breeder can offer some basic guidelines but they can never assure another that they will never encounter something they didn't already educate you on. Because life is unpredictable I tend to believe that personal research over a variety of applications & practices of a variety of people will serve you far better in the long run in my opinion. of course you will ned to have some working knowledge on this subject before you delve in to the business of deciphering another's research. 

Now don't get me wrong... I'm not saying that others should not, I am just saying that I will not because I have a great deal of history to fall back on because of things I was exposed to since childhood. I have always been involved with animals in one way or another. I have even assisted in surgical procedures & had to fly by the seat of my pants all alone during life or death situations with an injured or sick animal. I've felt that moment of panic when your brain shuts down & you don't know what to do but you really do know what to do... you are just too caught up in the moment to recall you know what to do. Those are the times when having another experienced person to call upon is paramount. In my own personal case... a mentor isn't what I would need, what I would need is a well informed peer that I could bounce ideas off of in order to work things out, to get some feedback from their own unique perspective that is based on their own personal experience in similar situations.


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## mopydream44 (Jun 10, 2007)

Well I wish you luck if you ever decide to pursue it. It seems as though you might be a good candidate with all your animal experience but as you said, there are so many rats in rescues out there. Hopefully wherever I settle will have a great rescue, and maybe they will even mentor me . I'm no longer in a rush to gain the knowledge especially knowing I may never apply it.

Also I can still attempt to make a change in the way pet stores are run. A lot of animals are adopted from pet stores, and never receive the proper care. Not just rats but reptiles, fish, birds, bunnies, and so on. A big change would be to have a staff that is actually knowledgeable about the animals in the store. Sigh......I truly don't know how to change it I suppose but that's a different topic


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

get involved with local politics

attend city council meetings & such, especially when topics are on the books about animals

write letters to your local politicians especially when you are witness to situations that are appalling in local pets stores... you may find someone who is sympathetic & these stores that are trashy can lose their business license. Contact the better business bureau. Have others do the same. You get in the face of the local politicians enough, they will eventually take notice... especially the personally hand written letters mailed directly to them... emails will be basically ignored.

Talk to people, talk to people, talk to people. Get the word out about the bad but at the same time.. try to find good local resources & sing their praises to as many people as you can find that will listen. Word of mouth is the best form of marketing... good words will make a business, bad words will kill one.

there is a lot going on with getting all pet stock proper protection as far as in the pet industry (this includes rats & the like) but it will take time.. & of course this really doesn't address the biggest causing factor with so many unwanted pets because these protection laws really can't be applied to a personal pet which is consider property


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