# Would like to adopt from a breeder



## DFW_Rat_Luvr

All of my rats are pet shop rats. After reading on here about the genetics and breeders and so forth, Id really like to adopt 2 rats from a breeder.
Now dont get me wrong....I LOVE my babies - petshop, breeder or otherwise. However, I would like to also experience the difference that superior genetics offer.

Im in bedford texas - which is between dallas and fort worth. If anyone knows any breeders in the area, Id appreciate them letting me know! I would like 2 of the same sex of course - either sex is fine. Color doesnt matter to me really, but I would prefer to not have any PEWs.

Ive done searches online and Ive attempted to contact the ones that Ive found. Each one that Ive found is no longer breeding, or the phone number is incorrect, etc.

Thanks


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## Forensic

It does make a difference. Not only in genetics, but in handling. My twins were handled since they were little and they came to me farrrr more tame than my older four.


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## twitch

it might help you find a breeder if you post your qualifications (how long you kept rat, how many rats you have now, how you would pay in case of an emergency, if you have a vet picked out and who it is, if you have a vet fund, that sort of thing you know) and perhaps a picture of the cage you will keep them in. they will want to know that their babies are going to good homes and offering the information right off the bat is a good sign of a dedicated owner.


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## DFW_Rat_Luvr

Thanks for the tips! (Have I mentioned how much I enjoy posting here? LOL!) Seriously though, Ive never been to a message board that provides such instant gratification to my postings!

**Twitch - Ihave to tell you that every time I see the avatar of your little rattie it makes me just go to mush inside! The little hands just send me over the edge! TOO CUTE!


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## twitch

thank you very much. spider was a real sweetie. she won many a heart and is dearly missed. she was very photogenic though so though i don't have a whole lot of picture of her the ones i do have make her personailty just shine right through. 

and thank you for the compliment on the forum. i really like it here too. so much in fact i seldom visit other rat forums. i hope you'll enjoy your stay here as much as i do. 

and i hope you'll be able to find yourself some properly bred rats soon as well. i have one right now and if his lines stay true we're looking at a 3-4 year old rat at the end of instead of the normal 2-3 yrs.


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## DFW_Rat_Luvr

The whole thought of my babies only living till 2 or 3 years is something I just cant wrap my mind around. I cant even think about it. Even 3 or 4 years doesnt seem enough. Thats the one down side of hacing these pets. The only downside. THere just doesnt seem to be enough time.

Im sorry Twitch...I didnt realize that your rattie had passed on. The picture is just the most adorable thing Ive ever seen - and youre right....I can truly see so much personality in her! I know you must miss her terribly.


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## Meghan

My baby Ollie is a pet store rat,the first time I saw him there,my mom said no,then she said okay a week later,so I went and got him,I would have gotten the other one that was in his tank,but he was gone...but Ollie is the sweetest thing,when I'm older,I want to bree hairlesses,but Ollie will always be my favorite rat.


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## ratadoption

hi we breed our rats, if you want to see them all or adopt one please look at our site: www.freewebs.com/adopt15rats
or email us at [email protected]


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## A1APassion

ratadoption said:


> hi we breed our rats, if you want to see them all or adopt one please look at our site: www.freewebs.com/adopt15rats
> or email us at [email protected]


completely off topic but 

hmmmmmmmmmmm...............


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## areoseek

This si why i like this forum over the RMCA, they always freak out when you say your adopting from a pet store or a breeder, and you have to ALWAYS get from a rescue. But ratfoum dosent do that. And i love that feeling that i can post somthing like this and not get flamed. Thank you ratforum!


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## jesirose

I see sites like this ALL the time that contain absolutely no information about WHERE these animals are. Where the heck is Annville? That was the only location I could find on the site. I am willing to travel a good distance to find a breeder as I have been looking for months in Texas but half the breeder sites I find either have no location info, or are from 2006. :/



ratadoption said:


> hi we breed our rats, if you want to see them all or adopt one please look at our site: www.freewebs.com/adopt15rats
> or email us at [email protected]


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## echostatic

im also hoping to avoid buying from a petshop by buying from a breeder and i dont know where any are either... i live close to you too, in dallas. lemme know if you find anything


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## lilspaz68

ratadoption said:


> hi we breed our rats, if you want to see them all or adopt one please look at our site: www.freewebs.com/adopt15rats
> or email us at [email protected]


Hmmm...order by number (makes me hungry for chinese :roll. No mention of parents, pedigrees, age, DOB, lines, sexes, colours even...

And all that high-white makes me worry... 

Sorry but this site has too many red flags to be considered a responsible, ethical breeder, and THOSE are the only ones that you should consider getting babies from.


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## jesirose

I'm in Dallas too. I have looked for quite a long time to find breeders - no such luck.
I'll keep an eye here to see if anyone good pops up 

Maybe we should all get together and start a rattery with our combined knowledge hehe.

(Edit: the above was a joke, just in case...and also I had no idea I'd already posted here. LOL. Did I mention I'm in DFW? )


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## echostatic

eep, i looked at that website, i dont trust it... its got typos in it and looks like its ran by children who dont know what theyre doing.

dallas is a very big city, there has to be some reputable breeder somewhere... i dont wanna buy from a petsmart or petco but if it comes down to that i will :/

theres one place near me off garland road called botique pet shop that i refuse to shop at. they take terrible care of their animals, at least as far as reptiles go and the owner wouldnt say anything else other than "theyre happy"... ugh.

personal ranting aside... is there no hope for us dallas dwellers?


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## CaptainFlow

If you read the "About Us," I get the impression that this is an Oops litter that is getting some publicity above and beyond a Craigslist ad. The last sentence is "but that won't be happening anymore (referring to babies, I assume) once Charlie (the only male mentioned) goes to the vet." 

So it sounds like although it's kind of an iffy situation, the rats aren't being purposefully bred, this was a one-time oops litter. I could be wrong, but I would prefer to think the best, I guess.

Edit- OMG, did you look at those pictures?! What great markings! And there are certainly more than the 15 rats originally mentioned, but according to the "About Us" story, there were two females, so they're likely from two litters. At least, according to my hopeful scenario.


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## Alaska.Street

I'm in DFW, too, actually. I don't really wanna get a rat from the locl Petsmart (the Petco here doesn't take the best care of their rats so they're a last resort) but every breeder site I've seen is either down or hasn't been updated in years.

C'mon, people. This is Dallas and there's obviously a bunch of rat-lovers out there. Where are they all hiding? 

Let us know if you find anything, though. I'll make sure to do so if I find anyone.


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## jesirose

Dallas is a big city but I've contacted every breeder in TEXAS that I can find and there are no more professionals. I've asked my vet and she contacted several other vets and they all said the ones they knew are out of the biz.

I think all of us rat-lovers in DFW are getting petshop rats either from the shop or rescues.

Heck maybe we really should start a rattery, get a rat train to bring rats from good breeders in other states


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## Alaska.Street

No more professional breeders? Why'd they all quit the business? o__o

Well, I don't know of any places besides the local Petsmart and Petco that sells rats. And I wouldn't know of any places that rescue rats. ><

*sigh* You'd really figure that in a populated place like DFW, there'd be all sorts of options for adopting rats.


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## echostatic

its a shame... well, i guess ill be hitting up the petstores then.


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## jesirose

I guess they either weren't making a profit or were having too much of a loss, or had other priorities. Dunno.


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## piney

http://www.freewebs.com/ratsinneed/


over 400 rats in need of homes, i spoke to the girl personally last month, shes got a lot on her hands.


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## piney

i guess the 400 rats werent there when the aspca got there for the rescue.... i hope he didnt do somthing stupid.


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## Kimmiekins

jesirose said:


> I guess they either weren't making a profit or were having too much of a loss, or had other priorities. Dunno.


A good breeder won't be looking to make a profit. :wink: Though, a big loss certainly could be the case.


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## jesirose

I don't think that's true, just because you love rats or any animal doesn't mean you can have a career with them and not want to make a profit. Any business needs to make profit or it has no point. That IS the point of business, making money, and that's what a breeder is, a business owner.
They can want to make money AND love rats and be a good breeder. But if they only break even, that doesn't pay the bills. I'd think a rattery would be a full-time job, or even if it were only part time, you can't run a business at loss or break even for too long.

I am a programmer, and I absolutely love what I do. And from what my clients say, I'm a pretty good one  But that doesn't mean I can do work and not expect a profit.

A good breeder WOULD look to make a profit because that would enable them to stay in business and continue breeding.


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## Kimmiekins

I'd written out a long reply, but actually, it's been said all over the net buy breeders, fanciers and the RMCA.

"If you are thinking about Breeding rats to make money, you should think of a different plan, as the cost of caring, housing, feeding and medical bills for your rats properly is more expensive then the money you'll make off selling them."
http://www.80stoysale.com/ratbreeding.html

"Spoiled Ratten is a hobby breeder of fancy rats. This is not a business. We do not make money at this, and we do not breed to sell rats. We breed for ourselves to improve rats." plus more good info on the page.
http://spoiledratten.com/breedingratscontent.html

"Though you may think a rattery is a simple affair, the truth is that a good rattery is outrageously expensive and you will never, ever recoup the costs of your rattery by selling babies. The only way to make money by breeding and selling animals is to provide them with substandard housing, bedding, food and veterinary care." (goes on to break down every cost)
http://www.dazzlemerats.com/breed_rats.html

"There is no money to be made breeding rats and mice, unless you are a feeder breeder, which is something no rat or mouse loving person would do. Therefore, if you think youâ€™re going to be able to make enough money to pay for the upkeep of your animals, youâ€™re sadly mistaken. A small fee should be charged for every animal you produce, hopefully to ensure that the person who purchased it will respect it enough to properly care for it, but that will never cover your costs. Count on having to come out of pocket for the majority of your animal expenses."
http://www.rmca.org/Articles/breeding.htm

"The money making aspect of breeding rats is laughable.. any good breeder will put much more money into their animals than they will get back out of them. The only breeders who make money are selling to petshops or to similar situations, and mass breeding without much thought to health and temperament of the animals."
http://www.silverfuzzrattery.com/rats/onbreeding


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