My rats are my own personal pets. I’m a hobbyist and not a business. I only breed when I need more rats in order to keep my hobby going. That means, about 4-6 litters a year. I breed for healthy, calm (within reason!) rats that like people and get along well with other rats. I am in central Oxford.

 

I’m breeding for Russians but have so many recessives that I get a lot of rats that aren’t Russian. I also breed for agouti, in top-eared and dumbo. I may also have topaz, black and buff.

 

I am registered with the NFRS The National Fancy Rat Society maintains a list of its members’ ratteries and studs as a convenience for the public but does not endorse any rattery or stud, whether registered or not, and accepts no responsibility for any rats bred by me nor any other breeder. That includes rescues.

 

In other words, I’m a member and I pay a small annual fee to be so, but that doesn’t confer any status upon me and you should do your own due diligence to decide if my rats are for you.

 

I don’t run a waiting list but a “waiting pool”. I always choose the best applicants for my rats. However, it’s easy to get at the top of my list. Just be a home so outstanding I am desperate for my rats to go to you!

 

Let me know if you’d like an application to go on the waiting list for baby rats. My applications are non-binding. You are NOT obligated to get rats from me if you apply, but nor am I obligated to home rats to you.

 

I may not have rats available or may decide you aren’t the right home for the rats I do have. I will need to see your complete set up before homing rats to you. I don’t home out to anyone simply because they’ve been waiting a long time. All breeders have different ideas of how rats should be kept and I don’t get into arguments about it. I just move onto the next application.

 

If you really want rats from me the smartest thing you can do is follow me here, on TikTok (@Martiwrites), go to my website, www.blueapplerattery, and see how I keep my rats, then do something similar for your own. I don’t happen to have a bioactive set-up but it’s fine if you do! Apparently, the rats love them!

 

To get babies from me you’ll need a 14″ or larger wheel, high quality furnishings in the way of high quality hammocks, sputniks, perches, ledges, ropes, cargo nets, 2 water bottles (one usually for vitamins, though it’s possible to give vitamins in another form), and plenty of substrate to dig in.

 

People who house their rats in fleece-lined cages will not be considered. You can have some fleece in the cage, of course! My hammocks are fleece. But I want the rats to be able to dig. Oh, and also to build nests (paper towels are brillant for this!)

 

You don’t have to take the middle out of your SRS or similar cage either…I quite like the middle in there, frankly, as rats are not tree-dwellers and some rats (especially bucks) will fall from the tops of cages. If you do remove the middle, make sure there are many “fall-breakers”.

 

My babies are handled from birth and given lots of toys and opportunities to dig, climb and gnaw. I try to breed rats that are pretty enough to show (I don’t often win much!) and are healthy, happy individuals.

 

Rats are best housed with at least two other rats, so babies are usually homed in trios unless you have other rats already to which you can introduce them. Occasionally, when stuck, I will home in pairs (because I don’t have a trio!) and you can have a pair of rats from me if you plan to add to them later, though this is generally much easier with does than with bucks (until you get used to bucks anyway).

 

None of the rats I home as pets may be used for breeding purposes. However, if you want to learn how you can become a breeder, I can point you in the right direction through the NFRS and you can learn all you need.

 

Important: PLEASE never put your dog, cat, bird, etc. near your rats. These photos of kittens and rats together inspire people to do something similarly like that. Rats are naturally afraid of cats so you are stressing them, plus you never know what your dog/cat might do. My tiny 8kg dog once decided to kill a wild rabbit. Only one in her life, but it was just as dead. Your adult rat will kill a budgie or a pet mouse outright, by the way.

 

If you’d like to apply for some baby rats or just want to drop me a message, I’d delighted to hear from you!

Marti

 

PS. I am nicer than this in person.