questions to ask a breeder?

[catkaiju]

hi everyone!

owner of a hamster here, but i've never owned rats before. i've been doing as much research as i can and i feel moderately prepared - i'm not rushing myself, but since there's not many breeders particularly near to me i've been doing research into those as well. are there any rat-specific things i should be aware of when talking to a breeder? any possible red flags? what are some questions i need to ask as a new owner?

as this is a uk forum i'll probably be back with breeders i'm looking at, so i can see if any of you have experience with them.

[cyber ratty]

Hi, welcome to the forum and rat keeping

There is a very good article here
https://azulinerattery.wordpress.com/id ... -breeders/

and lots of others that are well worth reading here
https://azulinerattery.wordpress.com/caring-for-rats/

I also recommend the videos on the youtube Isamu channel here
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg1Ezj ... yFnIqPoojQ

Do ask any questions you have, and if you give a rough idea of where you are located, we can recommend some breeders - just bear in mind you may need to wait for quite a while, this year has been mad for people joining waiting lists!

[itsBreeze]

Is it taboo to keep Royal Pythons? I have one that eats large mice and asked a breeder about getting some rats and made sure to tell them Wiggles doesn't eat rats and didn't even get a response.

[cyber ratty]

No there isn't any taboo, lots of rat owners also own snakes.

This summer there has been a huge increase in people asking for rats, but because breeders aren't going to be breeding any more than usual, the waiting lists have grown - it may be that the breeder you contacted hasn't got any plans for rats in the near future, or that their waiting list is already too long, or they may not have had time to reply as yet.

However, it is also possible that they prefer not to home to a snake keeper, and that is their prerogative (but they should at least let you know that), but it's not a general deal breaker.