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RATTERY ETHICS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
BREEDING
All rats are sold as pets only, unless you have direct consent from me to breed my rats. I am also willing to work with other rattery’s depending on your ethics, feel free to contact me. All of my rats are sweet and stable, but not all of them are safe to be bred, and doing so can seriously endanger the Doe, kittens, and humans
We have put a lot of work and effort into perfecting our lines so they remain predictable, safe, and stable. Our lines need to remain strong and irresponsible breeding can put the public at risk. If the contract has been violated, Aire River Rattery reserves the legal right to seize any bred rats and litters of the line and pursue legal action as deemed fit. If you are wanting to breed, please let me know, I sometimes have breeding quality rats available, and would be happy to mentor- but be prepared for a thorough interview.
After purchase, if any rat bought from us becomes aggressive, flighty, or unstable, we will happily take the rat back. The proof is required with either an in-person interaction or a video.
PURCHASE FEE
Starting 7/6/2022 due to rising costs, rats are $60 each or $145 for trios. I do not and will not charge more for color or coat type. It costs the same for me to raise the rats, regardless of color or coat type. Prices are non-negotiable and can change at any time. My pricing reflects the amount of dedication I put into my rats to perfecting them so you can have a positive experience with them. There's a reason why the majority of my buyers are repeat customers, and a reason why I almost never advertise, a reason why my rats are spoken for months in advance. There's a reason why my rats don't end up in shelters. Trying to negotiate a price with me is a slap in the face. My price also weeds out irresponsible owners or people who would use them for snake food. You get what you pay for, just read our reviews.
Please keep in mind that we do not allow any rats to be bought in singles, even if you have other rats of the same sex. This is because the rats have to be quarantined before meeting your rats, and during that quarantine period, the rats can become extremely depressed. It is not a risk I’m willing to have my rats take, I always want what’s best for these lovely creatures.
My rats are ready to go home at 8 weeks old, sometimes I will keep a litter longer, but I will not sell them younger. When picking up rats, you will sign two contracts, one for me and one for you.
RESERVING RATS
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In order to reserve rats, you first must be approved (fill out my application) and then a 50% non-refundable deposit is required to reserve and hold the rat until pickup day. If a deposit hasn’t been made on the rat(s) it is still available. The remaining amount is due at pickup, in cash, or through CashApp. Please know that if the rats you put a deposit on becomes aggressive, sick, or they die in my care I will fully reimburse you (or we can put that deposit onto other rats from the same litter if I have availability, or you get first pick from my next litter.) You cannot reserve any rats until they are at least THREE WEEKS OLD. I do this because I need to be able to start to evaluate them and see if they are rats I’m okay with selling.
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I love to see how the rats you buy from us are doing, pictures and videos of how they’re doing are always appreciated and encouraged!
How we raise rats and additional information
We currently keep my rats in single critter nations and have started the use of heavily cluttered clear storage bins (sides and top are cutouts for maximum ventilation) I use kiln-dried pine bedding and do NOT recommend paper bedding due to poor ammonia absorption.
My breeding does are put in their maternity cages a week before they give birth, then they stay with the babies in that cage for about 5 weeks depending on size.
Then the mom and her babies are transferred to a bigger cage with some of my other adults Does who then socialize and teach the babies. Once the babies reach 5.5 weeks, the males are put in a separate cage with some of my adult males who then stay with them until 8 weeks which is when they go home.
Some things we do
-I evaluate temperaments every week after 3.5 weeks
- Nursing Does are evaluated with how they react to me reaching into pet her and the babies to ensure she doesn't have maternal aggression
- For hard culling, I follow AVMA guidelines- hypothermia up to 10 days of age, and CO2 for anything bigger
- Part of my temperament testing involves how they react to loud noises, dogs barking, clapping, and sudden movements.
- Babies are given different foods to reduce picky eating tendencies
- Babies have different sounds like fireworks, rock music, and people talking, played during the weekly cage cleans to determine their reaction and comfortability with the sounds
- All of my rats are kept in spacious critter nations and 200qt bin cages, we will never use the rack system for breeding
- AIRE NEVER promotes co-mingling with ANY other species of animals. Even if that animal is said to be “good” with rats. There is too much risk, and this is also a breach of contract and enough cause for us to take back possession of the rats. This DOES NOT mean you cannot use rats for barn hunt. As the rats NEVER interact with the dog unrestrained, they are always in a safe tube and the dog cannot get to them.