I think this post will be along one, as it will have a lot to do with how I feel about breeding and the people I have dealt with in the past. I suppose I could say this is a look inside my world post, seeing as no one else has see or heard about this publicly.
Breeding rats can mean something different to every person in the hobby, some breed for money, others breed for fun, some breed for genetics etc etc. Why I started was a mix of things, I have reptiles and needed food for them so I thought why not make my own? Well that popped and fizzled when I saw these cute pink LOUD belly beans! It was worse when they started to grow up, getting bigger and fuzzy so it was hard thinking about saying goodbye to something I watched grow. However, I understand the way of life and I did feed live at one point to my reptiles for a long while. I stopped because it was easier to buy frozen then live, it was also cheaper to buy frozen in bulk. It took a while to switch them all over since they had been on live their whole life, but after some fasted they all started taking frozen. I fully understand life is "Dog eat dog world", we eat cows and pigs which are cute so snakes should eat their food source as well regardless of cuteness. So after breeding for food popped to shit, I had this litter to sell as pets which was the start. After a few more litters, reading and learning I thought about starting a rattery. I made up my name, which literally came off a birthday card telling me to "Jazz it up"(Hence Jazzed Up rattery). I paid for a registration for NARR and AFRMA, and that was it I was for what I thought official! Not many breeders in my area had been registered with NARR, and after I did it seemed they all jumped on the band wagon to keep up their image.
I started off with selling rats from my litters, I took in rescues and found them homes which made me feel good and proud to help something so little find happiness. I kept my one male and 2 females, which then turned to 5 females in total keeping 2 from a litter and having one pet female Lilla. In a year I got 4 females from a small breeder with no name, I got the information and pedigrees which was only the mum and dad information on a small card for each baby rat I got. Along with the females I also got 3 males, which also came with information on pedigree and I planned on them being my new breeders. I waited till they where all 6 months old, and had my first litter from the girls and boys. Even though they were from a small unknown breeder, I had plans for them to go places and help me make new beautiful healthy babies. It is and was shunned upon to get rats from an unknown breeder for health risks, but I mean the fancy rat hobby started with street rats for god sake so I thought it would and couldn't be that bad. It isn't my rats are still well, even though they are old now and not doing so well due to age they are still healthy and never had any issues with the babies they produced.
I went though my issues in the breeder world, being new didn't help and being younger then the other breeders was even harder. A lot of lies happened, on my end I admit. I was scared of being shut down or not being allowed in the community because I had rats from a small breeder vs a big name.. So I lied about where my rats came from, picking good ratteries and using their name. It happen, I was stupid and made myself look like an ass I know that now. But is is over with, done and I plan on moving foreword the right way. I wish I could apologize to the people who I had used the names of, and express that fear was the main reason for my foolery but that is no excuse for my mistakes. I am making my best with what I have, hoping to work my way to gain trust of others and work with people who I can learn from. My goal is to learn what I can from good people, who understand life is something that is full of mistakes but humans learn from them all. I hope to find someone who will allow me to be their understudy, and help guide me to my goals. It's hard to find good people in the world, and even harder to find ones who forgive. Advice to new breeders is, find people who are honest, ethical and most important human. Find people who express humanity, who understand that humans are not perfect. But also remember to never forget who you are and why you want to breed, never forget that their are literally tiny lives in your hands and you have to do right by them.
However, I made it and I moved on and up. I now wish to do good by my fur babies and no one else, which is why I write this. Simply sharing my thoughts on the rattery and how I think of things, no matter what people say or do no one can bring you down.
I took a long brake from breeding, a little over 6 months now with out a litter. I have planned, but never paired. I wasn't ready to get back into the world which scared me so much, but I am now but I plan to avoid the dark places I got myself into in the past. I am lessening my litters, changing my ethics, changing the way my rattery works in general. But this is all for the best of my animals and not to impress anyone else. People will be free to read this, make your own judgment on who you wish to deal with. I will still breed and still do best by my animals no matter how you personally feel about who I am, but you are always welcome to my wonderful fur babies who only deserve the best I can offer them.
-Mikaylah
Breeding rats can mean something different to every person in the hobby, some breed for money, others breed for fun, some breed for genetics etc etc. Why I started was a mix of things, I have reptiles and needed food for them so I thought why not make my own? Well that popped and fizzled when I saw these cute pink LOUD belly beans! It was worse when they started to grow up, getting bigger and fuzzy so it was hard thinking about saying goodbye to something I watched grow. However, I understand the way of life and I did feed live at one point to my reptiles for a long while. I stopped because it was easier to buy frozen then live, it was also cheaper to buy frozen in bulk. It took a while to switch them all over since they had been on live their whole life, but after some fasted they all started taking frozen. I fully understand life is "Dog eat dog world", we eat cows and pigs which are cute so snakes should eat their food source as well regardless of cuteness. So after breeding for food popped to shit, I had this litter to sell as pets which was the start. After a few more litters, reading and learning I thought about starting a rattery. I made up my name, which literally came off a birthday card telling me to "Jazz it up"(Hence Jazzed Up rattery). I paid for a registration for NARR and AFRMA, and that was it I was for what I thought official! Not many breeders in my area had been registered with NARR, and after I did it seemed they all jumped on the band wagon to keep up their image.
I started off with selling rats from my litters, I took in rescues and found them homes which made me feel good and proud to help something so little find happiness. I kept my one male and 2 females, which then turned to 5 females in total keeping 2 from a litter and having one pet female Lilla. In a year I got 4 females from a small breeder with no name, I got the information and pedigrees which was only the mum and dad information on a small card for each baby rat I got. Along with the females I also got 3 males, which also came with information on pedigree and I planned on them being my new breeders. I waited till they where all 6 months old, and had my first litter from the girls and boys. Even though they were from a small unknown breeder, I had plans for them to go places and help me make new beautiful healthy babies. It is and was shunned upon to get rats from an unknown breeder for health risks, but I mean the fancy rat hobby started with street rats for god sake so I thought it would and couldn't be that bad. It isn't my rats are still well, even though they are old now and not doing so well due to age they are still healthy and never had any issues with the babies they produced.
I went though my issues in the breeder world, being new didn't help and being younger then the other breeders was even harder. A lot of lies happened, on my end I admit. I was scared of being shut down or not being allowed in the community because I had rats from a small breeder vs a big name.. So I lied about where my rats came from, picking good ratteries and using their name. It happen, I was stupid and made myself look like an ass I know that now. But is is over with, done and I plan on moving foreword the right way. I wish I could apologize to the people who I had used the names of, and express that fear was the main reason for my foolery but that is no excuse for my mistakes. I am making my best with what I have, hoping to work my way to gain trust of others and work with people who I can learn from. My goal is to learn what I can from good people, who understand life is something that is full of mistakes but humans learn from them all. I hope to find someone who will allow me to be their understudy, and help guide me to my goals. It's hard to find good people in the world, and even harder to find ones who forgive. Advice to new breeders is, find people who are honest, ethical and most important human. Find people who express humanity, who understand that humans are not perfect. But also remember to never forget who you are and why you want to breed, never forget that their are literally tiny lives in your hands and you have to do right by them.
However, I made it and I moved on and up. I now wish to do good by my fur babies and no one else, which is why I write this. Simply sharing my thoughts on the rattery and how I think of things, no matter what people say or do no one can bring you down.
I took a long brake from breeding, a little over 6 months now with out a litter. I have planned, but never paired. I wasn't ready to get back into the world which scared me so much, but I am now but I plan to avoid the dark places I got myself into in the past. I am lessening my litters, changing my ethics, changing the way my rattery works in general. But this is all for the best of my animals and not to impress anyone else. People will be free to read this, make your own judgment on who you wish to deal with. I will still breed and still do best by my animals no matter how you personally feel about who I am, but you are always welcome to my wonderful fur babies who only deserve the best I can offer them.
-Mikaylah