Husbandry

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Q. How do you house your rats?

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A. I use a variety of housing. My general adult dwarf population is spread across Prevue 5524s (Ranch), Prevue 5528s (Suburban), and Prevue 528s.

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Pregnant does and mothers with newborns are housed in single-level bin-cages around 66qts until eyes are open around two weeks old for their safety - the top priority is to keep mom close to her youngsters, keep the youngsters toasty, and provide a safe environment preventing the risk of falls - as newborns will latch to mom to some surprising extremes!

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Once eyes are open, moms and their litters are moved into more spacious and enriched bin-cages where they get to start exercising their sea-legs and exploring! At this age until weaning, pups spend "kindergarten" in these grow-out habitats.

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Q. What do you feed your rats?

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A. The main diet generally consists of Kalmbach 18% or Mazuri Rodent Breeder 6F for the bucks and non-nursing does. Nursing mothers and their litters receive Kalmbach 23% or Mazuri Rodent Breeder 6F supplemented with a free-fed high-protein forage mix. Other members of the colony also get to enjoy a scoop of forage mix once or twice every week.

 

Babies and Temperament

 

Q. How often do I handle babies after they’re born?

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A. I keep handling minimal until pups are around 5 weeks old, when they are weaned. During the early developmental window I stick to health checks, weight checks, basic maintenance, and occasional quick photos. This prevents temperament masking and ensures I’m assessing each rat’s natural, genetically driven temperament—not behavior altered by frequent handling.

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Q. How do I test temperament?​

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A. Because I don’t interfere heavily early on, their true temperaments become very visible by the time they’re 4–5 weeks old. I observe:

• How they behave without human influence.

• Their reaction and recovery to unfamiliar noises and mild startle stimuli.

• How confident they are exploring on their own.

• Their interactions within the group.

• Their baseline comfort with human presence before any handling is introduced.

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At 5–6 weeks, once handling begins, my goal isn’t to teach them a personality—it’s simply to confirm what genetics already produced.

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Q. What happens if a rat displays poor temperament, skittish behavior, or aggression?

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A. Any rat showing persistent fearfulness, instability, or any form of true or hormonal aggression is removed from breeding consideration. Depending on the individual, they may be placed as a pet in a very specific home or kept here longer for careful evaluation. I never breed rats whose natural temperament isn’t stable, confident, and people-oriented.​​

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Q. Do I breed rats that have shown hormonal aggression?

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A. No, absolutely not. Hormonal aggression—whether in males or females—is a genetic red flag. Any rat showing HA or true aggression is permanently excluded from my program.

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Q. Have rats ever been returned due to temperament?

 

A. Because I breed for genetic temperament rather than relying on handling to mask undesirable traits, families have consistently received rats whose personalities match what they observed here. I make temperament the top priority in placement, and I stay in communication with adopters so we can address any concerns early.