Rats Of Keona
Breeding Practices and Goals
There are three varieties I'm focusing on with the hopes of developing into colorbred lines: black/agouti, lavender agouti badgers, and Siamese. Colorbreeding means that only the desired colors are produced when the parents are bred together. This could be considered the rat version of being 'purebred'. Realize rats don't come in 'breeds' but rather in varieties. All rats are structurally the same with a few exceptions (dumbo, manx, and dwarf). Generally, a breeder will pick a couple varieties to focus on and ideally work to produce lines that produce consistency. Be wary of breeders that do not have an ultimate goal or outcome in mind for their rattery. If their focus seems vague, be assured their breeding practices probably are as well. When breeding for certain colors, it's usually best to work on a line that only produces that color. When a breeder uses rats that carry many different dilutions (hence they throw "rainbow litters"), those rats tend to have poor color. A black rat that carries many dilutions often looks dull, off black, or even a dark grey color. The fewer other colors in the line, the 'truer' the color you're working towards will be. This is especially important with a variety like Siamese, where any fading of color due to carrying recessives will wash out the shading and make the rat much more pale.
My number one priority is temperament. It comes above all else. I realize some feel health should be a rattery's ultimate goal, and while it comes a close second, I believe a rat who lives 3 years but can't be touched is not the way to own a pet. Nor is a rat that cannot be housed with other rats making it live a life of solitude. Rats should never bite and ones that do are never used in my breeding program. I also feel that maternal aggression is not appropriate and is heavily selected against. Some argue maternal aggression either cannot be selected against or that it is acceptable and I firmly disagree. I definitely see it run in lines suggesting a genetic propensity toward it. Also young rittens learn behaviors from their mothers so if you have a spooky, nippy mother she will teach her own rittens this. Maternal aggression is a matter of selection, just as selecting for friendliness towards humans in general was when we domesticated rats initially was. When selecting the best temperaments to breed from, I choose babies who are people oriented and neophilic - unafraid of new stimuli. Rats who, when handled, poop, squeak, stiffen or otherwise show extreme stress are not breeding candidates. There have been studies that show how living in a constant state of stress actually reduces longevity and causes strain on the immune system. Therefore, selecting from strong temperament and neophilia is actually selecting for better health and longevity as well!
After temperament, health is obviously our next priority. Realize that no line of rats and no rattery is free of health issues! A good rattery makes every effort to improve quality of life be selecting animals with the fewest issues to continue the lines and by properly documenting health issues that arise and longevity of breeding stock and offspring. Environment can play a pivital role in maintaining health and preventing illnesses. Rats kept on inappropriate bedding, for example, can suffer from respiratory issues that lead to an early death. Diet can influence the development of tumors as well as lead to obesity and weight related health issues, again leading to premature demise. The first steps are to make sure the living environment is ideal - appropriate bedding, a balanced diet with a lot of fresh, minimally processed foods, plenty of mental stimulation in their cages to reduce stress, etc. Next is the selection of breeding stock. I try to hold off breeding any rats as long as possible so I can best gauge their temperament and health. This is also why I tend to hold back many rittens from my litters. Because some of the breeders I got my original stock from were more focused on producing more rats and not selecting for health, I do see some things pop up in the first year of life that I have been able to select against. These same breeders rarely inbred and when they did, they did it very loosely, so I was able to bring some issues to the surface by doing a couple close inbeedings. I also have found that older bucks suffer from some hind end paralysis in their later lives and sebaceous cysts. I keep all my retired breeding stock (the only exception to this rule is to allow another breeder I am working closely with and share ethics with have a rat I'm done breeding and use in their colony) so I can fully evaluate their ongoing health and document their longevity.
I do believe that there is valuable data to be had from the rittens that go to adopters and absolutely try to maintain contact (a process that I'm continually fine tuning and developing), but I feel that the most important data comes from the animals that actually do the producing. Also, I know that the most accurate data will be from keeping the environment as constant as possible. Here, I feel a diet that is largely human grade and unprocessed - I feed a lot fresh foods and give my rats a lot of leftovers from our meals. My rats receive NO rat food/blocks and very little, if any, dog kibble. Therefore, comparing my stock to rats maintained on lab blocks, dog kibble, or rodent mixes (usually high in fat and seed content which promotes obesity and tumor growth), is like comparing apples and oranges. Likewise I know my rats' cages are kept very clean - regularly dumped and scrubbed. This help limit the ammonia from urine, therefore reduces the likelihood of respiratory issues. Comparing them to rats house on dusty, inappropriate bedding, or rats whose cages are kept less clean is again a poor comparison. These are some of the reasons I highly value holding back as many rats as feasible and never adopting out retired breeders. It will allow me much more thorough evaluation of health and longevity.
I try to breed females no earlier then 6mos old, though prefer 10-14mos old, in order to fully evaluate their type and temperament. Ultimately, I will be using males no younger then 12-15mos, though right now I have used slightly younger males in order to inbreed them in a timely manner to their sisters and mothers. The goal, however, is to breed to older and older does and bucks in order to promote longevity, and better select for health. My females rarely have more then one or two litters in their lifetime and the few situations where they have more then one litter is usually to inbreed on a son, or breed to another male to allow me to inbreed the half siblings together. I try to make sure there is ample time for recovery between litters which can range from 1-3mos (or more) apart depending on how well the doe recovers and which buck I hoped to use for the secord pairing.
The Ideal Rat
My idea of the ideal rat is one that encompasses type, temperament, health, and longevity. Obviously no animal (or person!) is perfect, but this is what my "perfect" rat would be and what I will be striving to achieve with the litters produced here. There are different ways and theories on how exactly to achieve these goals, but I feel these are attainable goals in the long run, provided the rats kept for breeding are carefully selected, given the best possible husbandry, bred as late as possible (thus selecting for slower maturity, and later sexual maturity/fertility which studies have shown to increase lifespan of a line), and records are carefully kept to track the line.
To start with, it would be people oriented and affectionate. It would enjoy playing rat tag with it's human, be licky and love to groom you when given the opportunity. It is easily handled, and seeks out handling - eager to come sit in my lap or come climb up my arm to go for a shoulder ride. This is not to say it cannot enjoy exploring, but it shouldn't enjoy exploring at the expense of spending time with it's human. Temperament should be rock solid with strong nerves. It should not be spooked easily and be calm no matter who is handling it. In the cage, it has no issue being mixed and matched with other rats, regardless of age or relation, and have no issues free ranging with rats from other cages.
This rat would age slowly, gracefully, with no chronic illnesses. Life expectancy would be 3.5-4yrs. It would be free of tumors and chronic respiratory issues. Clearly all living beings die from something, but these issues in the ideal rat wouldn't appear until late in life, rather then be something they live with for nearly all their life. This rat would live at least 3 full years in it's prime before showing signs of ageing.
The type I strive to achieve is based on the other show standards the rat clubs out there. We hope to develop a show circuit on the East coast as a way of evaluating breeding stock, unite East coast breeders, and educate the public. Some other clubs have varying degrees of type standards ranging from frustratingly vague to very specific. AFRMA has just put out an article with pictures to illustrate their view of proper type. Below, I've outlined other clubs and organizations definition of a rat with proper type.
National Fancy Rat Socity's standard (http://nfrs.org/varieties.html)
The Rat shall be of good size, does long and racy type, bucks being of a bigger build, arched over the loin, firm fleshed with clean, long head, but not too pointed at the nose. The eyes shall be round, bold, clean and of goods size. The ears shall be of good size, well formed and widely spaced. The tail shall be cylindrical and as long as the body, thick at the base, tapering to a fine point. The ears, feet and tail shall be covered with fine hair. The coat shall be smooth and glossy (except for the Rex type). Bucks are longer than does and have a harsher coat. Serious Faults: poor condition or health, bare areas, scaliness of ears and or kinked or short tail. Disqualifying faults: lack of whiskers, severe scabs, mites/fleas, obvious ill-health, intractability, and underage kitten (or appearance of being underage, i.e. baby fluff, underweight, undersize).
American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association (www.afrma.org)
Rats should have a long racy body maintained in good weight, large bold eyes, long clean head showing breadth and length, large ears, long tapering tail, and an average body length of 8-10 inches.
Rat and Mouse Club of America (www.rmca.org)
The rat should be of good size; females should be long and racy type; males should be of larger build, arched over the loin, muscular, well-toned, with long head, but not too pointed at the nose. The eyes should be large, round, clean, and full of life. The ears should be of good size, round, well formed, and widely spaced. The tail should be cylindrical, as long as the body, thick at the base, tapering to a fine point. The ears, feet, and tail should be covered with fine hair. The coat should be smooth and glossy (except Rex and Hairless). Males have a longer and coarser coat than females.
The best standard I've found for type is the one mutually agreed upon by the Rat Fanciers of the Lakes and Northern Illinois Rat Organization which has a standard much like a dog show standard laying out exactly what good type is. You can read this full standard here: http://www.niro-usa.org/urs.htm as it's long to copy here, but this is the standard I try to breed for. In summary, I'm working to produce a large rat who appears in balance with a well defined heads, big bold eyes, big, oval ears with good placement, a sleek, muscular, racy body with arched loin that tapers into a properly placed, thick tail.
Line Specific Information and Goals
Click on the variety to see the rats being used for each line and to read more about the specific goals, health concerns, and general data for each line.
Siamese Line - coming soon!
Lavender Agouti Badger Line - coming soon!
References
http://www.shunamiterats.co.uk/longevity.shtml
http://rodentfancy.com/pets/2009/04/longevity-in-the-rat/