Breeding Goals

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Inglenook Rats is a breeder of fancy rats located in Leominster, Massachusetts, and is a club member of the National Fancy Rat Society, and the American Fancy Rat & Mouse Association. I breed not for consumer demand, but for my own goals of improving the species, and to encourage the positive development of the rat fancy here in the US. The animals themselves are always at the center of my plans. It's my ambition to breed friendly and fearless rats of intelligent, playful personality that are resistant to hereditary diseases and degenerative conditions. The unfortunate majority of domesticated rats are brought into the world through unsavory circumstances; from parents with little to no known health history or background, or bred with no consideration for the rats themselves. Consequently, these lovely animals often suffer shortened lives, battling delicate health and their own fearful nature. This is not the life that rats should have to live. Rats are excellent, cheeky little companions full of zest for life and silly antics; there really isn't anything else like them. I'm grateful to share my life with such wonderful animals, and I want to do right by them by improving the quality of life of the species, and advocating the best that I can for them.

Alongside maintaining playful, affectionate temperament, and selecting for better health into old age, I'm also constantly working to improve my rats' conformation based on NFRS standards. The physical structure of a rat is an important and underrated part of breeding robust, healthy animals (for which the standard is written); breeding for good type is truly breeding for physical fitness. As breeders we — in place of natural selection — are responsible for the traits that are inherited in our animals. Without keeping conformation in mind, and even with the best of intentions, breeders may unknowingly be setting issues into their line, such as: tiny eyes that are difficult to see from, narrow heads which can lead to cramped nasal passages and tooth development issues, low muscle tone, delicate bone, or weaker hips and joints. Once set — intentionally or not -- such problems can be impossible to eliminate without outcrossing. It's quite a balancing act, as no rat is perfect in every department, but I always look at the whole rat when making my decisions about which rats to choose to advance the line, and the next generation should hopefully be an improvement for it.

Breeding Standards

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All of my rats are my pets regardless of whether or not they are involved in my program, and their well-being takes precedence over any breeding plans that I might make. Any rat who is not in the best of health will not be bred, nor will I breed rats under 6 months (preferably older than 8 months). Ideally does will only have one litter, but two litters may occur with justifiable reason, so long as the mom took well to parenting the first round. I keep my breeding projects small and realistic, so that I can still make good, steady progress without compromising on my rats' enrichment, diet, or general care. I'm not a fan of doing things in halves, or accepting bare minimum standards, especially not for living creatures.

I only breed to continuously improve my own animals in all aspects of health, temperament, and physical conformation. Rats are only available to adopters as pets when they aren't necessary to advance my line(s) in these ways. Rats are not homed out to adopters until they are between 7 and 8 weeks old. I only home them in pairs or more, and always with same-age company for younger rats. I like to educate new owners on the benefits of keeping a rolling group, and encourage adding new babies at approximately one year after adopting their first kittens from me, and/or adopting at least 3 rats to start if owners don't currently have rats at home. These practices are beneficial to the rats, as it helps to prevent lone rat situations if their cagemate passes away, where the owner is left scrambling for a replacement (and, additionally there are other benefits to a mixed age group). I don't promote the keeping of single rats.

I keep a savings account dedicated toward my animals so that I can be ready to offer medical care, even in emergencies after normal business hours. Rats who are suffering beyond help are euthanized, when it's the only humane option, but I don't practice or condone the culling of healthy animals. Any rats who are born more timid than I'd prefer, or with manageable health conditions, are kept back to live with me as pets, or may sometimes be offered to experienced, consenting homes who can respect their needs.

Requirements and Expectations

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I want my adopters to love and care for their rats for their entire lives, and I only ever home out my rats with the expectation that they will be provided with a forever home. Unfortunately, life can be less predictable than that. As a breeder I am responsible for the rats I bring into the world, and I do not want them cycling through different homes on craigslist, burdening a rescue, or otherwise abandoned. I have great respect for the people who work in animal rescue, and I also want my rats to live in homes where they'll be well-cared for, so I require any adopters who - for any reason - can no longer care for their rats to return them to me or allow me to help find them a new home. This is one of the most important things that I ask of my adopters. I will always take back any rats that I've homed out.
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I also ask that adopters keep in touch with me about their new rats. Occasional updates on how they're doing, whether it be health-related or just what kind of mischief they're always getting into, is vitally important information that I can use for the future benefit of the line. If I'm getting reports from adopters about a certain issue that may have cropped up, it's up to them to inform me of it, so that I can make adjustments to my breeding plans where it's needed.