Welcome to the home of Inglenook Rats
located in Leominster, Massachusetts
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Thank you for visiting. My name is Brenna Young, and I breed rats for my own goals of improving the species, and to encourage the positive development of the rat fancy here in the US. It's my ambition to breed for good-natured, fearless rats of inquisitive, playful personality that are resistant to hereditary diseases and degenerative conditions.
I'm a club member of the National Fancy Rat Society, and the American Fancy Rat & Mouse Association. I work with black and Russian blue, in standard ear/coat. Under the AFRMA my rats are identified by the prefix NOOK, but are identified in other spaces and clubs by my rattery's full prefix, Inglenook. |
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I plan each litter with careful deliberation, and keep detailed records of my lines in order to improve my rats with each generation. Good health and temperament is just the minimum standard of my breeding program, it is from that groundwork that I also select for good type (physical structure), an important and underrated part of breeding robust, healthy animals (for which the standard is written). Coat quality/color becomes a consideration when health, temperament, and type are satisfactory. While I always strive to breed rats which excel as examples of their variety, the color of jacket my rats are wearing has the lowest priority, since ultimately it isn't something that benefits the rats themselves in their ability to be fit, healthy animals.
I breed only to improve upon all of these aspects in my own rats, and to ultimately work toward the standard of excellence as written by the national clubs of which I'm a part of. I do not breed for the purpose of selling or supplying rats to others; rats are only available as pets to approved homes when they aren't necessary to advance my line(s) in these ways.
I breed only to improve upon all of these aspects in my own rats, and to ultimately work toward the standard of excellence as written by the national clubs of which I'm a part of. I do not breed for the purpose of selling or supplying rats to others; rats are only available as pets to approved homes when they aren't necessary to advance my line(s) in these ways.
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I keep my breeding projects small and realistic, so that I can still make steady progress without compromising on my rats' enrichment, diet, or general care. I keep a rat-dedicated savings account so that I can be ready to offer medical care, even in emergencies after business hours. Rats who are suffering beyond help are euthanized when it's the only humane option, but I don't practice the culling of healthy animals.
Please have a look around my website, where you'll find information on my husbandry, breeding ethics, and procedures. |
About myself and how I started
My introduction to rats first came about during my course in veterinary science back in 2012. I've adored animals of all sorts since I was very young, including the creepy crawly or cold and scaly kinds, but rats as pets didn't really enter my worldview until my teacher began talking about them to the class. I remember her telling us of how a fellow technician kept rats which would sometimes ride along her shoulder at work, and what excellent and clever pets they are, if only they'd just live a bit longer. I thought it was interesting but tucked the thought away; it wasn't until a couple years later after I'd returned home from my professional grooming course at Maser's that I thought about rats again.
Let me just say really quickly, that I'm always so pleased and impressed when I receive questionnaires from new and inquiring rat owners, who have so thoroughly done their research on rat care. I certainly didn't start out that way. At the time I thought I'd done my research, and yet looking back I realize that much of what I'd learned was very old and out of date care.
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But thankfully things improved quickly, because once I'd actually gotten our rats home and really started to interact with them, I was obsessed! I spent all my hours of free time, nearly every day, pursuing more resources on rat care and ways of providing better enrichment for them. And truth be told, the learning never stops; I'm still always finding new ways of looking at rat care, because husbandry is always changing (hopefully for the better), and it seems with rats there's just always more to explore. They're really incredible animals which give back as much as you put into them.
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Rats had become such a huge part of my life, that in 2018 I had the first serious thought of breeding with the goal of improvement. I'd kept rats from all sorts of backgrounds, from feeder bin "rescues" to breeders, including those from both serious hobbyists and backyard breeders at a time when I didn't know the difference. Having such a range of characters was enlightening, and I saw that the rats from less scrupulous backgrounds more often lived less full and happy lives. Many of them struggled from chronic illness which could only be managed, some were quite stressed by human interaction or changes in their environment, and they would often pass away young and unexpectedly.
While I loved them dearly and they were still wonderful pets, that fact only made it all the more emotionally difficult for me to deal with. I remember one little doe in particular — a very tiny champagne girl with wavy fur and bubblegum-pink eyes — with whom I had an especially strong attachment to, and connected with me on such a level (a "heart rat") that when I'd lost her suddenly at the young age of 16 months to a pyometra it just really destroyed me.
These animals meant so much to me, that despite the constant heartbreak I just couldn't stop having them in my life. I decided to pursue the hobby of breeding rats in order to improve the quality of their lives, and time we get to spend with them as their people. I wanted to be able to advocate for them, and to spread awareness and cooperate with other breeders and fanciers as a larger group, to hopefully make a lasting impact on the welfare of the whole species.
While I loved them dearly and they were still wonderful pets, that fact only made it all the more emotionally difficult for me to deal with. I remember one little doe in particular — a very tiny champagne girl with wavy fur and bubblegum-pink eyes — with whom I had an especially strong attachment to, and connected with me on such a level (a "heart rat") that when I'd lost her suddenly at the young age of 16 months to a pyometra it just really destroyed me.
These animals meant so much to me, that despite the constant heartbreak I just couldn't stop having them in my life. I decided to pursue the hobby of breeding rats in order to improve the quality of their lives, and time we get to spend with them as their people. I wanted to be able to advocate for them, and to spread awareness and cooperate with other breeders and fanciers as a larger group, to hopefully make a lasting impact on the welfare of the whole species.
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I spent the two years that followed doing tireless research specific to breeding. I picked up reading recommendations wherever I could find them, and learned about different methods from a good range of breeders, including those in other parts of the world. I held many conversations with myself about what methods and ethics I'd like to adopt, as well as letting go of those which wouldn't be a good fit for me or my rats. I got myself involved in a couple of clubs, decided on whom to source my breeding foundations from, and at the very start of 2020 we welcomed our very first litter here at Inglenook Rats.
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But now you might be asking, surely rats aren't my entire life? I must have other interests too, besides breeding and talking about rats all the time! Well.. sort of. When I'm not doing rats, I spend much of my leisure time reading or playing games. I'm very much into video games, the fantasy genre and I enjoy watching anime from time to time. I occasionally do art when inspiration strikes, and I can say with some pride that I've illustrated a children's novel once in my life, although nowadays I'm not sure that doing commission work is really my cup of tea.
Alongside the rat family, I also have a very silly and clever border collie, as well as my wonderful partner with whom I share my interests (and play many games together such as D&D, a handful of MMORPGs, Monster Hunter, and so much more). She's always there to help me with the rats when I need a little extra hand, particularly when it comes time to playing and interacting with the babies. But truthfully, I don't live a particularly exciting life, and honestly it's kind of how I like it to be. I enjoy being able to spend most of my free time with the animals. And even when I am doing something else, like reading or playing games, most often I'll still have a little ratty friend or two sitting at my desk or buzzing about on the couch with me.
Alongside the rat family, I also have a very silly and clever border collie, as well as my wonderful partner with whom I share my interests (and play many games together such as D&D, a handful of MMORPGs, Monster Hunter, and so much more). She's always there to help me with the rats when I need a little extra hand, particularly when it comes time to playing and interacting with the babies. But truthfully, I don't live a particularly exciting life, and honestly it's kind of how I like it to be. I enjoy being able to spend most of my free time with the animals. And even when I am doing something else, like reading or playing games, most often I'll still have a little ratty friend or two sitting at my desk or buzzing about on the couch with me.
