Pet Rat Question

[sorraia]

Sometimes I think that as a feeder breeder, I can get rid of those problem genetics and breed the good genes faster than the pet breeders as I don't have to place every rat I breed. I am also right in the middle. IMHO, I am breeding some really excellent pet quality rats right now that I am REALLY proud of. Some will be food and others will go to be pets. If I find a problem in one of my lines, I don't have to find someone to adopt that whole line. They are not using space at home, and not in a pet home where they could have problems (health/temperament/etc).

With my breeders that I have no use for genetically, I find other feeder breeder friends who need them. I am way too attached to feed off my adult breeders unless they have an illness. I would love to get into the position where I can work on the longevity of my rats, as I feel that is a huge problem with pets and breeders alike. I want my girls to be healthy enough to continue producing for 2 plus years, even with the strain of harem breeding.

I do agree, quantity does allow you to breed out problems faster than someone who is only producing a few litters a years, because you do have more to select from. That's one of the fundamental disagreements between "pets" and "feeders", unfortunately. The "pets" don't want to see the rats go to food, so the unneeded animals would need to be pet placed. BUT there are only so many homes to go around, and what do you do with the rest of them? "Feeders" have solved that problem: feed them off. If there's a problem that truly is detrimental to the pet population, then from a biological standpoint it IS best that trait be eliminated with NO chance of passing it on. Best way to do that is to "off" that animal. The pet people, however, generally don't remove themselves that way. It is a cute fuzzy face that is just as deserving of life as the healthy one.

I do know there have been some very well respected pet rat breeders who culled their litters. They don't usually advertise that fact though, because then they'd be very much maligned and demonized by the hobby as a whole. Personally... I'd rather see a culled rat fed off, and therefore put to good use, than to simply be killed and thrown out like garbage.

Maybe what some people don't realize- I got into breeding my own rats because I was sick of seeing the poor sickly rats I was getting as feeders every week. Now that I breed my own, I know exactly what kind of care my fuzzies are getting and I know they have a pretty darn good life with treats and pets before they fulfill their purpose. Let's also not forget the fact that they are just so darn cute and fun! Breeding rats gets me though to ball breeding season.

Completely agree! A lot of people don't realize that. They make the (often bad) assumption that all feeder breeders are out to make a quick dollar. Produce as many rats (or mice) as possible in the shortest amount of time and the cheapest way possible. Simply not true in all cases (some sure, but not all!). I personally love what you say about breeding for food so you know what goes into them and you were sick of seeing the sickly rats you were getting. That's an excellent reason to breed your own. That goes along with how I feel about raising my own chickens and meat rabbits. Not everyone has to agree with it, I personally just wish there were more understanding and respect on the issue.