Best dedicated rat forums?

Topic pretty much says it all....bp.net is nice, but looking for another forum specializing in rats.

Your not going to find any that accept people with feeder rats.

I am most likely just going to lurk.

And I am anticipating this, so I don't plan on advertising that I breed for feeders and pets....not that I am going to lie if they ask outright, but I think it is rediculous how high and mighty some of the pet only breeders think they are.

You won't find a bettter one then here. Is there some information that you are looking for there that you aren't getting here?

Disclosure*** By all means, there is absolutely nothing wrong with looking at 10 rat specific sites a day if that is what you want to do!!!! I am just curious.

Mike

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Originally Posted by ThyTempest

I am most likely just going to lurk.

And I am anticipating this, so I don't plan on advertising that I breed for feeders and pets....not that I am going to lie if they ask outright, but I think it is rediculous how high and mighty some of the pet only breeders think they are.

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Doesn't seem like you realize how ignorant you're seeming when you don't know how long some of those "high and mighty" breeders have worked on their lines. It takes years and years to remove genetic diseases such as megacolon out of lines. Then feeder breeders get quality rats and just mess up the genes by breeding to feeder-quality rats and wonder why they get megacolon or dead babies from poor immune systems.

I have rats that are registered and pedigreed and have longer pedigrees than most dogs.

Yes, some rat people are neurotic to an extent, but you need to understand why. They have put time, money, and more time into creating healthy lines of show-quality rats(yes, show-quality...).

How would you feel if I just wanted your ball python babies as feeders for my Cobras or Kingsnakes? To me, it's all in the same ballpark.

I have no complaints for the info I get here, I am just wanting to lurk at a site that has a bit more info/faqs/caresheets/discussion etc on rat topics....mostly breeding (breeding itself, colors/markings), diet and caging. I have been really happy with the community here and again, I have no complaints, I just want to see what other communities are discussing and see how they size up.

Basically...I just really like our rats, and I want to find some extra places to lurk for when we have a lull here.

www.ratguide.com

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Doesn't seem like you realize how ignorant you're seeming when you don't know how long some of those "high and mighty" breeders have worked on their lines. It takes years and years to remove genetic diseases such as megacolon out of lines. Then feeder breeders get quality rats and just mess up the genes by breeding to feeder-quality rats and wonder why they get megacolon or dead babies from poor immune systems.

I have rats that are registered and pedigreed and have longer pedigrees than most dogs.

Yes, some rat people are neurotic to an extent, but you need to understand why. They have put time, money, and more time into creating healthy lines of show-quality rats(yes, show-quality...).

How would you feel if I just wanted your ball python babies as feeders for my Cobras or Kingsnakes? To me, it's all in the same ballpark.

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I dont think I seem ignorant at all. I realize the blood, sweat and tears that many pet rat breeders have put into their colonies...but the fact is, just because we breed for feeders doesnt mean we arent careful about what we are doing. I got almost all of our rats from Connie, save for 2 from petco, which we dont do holdbacks from. We only plan to bring in blood from established colonies from people we learn to trust...not just some joe schmoe, which may seem like what I am doing....but that would be incorrect...who just breeds because he fell into it or whatever.

Whether a rat is being bred for a pet or for a feeder should make no difference. It is like the whole community says as a whole...dont let one bad guy in the industry ruin it for the rest of us. Not all feeder breeders are bad/not reputable...just like not all burm keepers are going to go release their snakes into the everglades when they get too big.

you can try www.ratchatter.com
I am a member there, just haven't been on much lately.

I think you missed her point entirely.

For example: ME
I put a lot of time into rats, so much so people think I'm a bit crazy for how much time and study and play time I put into these rats, BUT (big ol' but)

I am no where near the dedication and intimacy fancy rat breeders are with their own stock. They are 10,000 times more devoted than I will likely ever be in regards to their pairings, genetic pedigrees, and just plain socializing.

If you plan on charging ahead anyways and trying to meet them in a middle ground, I have some emails I'd share with you first on the responses I got when I reached out to them.

They will not accept you; plain and simple.

I have joined a few rat forums, but honestly, not my thing.

I lurk on goosemoose. Recently I contacted an admin over an issue with a local loony I did business with basically warning them about her...anyway I told the admin I was a feeder breeder and I'm not banned....But I also don't talk about it at all or post classifieds. If you do the same I'm sure you can find plenty of places to post....Just keep the feeder thing under wraps.

I read the article from BVR on the goosemoose site....the rattery is only an hour or so from us...and I was a little surprised. One...his vet costs were over the top...most of the stuff was fine, but there were a few things on the list that just bugged me. The one that annoyed me the most was the charge for euthanasia. CO2 is by far more cost effective, and is still endorsed by several animals rights organizations, etc.

Apart from that, I still think they are high and mighty. I don't believe a potential breeder needs to be a master of everything rat before they can breed. Take the "high and mighty" stance on megacolon for instance. Ratteries and the higher end private breeders are very careful about keeping megacolon out of their lines, but they assume that every feeder breeder is going to screw it all up. I see no difference between this and what almost everyone on this site will protest against when the gov comes knocking because a handful of people let out some burms or retics.

I honestly believe that these people are taking their hobby to the extreme. Before I got our rats from Connie, I contacted several ratteries in the area, and none of them were willing to even talk to me about any breeding plans. All of them quickly ended the conversation as soon as feeders came up. What I think a good alternative would have been is..."Typically I dont sell to feeder breeders because I have found that the majority of them do not take this seriously, but I would be willing to mentor/"Get to know
you to see if you would in fact be suitable for a potential client"

I realize this is a lot of potentially tedious "homework" on the sellers part...but isnt the overall expansion and progression of the hobby and the rats their main concern to begin with?

I think I have been taking the generous, helpful and overall good nature of this forum far too light, and I am sorry, I just wish people in other hobbies could be so open minded too.

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Originally Posted by ThyTempest

I realize this is a lot of potentially tedious "homework" on the sellers part...but isnt the overall expansion and progression of the hobby and the rats their main concern to begin with?

I think I have been taking the generous, helpful and overall good nature of this forum far too light, and I am sorry, I just wish people in other hobbies could be so open minded too.

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Austin, You've gone a repeated pretty much my own thoughts from what I've told fancy breeders.

They do not like that you feed any of their offspring off (and potential suffering), that they will not have control of any potential offspring that you sell or give away, the shortened life span from constant breeding; they do not like the housing we keep them in, what we feed them, the way we care for them.

They put years of effort into perfecting these rats as companion animals, they see absolutely NO reason to give these companion animals to feeder breeders, because the main goal for feeder breeders is to produce FOOD in BULK, Not friends. Especially after their breedings are based on careful consideration of temperament, color, shades, physique, size, geneology, etc etc etc.

Just get used to it, your preaching to the choir, but frankly, unless you find one like/more open minded than Becky, you will never get a rat or lick of time from these people if you are open about your intentions.

what do rat breeders do with the extra rats keep them for ever? rodents are mostly for food. I like them too,but pedigrees thats a little crazy.also ball pythons for feeders I have no proplem with that either cobras eat other snakes they need to eat too.

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Originally Posted by greghall

what do rat breeders do with the extra rats keep them for ever?

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YUP, if they can not find a home for their prefect little rat they will keep them, or find another rat breeder with the same ethics and trade. truely just do a search fo rat breeder, amazing what you will come up with.
I was breeding rats long before i had a snake, and trust me, if the rats you are breeding did not come with a pedigree they will not sell you one of theirs.

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Originally Posted by JamieC

YUP, if they can not find a home for their prefect little rat they will keep them, or find another rat breeder with the same ethics and trade. truely just do a search fo rat breeder, amazing what you will come up with.
I was breeding rats long before i had a snake, and trust me, if the rats you are breeding did not come with a pedigree they will not sell you one of theirs.

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thats cool,people think im a wierdo with snakes & rats.:)

Everyone is going to have their own personal set of values. I can totally understand where the rat people can't stand the thought of feeders.

Would you sell your snakes to a boot maker? Would you sell puppies to someone into dog fighting?

I'm not saying they are the same by any means...Snakes HAVE to eat, but rat people can say keeping snakes is unnecessary. They have the right to not deal with feeder breeders and trying to get them to see your point of view is like hitting an atheist over the head with a bible.

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Originally Posted by greghall

thats cool,people think im a wierdo with snakes & rats.:)

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I don't...I have both, and both are fun...I just don't have pedigrees for my rats

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Originally Posted by onebreitgirl

They have the right to not deal with feeder breeders and trying to get them to see your point of view is like hitting an atheist over the head with a bible.

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so true...so tell those bible thumpers to stop knocking on my door:D
my head hurts.

Thanks for the reality check Connie...young and stupid...no...naive.

Either way, agree to disagree...I'll stick with this crowd through and through, we really have a great community here...not just a discussion board.

And Becky, I hope you didn't take offense to anything I said, if so, I am sorry, and I am sure you are tired of dealing with the people who think exactly like me about this issue all the time.