| About Paradise Rattery |
Paradise Rattery is run by Me, Myself, and I, with a little help from my 3 yr old
apprentice. My name is Beth, and my daughter, Makani, oversees all work done here at the
rattery. She is in training, and learning well! I have been keeping and raising rats since
2002, and after many years of being intrigued by these smart little animals, I decided to
start my own rattery. In May of 2008, I started "Paradise Rattery" named for the
Paradise that we all seek. They are my release from the hectic work schedules, and stress
of the world, and bring peace to my life.
My first rats were from a pet store. Two little rats named Gypsy and Stewie wiggled
their way into my heart, and like a plague, my love for rats spread, and before I knew it I
had 12 squishies running around my house. My ex thought it would be great to breed two of
them, so we chose two females and a male, and 24 days later we had doubled our population!
There were 22 kittens born between the two, and they were the most fascinating things I
had ever seen. Born completely naked, eyes and ears fused, these helpless little pink blobs
of skin were going to transform into the loves of my life! I was hooked! I raised 3 of the
boys and found homes for the rest. A year later, due to changes in my life, I had to find
homes for all of my rats.
Another year went by, and after a divorce and having to leave everything behind, I
was lucky to have my dog and my rabbits. I continued raising rabbits for 4 yrs, showing as
often as I could to keep my mind busy. After the birth of my Daughter in Dec. 2005, it
became very difficult to continue showing, so I slowly found homes for all of my rabbits,
except one little rescue bunny named Happy. In the summer of 2006 A friend of mine
closed up her petshop, and had a few rats left that she hadn't been able to sell. I jumped
at the chance to take them, and I brought my new ratties home. My group consisted of a
fawn hooded female I named Kagome, a Merle male I named Inuyasha, and 2 hairless boys
named Nicodemus, and Splinter. I was amazed at the great color Inuyasha showed, and
wanted to see if I could get more of that color. I bred Inuyasha to Kagome in Sept. of
2006, and guess what I got.... all black hooded. Stumped, I decided not to breed them
again, as black hooded were difficult to place as pets (due to their color). I kept one little
male, and sold the rest. Shortly after, Kagome and Inuyasha died. The little boy I had kept
from their litter, I named Oliver, since he had become an orphan. Over the years, many
more ratties came and went, but Oliver stuck around, and was always such a sweet little
guy.
In July of 2007, I started wondering if maybe Oliver could be carrying the merle
gene. I researched all kinds of information I could find on rats, and searched for nearby
breeders. Much to my dismay, I discovered that the 2 closest breeders had shut down and
stopped breeding. The nearest breeder was over 3 hours away! Knowing that my time with
Oliver was limited, I acquired an agouti Hooded female, and not knowing anything about
color genetics, I was hopeful. Well, 25 days later, I was blessed with 12 tiny wiggling
blobs of skin. They all grew into cute little bundle of white and brown.... another failure. I
was still stumped, and determined to figure it out. I bred oliver once more to a beige
hooded female, and got.... guess again~ All agouti hooded. Frustrated, I searched and
searched for a new color to try. Finally, I happened to acquire a mocha berkshire female.
Excited, I bred Oliver one last time. Going on 2 yrs old, I knew this would be my last
chance. I waited, and waited, and finally the day came. Though the babies were as cute as
could be, and one was marked identically to Oliver, they were not what I had hoped for.
After my failed attempts to produce a desired color, I was determined to figure out what
I did wrong. After many long hours of research and late nights, I had gained enough
knowledge to understand that it takes more than breeding this with that to get what you
want.
After many months of reading and visiting other rattery sites, I decided that's
exactly what I wanted to do. So, in May of 2008, I opened Paradise Rattery and started
sharing my love for rats with the rest of the world. I have continued collecting as much
info as possible, and selecting only the best rats for my breeding program. I am breeding
for health, longevity, personality, and beauty all rolled into one tiny little package. I am
proud to provide the public with a happy, healthy little friend as a better alternative to
the overly produced and inbred pet store rats. I am continuing to learn as much as
possible, and I am really getting into genetics, and working my way up to pedigrees! I do
not breed according to public demand. My breedings are carefully planned out according
to what I am looking for in my lines. I offer a health guarantee on all of my ratties, and I
am readily available by email or phone to answer any rattie questions. I am very dedicated
to what I do. If I don't know the answer I WILL find it for you, and not leave you
hanging. I also do rattie rescues, and require that any rats adopted or purchased from me,
be returned if you are unable to keep them for whatever reason.
Thank you for taking the time to read about how we got started with rats, and I hope
you will open your heart and home to these awesome little creatures if you haven't already!
P.S. We lost Oliver on November 23rd of 2008. He lived a long happy life, and I am
proud to have started my rattery with the sweetest rat ever!
apprentice. My name is Beth, and my daughter, Makani, oversees all work done here at the
rattery. She is in training, and learning well! I have been keeping and raising rats since
2002, and after many years of being intrigued by these smart little animals, I decided to
start my own rattery. In May of 2008, I started "Paradise Rattery" named for the
Paradise that we all seek. They are my release from the hectic work schedules, and stress
of the world, and bring peace to my life.
My first rats were from a pet store. Two little rats named Gypsy and Stewie wiggled
their way into my heart, and like a plague, my love for rats spread, and before I knew it I
had 12 squishies running around my house. My ex thought it would be great to breed two of
them, so we chose two females and a male, and 24 days later we had doubled our population!
There were 22 kittens born between the two, and they were the most fascinating things I
had ever seen. Born completely naked, eyes and ears fused, these helpless little pink blobs
of skin were going to transform into the loves of my life! I was hooked! I raised 3 of the
boys and found homes for the rest. A year later, due to changes in my life, I had to find
homes for all of my rats.
Another year went by, and after a divorce and having to leave everything behind, I
was lucky to have my dog and my rabbits. I continued raising rabbits for 4 yrs, showing as
often as I could to keep my mind busy. After the birth of my Daughter in Dec. 2005, it
became very difficult to continue showing, so I slowly found homes for all of my rabbits,
except one little rescue bunny named Happy. In the summer of 2006 A friend of mine
closed up her petshop, and had a few rats left that she hadn't been able to sell. I jumped
at the chance to take them, and I brought my new ratties home. My group consisted of a
fawn hooded female I named Kagome, a Merle male I named Inuyasha, and 2 hairless boys
named Nicodemus, and Splinter. I was amazed at the great color Inuyasha showed, and
wanted to see if I could get more of that color. I bred Inuyasha to Kagome in Sept. of
2006, and guess what I got.... all black hooded. Stumped, I decided not to breed them
again, as black hooded were difficult to place as pets (due to their color). I kept one little
male, and sold the rest. Shortly after, Kagome and Inuyasha died. The little boy I had kept
from their litter, I named Oliver, since he had become an orphan. Over the years, many
more ratties came and went, but Oliver stuck around, and was always such a sweet little
guy.
In July of 2007, I started wondering if maybe Oliver could be carrying the merle
gene. I researched all kinds of information I could find on rats, and searched for nearby
breeders. Much to my dismay, I discovered that the 2 closest breeders had shut down and
stopped breeding. The nearest breeder was over 3 hours away! Knowing that my time with
Oliver was limited, I acquired an agouti Hooded female, and not knowing anything about
color genetics, I was hopeful. Well, 25 days later, I was blessed with 12 tiny wiggling
blobs of skin. They all grew into cute little bundle of white and brown.... another failure. I
was still stumped, and determined to figure it out. I bred oliver once more to a beige
hooded female, and got.... guess again~ All agouti hooded. Frustrated, I searched and
searched for a new color to try. Finally, I happened to acquire a mocha berkshire female.
Excited, I bred Oliver one last time. Going on 2 yrs old, I knew this would be my last
chance. I waited, and waited, and finally the day came. Though the babies were as cute as
could be, and one was marked identically to Oliver, they were not what I had hoped for.
After my failed attempts to produce a desired color, I was determined to figure out what
I did wrong. After many long hours of research and late nights, I had gained enough
knowledge to understand that it takes more than breeding this with that to get what you
want.
After many months of reading and visiting other rattery sites, I decided that's
exactly what I wanted to do. So, in May of 2008, I opened Paradise Rattery and started
sharing my love for rats with the rest of the world. I have continued collecting as much
info as possible, and selecting only the best rats for my breeding program. I am breeding
for health, longevity, personality, and beauty all rolled into one tiny little package. I am
proud to provide the public with a happy, healthy little friend as a better alternative to
the overly produced and inbred pet store rats. I am continuing to learn as much as
possible, and I am really getting into genetics, and working my way up to pedigrees! I do
not breed according to public demand. My breedings are carefully planned out according
to what I am looking for in my lines. I offer a health guarantee on all of my ratties, and I
am readily available by email or phone to answer any rattie questions. I am very dedicated
to what I do. If I don't know the answer I WILL find it for you, and not leave you
hanging. I also do rattie rescues, and require that any rats adopted or purchased from me,
be returned if you are unable to keep them for whatever reason.
Thank you for taking the time to read about how we got started with rats, and I hope
you will open your heart and home to these awesome little creatures if you haven't already!
P.S. We lost Oliver on November 23rd of 2008. He lived a long happy life, and I am
proud to have started my rattery with the sweetest rat ever!
Oliver~ 10/2/06 ~~ 11/23/08
Nicodemus and Splinter
Kagome
Inuyasha