​I include statements to acknowledge, such as requiring involvement in any rehoming, not breeding from the rats without prior permission, and a bit about budgeting for vet care. These don't necessarily need to be questions, but are useful for the home to bear in mind.

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My homing form is here for reference. Note that it includes a link to the government's guidance for reducing the risk of human infection from pet rodents. Displaying this is important for awareness and is also part of the NFRS Guidelines for Selling Rats. Displaying this on the homing form is the easiest way to do it, but if you do not use a homing form ensure that you display it somewhere where a potential home will definitely see it.

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Some people will ask for the potential homes to visit them or have a video call. This can be a good way to get to know someone and help them, but it is also very time- and energy-intensive so don't feel bad if you aren't able to do this. I rarely have home visits, but if I do have energy and children are involved I'll try to time it with a clean out so we can make some basic toys and have a go at setting a cage up, handle the rats, then put them into the cage and watch how they use each item. Life can get in the way of those nice things though, so don't feel bad if you can't facilitate that.

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I would recommend not treat the vetting process as a way to determine whether or not someone is "good enough for your rats". Everyone starts somewhere and some of the best homes I've homed rats to have needed a bit of guidance at the start. Equally, some of the most troublesome homes I've had have been the ones who looked fantastic on paper. Try to be encouraging as, again, everyone starts somewhere and someone doesn't always know what they don't know.

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If a response to a question is inadequate or worrisome, then I recommend raising it in follow-up contact. Mention what you have noticed and why, then have links to information about various topics at hand to share. If someone fills in the form with "whatever you recommend", I will send links with info and ask them to let me know what they decide on. If they ask me to tell them what to buy, I reiterate that building the confidence with researching is important as I may not always be to hand for advice.

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You may choose against homing to someone because of serious welfare concerns or inconsideration during the homing process. I would advise against overly publicising what will get people blacklisted as otherwise they will lie about it. It is also better to take things on a case-by-case basis. Blacklisting someone is not fun and not to be taken lightly, but also bear in mind that you don't have to blacklist someone just because someone else has. There have also been instances where I was puzzling over whether or not to home someone again, given them advice and support, and they have grown from it.

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I ask for a name, contact information, and postcode as part of my homing. This is personal data and as such should be treated in accordance with GDPR. I ask for the minimum information required, for a strict purpose, and I regularly review the data that I keep. I do this by sending out an annual email to everyone on my mailing list and message those who opted to only be contacted via messenger. This message/email asks whether they would like me to keep hold of their information and homing form, and gives a time limit for response (usually 1/2-2/3s of a month). Nil response leads to removal from my list. This also clears out people who aren't looking for kittens anymore but haven't got back to be saying so.

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Taking Interest for Kittens

I recommend not taking interest for or reserving kittens until they are at least 4 weeks old and are eating solids well. This is partly because it is unfortunately always possible that something awful could happen, and then you would be in a horrible situation having to let people down. But it is mainly because you simply can't assess who you intend on keeping until the kittens are at least 5-6 weeks old and taking interest before this time can lead to frustration if people drop out between reserving kittens and being allocated them. In general, I take temperament notes at ~4.5 weeks, do a first assessment based on conformation at 5 weeks and make a shortlist with provisional final decisions at 6 weeks (ie. choose which 2 I'm keeping and which 2 would be my back up choices). Then if something crops up between 6-8 weeks I will switch with a rat on my shortlist. So I take interest for my kittens at 6 weeks old, make exact allocations by 7 weeks old and give the person with the shortlisted rats the disclaimer that the kittens may change or not share a photo until later. Kittens can then be collected from 8 weeks old. If you are concerned that it may take some time to receive interest for all of the kittens then taking interest when they are just over 4 weeks old may work well. As you become more established as a breeder they tend to go faster. My record is 30 kittens reserved within 3 hours so it can get quite intense and therefore it is useful to mark a quiet day for when you take interest for kittens.

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I would also suggest keeping a reserve list in case someone has to pull out for whatever reason.

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I would advise against homing kittens as gifts and supporting pet owners in gifting an appropriate set up with the rats following soon afterwards. Christmas queries can be tricky to handle, but publishing something about not homing at Christmas tends to minimise these.

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Allocating Kittens to Homes

When allocating kittens to a home, consider the experience of the home, what goals they have for the rats (pets for children, showing, etc.) and what preferences they had for temperament and variety. Variety preferences will be at the bottom of the list in terms of considerations, but it is nice to work them in where you can.

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I have found that the most reliable notes with regards to temperament are from when the kittens are 4-4.5 weeks old, though notes after this are also useful. From the rats that I am not keeping, I will pick the most confident kittens and split them between the first time owners, then the next least experienced home, and so on. I will then take the shyest kittens and split them between the most competent homes. The kittens who are in the middle are then allocated. Where a trio is to be homed, I will try for 2 confident kittens and 1 medium kitten for first-time/less experienced homes, 1 confident, 2 medium for middle of the road homes, and 1-2 medium and 1-2 shy for the experienced homes if there are no confident kittens left. I don't home all confident kittens together as they tend to have quite strong personalities and they form a more cohesive group when they have a mix of personalities. I don't home all shy kittens together as I want one of the kittens to be a positive influence on the other.

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If I have a kitten with a fault (eg. an umbilical hernia or fatty eye) or they are a less desireable variety (pink-eyed varieties sometimes get a bit of a reaction), I contact the homes for these kittens first. When offering these kittens I will explain the fault or any misconceptions. If they are then rejected, they can go to the next person on the list.

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Collection

Collection should be from when the kittens are 6 weeks old as a minimum. In practice, it is better to give them a bit more time so that they can become more robust. You may choose to keep larger litters or small individuals for longer than you would normally. You may choose to home kittens out a touch earlier than you would normally if a heatwave is coming, for example. I have done this before as my rat room gets quite warm and the kittens produce a lot of heat.

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I tend to give people 30-minute slots in my calendar, though some collections may take longer than this. If they are late and you have someone else coming, you will need to be quicker and may not be able to discuss as much.

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Some people make kitten packs, which may include things like a toy, family tree, a bit of mix, or a wet meal. Some people, like me, do not. My reason is that raising kittens is time- and cost-intensive as it is and I provide a mass of information/guidance as well as prompt advice. So there is no obligation to make kitten packs, but if this is something that you get joy from then go for it! I used to ask if people wanted mix at collection at cost, and this was a really nice way to show people what a good mix looks like. I have stopped doing it for now as I have changed my mix and am waiting to be happy with it again.

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It is better to provide written pre-homing information rather than info-dumping at collection, where people won't remember what you said. My pre-homing information includes:

- Birth dates

- Parents

- Variety

- Any notes about the kittens

- Pick up date, time and location

- What type of carrier to bring (having collections when pet stores are open or having spare carriers for sale can help if someone turns up with something unsuitable)

- A reminder to be on time or let me know if there is unforeseen traffic

- Details about returns (a 14-day returns policy is in the NFRS guidelines for homing rats)

- Info about intros and rolling groups

- Request for annual updates

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I tend to have the kittens and their parents in show tanks for collection. My doe group also lives in the living room where collections take place. If the person is late, I will put the parents away or not get them out for the home to meet to save time. If I have multiple collections in quick succession, I will have the other kittens ready in case someone runs over and/or someone comes early. If I am meeting someone at a show or at the train station then I only bring the kittens. I will also give the kittens a dose of ivermectin as I get them ready for collection so that I know they've definitely had it and we know what date they had it. Harkers is cost-effective.

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When the new owners arrive, I will show them each kitten and do a final health check. I will then show them the parents and get them out for everyone to meet. I will then cover when the kittens had their last wet meal, answer any questions, show them my mix and downstairs rats if it would be helpful and point out any other relatives, and mention that the kittens have had their ivermectin dose. It is very important that new owners and children feel as confident as possible with handling as this sets them up for success, so we will practice handling with the adult rats first. The adult rats tend to be more forgiving and patient with mishandling and their larger size and being a bit calmer helps people build their confidence. We will then go back to the kittens and handle them. I always have people move their kittens into the carrier.

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Check that the carrier has a bit of food and a moisture source. It's always worthwhile having some spare cucumber, apple or carrots in the fridge just in case it's needed. Even if it's only a short journey it's worthwhile having something in there for them.

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Ask for them to let you know what they decide to name them for your records (much nicer than the tail marking code I give mine pre-homing) and to let you know how they settle in. It's very important to foster good communication with the people you are homing to and they should feel comfortable coming to you for advice.​​

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Post-Collection Care & Follow Up

Ultimately the rats do not belong to you once they leave your home and you cannot control every home and what they do. While this can be scary and worrying for some people, you just have to trust that your vetting and homing process and doing your best to breed healthy and tractible rats minimises any issues. My approach is to be very hands-off once the kittens leave my home, but if someone needs advice or wants to share cute photos and videos then I am all for it. I will also make a post on social media whenever a birthday comes up and remind people to provide any updates. Most people will give updates around their birthday, when expressing interest in new additions, when the rats eventually pass away or some other random time so I just roll with it. Some breeders have another google form with questions they have about the rats as adults. These tend to focus on their health and sociability. Realistically though, there are some people who you will never hear from again, or never hear from again after a few months.

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New owners tend to need a bit more hand-holding after homing, but their enquiries tend to be quite simple in nature. For example, bonding recommendations or introductions advice. They can also panic over health issues more if they arise, and can sometimes make decisions that you wouldn't have. Try to remember that they are new to this and they are learning. When we all look back at our rat keeping experiences I'm sure there are things we would do differently given the chance. I know I would and I even make decisions now that I later think could have been better dealt with. Hindsight is 20:20! If they ask for advice, just do your best and guide them where you can. If you don't know the answer, don't be afraid to just share ideas and give the caveat that you're not sure. This goes for questions from more experienced keepers too.

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Unfortunately, it won't always work out and you can't always forsee issues, plus people may decide not to keep rats going forward and need help with rehoming their last pair or individual. You should be offering a 14 day 'cooling off' period from the day the rats are homed as standard, where you will take the kittens back if needed. Some people will offer switches, though smaller-scale breeders rarely do this as they keep so few rats back as it is. Outside of this window, you should always keep some spare space and set ups in case of returnees. I usually try to arrange a new home in advance for them to immediately go to to minimise the amount of change and stress for them but this isn't always possible. I usually favour this approach if the rats are being homed out because the keeper isn't keeping rats going forward anymore and the rats are without issue. If they have mentioned something of concern or I have concerns about the home, then I prefer for the rats to come to me or go to someone who I trust if I'm unable. It is also important to keep a vet fund for returnees as unfortunately there are people who will return rats with a health issue that they try to mask and some rats can come back in quite run down shape. Even minor issues can pile up cost-wise. A quarantine space is valuable to have in case they have picked something up that could impact your own rats too. Unfortunately people aren't always honest, and they haven't always been as good to the rats as you would have hoped. Rats may also be returned with behavioural issues that need to be addressed, so allocate time for this on their return. But the good news is that if they are with you then they are in good hands! Please bear in mind that t​​​​​​​he negative instances are very few and far between but are worth raising so that you can be prepared for them.

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The most important thing post-collection is to be responsive and provide advice where needed. Having resources to point to can be useful if you're tight for time. Most homes will provide the cutest updates and make you feel all warm and fuzzy. Nothing is cuter than a video of a kid trick training their rat!