Where Should I Buy My Rats From?
How Many Rats Should I Get?
Before you begin searching for your new rats, you need to decide how many you would like and if you would like to keep rats in the short- or long-term. Rats are social animals, so you will need at least 2 at any given time. People often recommend having at least 3 in case someone unexpectedly passes away so that you don't have a lone rat. Lone rats can become detached, stressed and ill, or can become very attention-seeking because of their loneliness, and this scenario should be avoided using good planning.
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If you would like to keep rats long-term, you will need a "rolling group", where new additions join the group so that there is a ~8-14 month age gap between one pair/trio and the next. This drastically reduces your chances of having a lone rat, provides a great group dynamic (more friends to interact with), and keeps the age gap large enough that you don't have an onslaught of vet bills in a short space of time from ageing rats. For new owners, I recommend either obtaining a friendly rescue pair/trio then adding a couple of babies, or obtaining a trio of babies. For existing owners, I recommend adding a pair or trio at a time while bearing in mind age gaps.
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If you only want to keep rats for a short while, you will need to have a plan in place for when you have 1 rat left. Some people prefer to rehome their rats when there are 2 left so that no one is left on their own. Some people have a home lined up for when they have 1 rat left. Some people decide that they do want to continue keeping rats so add more.
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Should I Limit My Search By Location?
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Short answer? No! Rats travel well if they're in a secure carrier with a nice layer of substrate, something to snuggle into (such as fleece scraps or bedding), some food sprinkled and a source of moisture such as cucumber or carrot. The only limit is however far you're willing to travel. Sometimes alternative travel options can be arranged too, such as meeting at a show.
Where Should I Get My Rats From?
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Reputable Rescue
There are many rats, both young and old, looking for a home in rescues for a variety of reasons. You can search for rat rescues in your area by searching online or asking your local rat clubs or breeder. Rat Rescue Network UK is a good source on facebook and is moderated by good people. Be sure to assess the rescue/person rehoming to ensure that the health and living conditions of the rats are adequate. Try to ask some questions to see if the rescue fits with your own ethics and whether you and the rats are a good fit. Consider any reviews of the rescue as well.
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Even if you only want to have rescues, it is a good idea to be on a waiting list or two with reputable breeders in case you're struggling to source new additions. This will help to prevent a lone rat scenario.
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My recommendations for the South East are Gerbil and Rodent Rescue (near Croydon, SE25), and Tag Pet Rescue (Margate, CT9), though there are many more rescues.
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Reputable Breeder
Rats from reputable breeders are a great option for those who are new to or inexperienced with rats, have limited time to socialise rats, want rats with a more predictable temperament and background, and/or want rats that have been bred responsibly. These breeders breed rats to advance health, longevity, temperament and type in their rats, and are mindful that many of the rats they breed will be going into pet homes. They do not breed to supply demand, and will not change their breeding plans to suit a pet home (eg. breeding dumbos because a pet home would like them).
Many breeders have some form of application process to determine the type of home being offered, and some operate waiting lists. As well as this, breeding plans don't always come to fruition and things can go wrong, As such, it may take time for breeders to allocate rats to you (6-12 months is a common time-frame). Because of this, it is worth being on a few waiting lists. Be open with each breeder about this, though.
The NFRS Breeders List has a list of registered breeders who wish to have their details provided. Note that the NFRS maintains a list of its studs and ratteries as a convenience, but doesn't endorse any stud, rattery or member. Therefore, it accepts no responsibility for any rats homed by breeders on the list. Because of this, you will need to look into and contact breeders that you are interested in and ascertain whether their ethics align with yours. If the breeder is not on the list but is intending to be once they can register, ensure that they are an active member in the fancy (which is very important at this stage) and they can provide references from people who are a registered NFRS breeder.
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When contacting a breeder, DO:
+ Introduce yourself and provide some brief background information about your current situation and experience.
+ Say what you are looking for (2-3 bucks/does, variety preference).
+ Ask any questions (eg. "How long is your waiting list?", "What is your application process?", "How are your rats kept?", "I'd like some advice on which cage to buy", "What are your breeding goals?", etc.)
+ Remember that most breeders have other things going on, such as work, families and their own pets, so may not be able to respond to your enquiry quickly.
+ Let them know if circumstances change once you've been offered kittens instead of ghosting them. That's a surefire way to end up blacklisted!​​
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DON'T:
- Send a short, generic message that gives the impression that you don't care (eg. "Have you got any rats for sale?")
- Ask for a single rat.
- Set a deadline for when you want the rats by. A vague estimate is fine.
- Ask for a variety that the breeder doesn't breed for.
- Expect to choose exactly which kittens you have. Breeders will ask for variety preferences, but will allocate based on which kittens will suit you the best and the kittens that they have.
Backyard Breeder (BYB)
It may be tempting to buy rats through websites such as pets4homes, gumtree and preloved. They may be closer than a rescue or reputable breeder, or have rats available at short notice. In general, some of the rats sold on selling sites are surplus stock from feeder breeders, some are people who have bred their pets for whatever reason (eg. "because I liked their temperament"), some are breeding for profit. Most, if not all, are breeding with very little regard or understanding for health, type and temperament. No doubt some are well-meaning, but ultimately if you are going to breed an animal you need to do so responsibly. Support from these breeders can also be questionable (I've seen BYBs tell owners that their new rats are bruxing when the rat has an upper respiratory infection).
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Below are some red flags to look out for. BYBs might:
- Almost always have kittens available to purchase
- Charge more for different varieties and ear/fur types, or use incorrect variety names (eg. 'brown', 'grey', 'husky')
- Not be able to tell you exactly where their foundation rats are from (BYBs usually breed from rats from rodents mills, other BYBs, or rescues, which have unknown backgrounds) or how they make their breeding decisions. "I got them from another breeder" is not a sufficient answer.
- Not be involved in the National Fancy Rat Society or local rat club
- Tell you their lines have "no health issues" or gives you a health guarantee. Rats unfortunately have to pass from something, and this is insincere. NO ONE can give you a health guarantee for ANY animal.
- Not ask you questions about you, your setup or care methods
- Sell you a lone rat (kittens need same-age company to develop properly), let you have more than 3 rats at once without mentioning the benefits of a rolling group of different ages
- Let you choose the exact kittens and very early on
- Home kittens before 7-8 weeks old and lie about their age
- Home out different sex kittens (both on purpose and accidental)
- Sell kittens that are small and fragile-looking. They may even be unwell or showing signs of stress
If you spot one of these red flags, ask follow up questions.​​
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​Pet Shops
Many people know about the awful conditions in puppy farms and the fallout people tend to have to deal with, but don't make the connection with other species. Pet shops usually source their rats from rodent mills, the rodent equivalent of puppy farms. These rats are bred with absolutely no regard for health and temperament, and are often sold with "no sex guarantee", so it is not uncommon that people are sold missexed rats and end up with an 'oops' litter!
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When asked, many large pet shop employees will say that the rats are sourced from "a breeder". This "breeder" is usually Simon's Rodents, which is a large rodent mill, or another large-scale breeder. Independent pet shops will also source their rats from a rodent mill or a backyard breeder, as no reputable breeder would supply a pet store. This is because breeders like to ensure that the homes their rats are going to are prepared, and like to receive updates so they can monitor for potential issues in their line. Breeders could not supply the demand of pet shops reliably either.
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It is worth noting that it is entirely possible to have healthy, friendly rats from a pet shop. But these rats are not the norm, and you are at a much higher risk of issues with pet shop rats than rats from a reputable breeder, plus this still does not mean that the rats were treated correctly. By purchasing pet shop rats, you are funding and fuelling demand for rodent mills, which means more rats will be subjected to the poor conditions and intensive breeding. By boycotting pet stores, demand is reduced. Some pet stores have stopped selling rats because of the lack of demand!
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Note about rats as Christmas/birthday presents:
1. They're not a toy. I get it, sometimes money is a bit tighter so a big thing has to be a present. That's fine, the set up can be the present! But the rats themselves aren't just for Christmas/a birthday, they're for the next ~2 years. We've all heard Dog's Trust's campaign by now against gifting animals for Christmas, and the same applies to rats! No, the set-up may not be as exciting as the rats themselves, but breeders and rescues don't want the rats to be a one hit wonder, then interest to be lost. If your child is happy to wait for the right companions, then you know they're another step towards being a responsible pet owner.
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2. If the kittens come to you close to Christmas/a birthday party, it can be a bit overwhelming. New environment, new people, new smells, away from most of their siblings; going to a new home can be a lot for a little kitten regardless of the time of year. Now add in the hustle and bustle and excitement of Christmas/birthdays, and it can just be far too much for them and start things off on the wrong foot.
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3. Kittens need a good amount of time investment to build a bond, especially at the start. Will you and/or your children have time to give to them when Christmas/birthdays are usually a very social time, and the children will want to play with their other presents too? You'll have less time than you think!
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4. Breeders and often rescues simply don't have rats to demand! Plus they would rather home to people who have been waiting, and wanted rats regardless of the time of year.
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Breeders and rescues will always be supportive of genuine people who want to have pet rats, and would be more than happy to help with getting the right set up as a present. But the statistics around pet homing as Christmas presents are alarming, and the rats’ long-term welfare and wellbeing will always be the top priority.
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Note about the legislation:
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It is important to remember that rats are used as feeders and in labs, so the legislation surrounding them and their care standards will be influenced by this.
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Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act, 2006 (AWA) states:
(1) A person commits an offence if he does not take such steps as are reasonable in all the circumstances to ensure that the needs of an animal for which he is responsible are met to the extent required by good practice.
(2) For the purposes of this Act, an animal's needs shall be taken to include—
(a) its need for a suitable environment,
(b) its need for a suitable diet,
(c) its need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns,
(d) any need it has to be housed with, or apart from, other animals, and
(e) its need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.
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Therefore, an individual is meeting their requirements under the Animal Welfare Act as long as the rats are housed, fed, watered, kept with other rats and any medical attention required is being sought. The statutory guidance for selling animals as pets licensing gives the dimensions below as minimum requirements. As a reference point, the pets at home XL hamster cage has a floorspace of 3197cm2, which according to the guidance can hold 10 rats for permanent housing. According to the higher housing standards, it can hold 6 rats permanently. Essentially, if the rat has space to lie down, move, groom and stand on its hind legs, can interact with other rats, and has nesting material, that constitutes the ability to exhibit normal behaviours. That's a pretty low bar in terms of care!
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The statutory guidance for local authorities states that "all selling animals as pets activities need a licence if they’re carried out as a commercial business, [where the operator] makes any sale or carries out the activity to make a profit [or] earns any commission or fee from the activity".
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However, rat breeding can fall under the following exemptions to licence requirements:
"- selling a small number of surplus offspring or excess stock from animals bred as a hobby, for pleasure, exhibition for prize, or for education, study or scientific advancement and for low-value species that may produce large numbers of excess stock, consider the value of the stock and the likelihood that the seller is making a profit​;
- non-commercial rehoming of animals"
And the breeder should be able to demonstrate that "they sell animals as a hobby, for education or scientific advancement, and that they sell only surplus stock, not for profit - evidence could include reports or studies about the species published in scientific journals, pet trade or hobby media or self-published, contributions to conservation projects, competition entry forms, or membership of a relevant club or society, [and] that rehoming is not for profit, and does not meet the business tests"
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There is a trading allowance of up to £1,000 a year for "casual services". If a breeder is making more than £1,000 in profit annually, then they require a licence. Licences require a payment to then inspection from the council, after which their licence can last between 1-3 years where there is a requirement for there to be 1 unannounced visit within the duration of the licence. Bear in mind that the officer making the inspection will have limited or even no expertise in animal welfare. If the inspection process is anything like the inspections for licensing involving animal activities, a vet is very rarely present. The purpose of the inspection is to determine that the licensee is doing the bare minimum.
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My two cents: I have had a licence for activities involving animals. My inspection was when I'd first obtained the animals and my setups were very basic as I hadn't had any time to improve them/deliveries hadn't arrived. An exotic vet was also present. The snakes had 2 hides, one either end, and a water bowl. The rats had a cage with a small footprint, one hammock and a couple of toilet roll toys. The frogs had a branch and an artificial trailing plant. Yet I had the comments that it was "one of the best setups they'd ever seen". After my inspection, I upgraded all of the enclosures to a point where I was happy with them and continued to improve them. If my setups were the best they'd ever seen, what kinds of conditions are other licensees keeping their animals in? There is also no legislation surrounding how many times a rat should be bred, the gap between litters, etc either. So I would encourage potential pet homes to take the quality of life ensured by licensing with a pinch of salt.
