A Colorado Rat Breeder - Camarattery

I have a line of Sprague Dawley rats coming in a couple of months. These are from a rattery I am mentoring, being a nurse was able to get them from work at the hospital with the ever so extensive pedigrees included.

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Sprague Dawley are a line of lab rats bred for health, strength and vitality. They typically live 3.5 years. They are PEW hooded rats. They are a General-purpose albino stock. A  very docile,outbred rat. They are resistant to many of the things they are tested with. So they are very healthy, and their genetics of course are very well documented and mapped. So in laymens terms, they are not going to add anything negative into my lines. They can in fact clean my lines of any issues that are present that I don't know about. Of course I wont just breed them into my lines in good faith with out testing them for several generations 1st like I always do. Because I need to see if I like them 1st. But I am thinking I will.

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I also really want a line of PEW Dumbo rats. They are a passion of mine.:P And I need them to clean up the hoodeds I have. Or just to replace them in general.-I prefer the latter.

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Want info? Go here:

http://www.harlan.com/products_and_services/research_models_and_services/research_models/sprague_dawley_outbred_rat.hl

Or just google them!

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Definition of an outbred stock (http://www.isogenic.info/html/outbred_stocks.html)

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An outbred stock is a colony of laboratory animals within which there is some genetic variation, which has been closed for at least four generations. It is usually maintained to minimise inbreeding, which should not normally exceed one  percent per generation. This can be achieved with random mating using at least 25 breeding pairs per generation. A breeding scheme which ensures  that each breeding male is represented by one male, and each breeding female is represented by one female in the next generation can halve  these number. Usually this is achieved using a rotational breeding  scheme. However, most commercial colonies are maintained with hundreds  or even thousands of breeding animals where genetic drift due to  inbreeding is likely to be minimal, but the stock characteristics may  change as a result of selective breeding (e.g. for fast growth rate) or  genetic contamination (i.e. getting two stocks mixed).

I have a new line of marked rats. I will post them to my site once they are out of quarantine.

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I also have a new line of Pearl merles and Mink Merles! These will need to be bred for self as they have markings right now.

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H2R in the Springs will be working on the marked rats too!

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Update: They are posted. They are non High White (safe) Dalmatians!

Everything is fantastic! I have dumbos everywhere! All my lines are fully progressed and all my golas are met. Which means my rats are perfect, longevity is extreme, health and temperaments are fantastic and the ears are all dumbo! What more can I ask for! This year will will have some exciting litters from the blazed line, the hairless and blues. The Roans are looking excellent for this year too. Make sure your getting on the wait lists way ahead of when you want babies because they are going fast!

Wow that was a lot of work! You wore me out! The babies will be going home tonight and tomorrow. I will be taking a bit of a break after this! I will start having adopters over after the next months round of babies is born, weaned and ready to go home.

Also for those of you who adopted please send me a testimonial so that I can post them to my site. And don't forget to send pictures so that I can post those too!

Enjoy those babies!

When I got the Roans a few years ago, they were aggressive and had severe cataracts at age 3 weeks. They needed tremendous out crossing, as both of these were genetic.

So far I have not see those issues again, and I have line bred to check it. But I know that its got to still be there. So for the first half of 2012 I will be out crossing them with my other lines again. I am trying to lessen their original blood. So during this period you will see litters with no Roans in them. The babies will be all black or agouti. This will cement the good traits that I have worked to hard at breeding into my lines.

I finally completed my goals on the hairless line. They are now all dumbo/pink/dwarf.  This line has now reached perfection. So thats one less thing for me to do. Congrats to me!

- And it only took me 8 years...........

As most of you know one of my adopters burglarized my home in February. They took everything my family had except our clothes and some of our furniture.. Some of the animals were taken as well.

Obviously this has changed how I feel about having adopters in my home. And its changed how I feel about the rats in general, my passion is not completely lost but I have a hard time letting rats go because my trust has been lost. Even though I know 99% of my adopters are good people I am having a hard time determining who is who. My aggressive new German shepherd tends to be a better judge of character than I am. I pity the fool who comes into my home with bad intentions next time.

As a result I have adopted out most of my rats over the past few months, going from 50 standard rats to the teens. So I will no longer be breeding as much as before. I simply cannot. And I no longer have the big cages to hold that many rats. Those critter nations were just to laborious and taxing to clean.

I cant post nice pictures anymore, I cannot let anyone in my rattery to see or play with the rats, its just sad, sad situation.

I feel as though I am not appreciated or respected. Since the burglary I have literally had dozens of adopters be very rude to me and chew me out for not having rats for them as if its all about them. Which its not. Its actually all about me and my family. This all during the time I was shut down for months and had that posted clearly on my site. So this has made me not want to deal with the adoption process in general since no one is reading my site.

On a positive note I have had some very, very wonderful adopters who have gone out of their way to help me and have been very charitable as well. And I and my family are very appreciative of that.

Having said all of this, I am no longer breeding as much as I used to. So you will have to wait to get great rats. And its going to take me 20 X longer to post pictures about the babies I have because I can't get pictures like I used to, I may not post pix at all. I am obviously still keeping my site up to date. So there is no reason to ask me if a certain rat is available, they are clearly marked available or reserved, so that's easy to see, its just irritating to keep telling people this. The date I update is on the home page. You can't miss it.

I am normally never a negative person. And I am sorry to post this. However very few people seem to be understanding and patient.  I know no ones life is easy, but we don't have to make everyone else miserable too. Just everyone be nice. I am here to help you and you are helping me by taking the babies I am not keeping. I just have to be more careful now.

So the changes are that you wont be expecting pictures and I will not be breeding as much.

Sorry I haven't been doing anything for the past 2 months since the burglary. I have put the rattery aside to train my German Shepherd. He's already graduated basic training and now in his intermediate classes. But he takes a lot of time and its really paid off. The rats can wait to be bred, but there is only a certain time in the dogs life that he can be trained before its too late. And that time is now. I can't have an out of control 110 lb guard dog in the house with an 8 year old. So I have got to put everything I have into him right now.

I haven't been doing breeding's like I should but I have posted some new breeding plans for May on my planned litters page. This will get me back on track with things. I had to make plans because I keep telling myself I will get back to breeding but I just haven't been able too. But I am putting the pairs together now and they can spend a week or 2 together and that will make sure I have babies coming.

Due to me needing a life, and not having one for the past 7 years. And in order for me not to continue to be burnt out I have new hours for adopters to come over.  We are here the other days and but I am not offering them as pick up times because I want to spend it with my husband, son and my dog, who is now in training classes for the next year or so...

Thanks for understanding!

I am only available weekday evenings.

The rest of my time is reserved for my family.

I am ending my Mink line, the Harley line and the PEW lines. I am having trouble multitasking everything I do as a breeder, a mom, a teacher, a home owner, a wife, club president and a best friend. So I have to cut back on the things I am less passionate about, because they are either inferior health wise or aggressive. Having too much to work on right now is really sucking my will to live so to speak and I have to cut back. After talking with Karen of H2R about it and getting things off my chest about it we both decided that I don't need these 3 things. I am not able to focus on my favorite lines when I have to much going on. My cages need thinning out so that I am not over whelmed with cleaning every other day. 

Camarattery is now mobile friendly! We are the 1st rattery to offer this. If you are using a smart phone you will now be able to avoid the big site and difficult navigation links with slow loading times. Everything is now automatically brought up on your phone using the all new mobile web application I have downoaded to my website.

Now you can take Camarattery with you where ever you go! Happy surfing!

Amy

Well its the end of the year again and time for us to weed out the rats we do not plan to use in our breeding program or those who are not carrying dumbo.

For 2011 we plan to be an all dumbo rattery except for our new line from Connie Perez of RG rattery in CA. Her rats do not carry dumbo, so that will be our only "ear" project for the year.

All of the others are up for adoption right now on the adoption page. So please see if there is an adult that tugs at your heart strings.

I have also listed a rare pair of dwarf rats for adoption on the adult page. So if you are a long time adopter those might interest you since I NEVER adopt out dwarf.

I have updated my navigation bar to make it easier for you to use. Just hover over the links for more options. Please log in to post a comment and tell me how you feel about the new navigation bar.

Finally we got our 3rd Critter Nation in yesterday. This one is for the babies. This cage is for the litters and moms. Once the babies reach 2 1/2 weeks old they will move into the critter nation. They will be housed in the bottom portion of the cage. And once the litter reaches 5 weeks old all of the males who are now sexually mature will move to the top compartment. This will prevent them form getting to any nursing moms who remain in the bottom compartment.

So all of our babies are raised in a cage, this will make them used to using one before they go home.

We take great care and attention of all of our rats sparing no expense to do so costing us $1400 in this case. We are very happy to say the rattery is now complete with the latest technology in caging, water systems, and diets. And of coarse they are spoiled completely rotten with tons of toys, beds, hiding holes,hammocks and what ever else I can think of to give them. This is part of why this remodel just cost me so much. But I am happy with it and they are truly worth it! I just love these little buggers!

But shhhhh don't tell my husband what I just spent!

hmy:

Feel free to read the " Our Rattery" page to learn more about our set up. I will be updating that often.

We are done with our shipping in and out for 2009. The season is over. However we are pleased to announce that all the rats we received were healthy! Every rat came out of quarantine without incidence.

We got rats from a PA breeder and some very unawares people sent a rumor around that we got SDA, and KRV and some other things from this PA breeder. We are going to lay that rumor to rest. It is unfortunate that the PA breeder may have sent out rats to a VA breeder and there was SDA detected, but it may or may not have happened, we don't know. We won't start a rumor there. That was not the same time frame as our shipment. We were not involved with this situation.  We did not find out about this potential SDA scare until 2 months after we got our rats.The rats we received were very healthy, and no problems existed. We ourselves are a victim of the rumors. Some immature people have nothing better to do than start trouble. That is just their nature. And we don't get involved with their type of politics or antics, what ever you want to call it. I am sure they can find something better to do.

Had there been SDA for one, we would not be ashamed, SDA is dangerous yes, but we would be resistant to it at this point if we had gotten it. And that would have been a very positive outcome for our rats as we would not have to worry about it during this upcoming winter. And that would have been fantastic. I wish we were resistant to it, but we aren't. That is what's unfortunate for us.

Although early detection can stop any deaths from this virus, it is not something to be terrified of as newer breeders think. It is treatable and no loses need to occur, should it be treated correctly and early. SDA, had we had it, we would post about it. SDA is nothing to be ashamed of. It can come in under the door from the wind, or walked in on your shoes just like many cat and dog diseases. Also, we would have warned about it. Honestly if everyone out there got it, we would all be better off. Not that I wish that on any rats! And I don't, but it’s true. We just all need to be properly educated on what it is. SDA is not the plague or so terrible that it ruins the reputations of breeders. And the threat of SDA is not a reason to point fingers. It’s not even the breeders fault in many cases.  If anything because it takes agressive treatment because of the secondary infection that comes with it, it would be a positive experience for a breeder to deal with since they would become very efficient at treating rats and identifying the signs of sickness. It would be good information to have.

Not us, but some of the best breeders and club owners out there have had it, and posted it on their club sites for educational purposes. These are breeders who are truly serious and very reputable enthusiasts. It’s just not as bad as people make it out to be. That's not to make light of the situation, but it’s not the worst thing your rats can get. Its not a genetic defect. SDA actually makes their immune systems and resistance stronger, should they pull through. Not all rat health problems can claim to do that!

Also if my rattery got any sickness it would have been shut down for quarantine. But we never needed to since we were not involved with the supposed SDA.

Also SDA attacks old rats and babies primarily. We have many retired 2 or more year olds, they and the babies we breed every month would have been targeted. If you’re smart, you can see that didn't happen here at Camarattery, since we post every rat we have, either retired or brand new born. Rats don’t even disappear off my site unless they were on the adoption page or my nursery for a while and found a home. But then again you can check the status of all of them on the Colorado Rat List. Since our adopters are there on the group. All our rats are accounted for. Not to mention the several dozen adopters who come over here annually, they are my references as they personally see the condition of my rats. And my adopters cannot be disputed.

Fortunately Colorado had no detection of SDA or KRV with this scare. Despite what trouble makers post or spread rumors about.

KRV renders your stock sterile, and or still born babies. And we all know my rats are not that! LOL! Breed well they do! We can be thankful for that. And everyone can see it too.

Are my rats sooo good that they were just resistant to SDA and KRV? Is this why none of my rats had issues? Ahh no. Completely impossible. A few can be resistant to both viruses, but only a very few. I won't claim complete resistance to viruses for Camarattery. I only wish. No my rats live in reality.

OK that last sentence was pure sarcasm on my part. Forgive me for that. I normally don't feed off of rumors, but this one was just to amusing to avoid.

So I have always registered my breeder rats with NARR and since this summer I have done major updates to my registered rats, health info if there is any, pictures and life spans and so on...

However there are so many ways you can use NARR. And I choose to only register breeder rats. I don't see any need to register every baby from every litter. Some breeders do and that is ok, but pointless for me. If there is a health problem with babies in litters that are registered with every baby this can be beneficial... but I get the same results by registering a litter mate should a problem arise and health info needs to be posted.  And at that point I register the rat, list the health issue and update that the line of rats was ended because of the health issues. This keeps my lines healthy. I have a very low tolerance for health problems in my lines, so this is how I feel comfortable doing things.

Also I update all health issues and temperament ratings on every rat bred in my rattery. This gives breeders who adopt my lines a perfect idea of what is happening with the rats they have in their pedigrees.

I don't want to have to either name every rat born in my rattery, or use the names from my adopters and then risk some being named the same thing, which makes confusion. Also at times I borrow rats from adopters to breed once. And I want to register that rat at that time with a name that I choose just for my pedigrees, and the adopter keeps the pet name. This keeps to my musical themes. And I like my pedigrees to look just so. So this is a good reason that I don't name the rats and register them all or register with the adopters names. Also I don't want my breeder adopters to have to weed though hundreds of rats to find the info they are looking for. That would irritate me to no bitter end.

I have tried registering one whole litter lately, just to see how it works. But the whole litter was kept for breeding purposes. And I may do it again if I am keeping all of the babies. This litter happened to be from a dwarf mom and a small litter.

Anyway, just some info on how my rats are registered. I know, I am an obsessive compulsive NARR updater...

It has been a great year for Camarattery. Our lines are back in full force and better than ever. Their life spans are still twice the average and the type is getting better and better.

We are done bringing in new blood for the year. But we wanted to once again thank the breeders who shipped to us this year.

Connie from RG sent us 2 shipments this year.

Amanda from RAMR sent us 1 shipment this year.

Shari & Dawn of BHR sent us 1 shipment this year.

Thank you everyone! All of the rats came in super friendly and very, very healthy. There was not a single health issue with any of them.  We could not be happier with the rats. Of coarse its been quite a while since these rats came in, but we did want to end the season with a big thank you to all of you!

THANK YOU!

Outbound shipments this year went very well also! We did send out several boxes full of babies for other breeders to work with. We are always very happy to help progress the rat breed.

We have pulled the Chocolate out of our origional Burmese that we had gotten from RG in 2006. We knew the gene was there because Pendragon told us it was years ago.  Also due to the fact that someone else pulled the color from them as well. Our old girl Cama Little Darlin' passed this trait onto all of our new Chocolates.

We have had 2 litters with Chocolate this month. So as far as we know 4 of our rats carry the gene from Cama Little Darlin'. Since these Chocolates are from our 100% UK blooded origional rats, our Chocolate gene is not related to any of the other Choco's out there. So this will be a nice addition to the exsisting Chocolate rats in the U.S at this time. A very nice outcross for them.

We have a brand new rattery! Everything has been replaced! For details please visit the rattery page!

Welcome new rats!

We had another successful airline shipment! I have posted pictures already. We had sent some of our old good lines to Arizona to RAMR for an outcrossing, and we have brought back some wonderfull 1/2 Cama and 1/2 RAMR lines. Since both of our lines have longer life expectancy than the average rat and great helath and lovable temperaments, we know these will continue to lock in those desireable traits. This is the 3rd time we have done this with the RAMR lines and we are always very pleased with the results. I have been working with the RAMR lines since March of 06 and had nothing but the best success with every one of them. So much so that I embrace them as I do my own lines. I know that I can trust them without any doubt.

I want to thank Amanda of RAMR for doing this for us again...! And a big thanks goes out to Donna of GRIM rattery for shipping them to us, and keeping them for a few weeks!

Also I know I speak for Karen of H2R when I say thank you! Karen is just going to love her new rats as well!

Also one last comment, Yay! My old Rex line is back once again! We love our Rex gene because it won't breed bald doubles, just thicker hair but much curlier. You can't get our Rex gene elsewhere. Viva La our Rex Gene!