We only breed when there is enough interest in a specific pairing and when we are sure we will have adequate time to spend socializing the babies.  All of our rats are pedigreed, which means the health and temperament of our lines have been recorded for many generations, going back to many years before we ever started working with them.  Most of our litters are now done in complete partnership with our sister rattery, Small Joys Rattery located in New Westminster BC.  Our goal is to produce wonderful pets from only the healthiest and best tempered pedigreed lines.  All of our babies are handled from birth and seriously played with from the time they first open their eyes.  References and testimonials from past adopters are available on request. 

Fancy colors and markings, perhaps even show quality ones, may sometimes be a happy by-product, but temperament and health will always be our top priority.  We are currently working with a number of different varieties - Dalmatian, blazed Berkshires, solids, dwarves, Burmese, black eyed Siamese of UK origin, and European roans. Most of the rats we breed are dumbo, in standard, velveteen, and rex coats. Colors include assorted agouti colors, black, Russian blue, Russian Dove, mink, lilac, havana, and occasionally

American blue and Russian silver.  We are frequently asked about Sphinx/Hairless, Harley coats, Manx/Tailless, and Australian Downunders.  These are not varieties we work with but we are always happy to recommend ratteries that do. 

Our rats are our pets first and foremost.  They remain part of our family for life.  We do not re-home retired breeders, and we tend to err on the side of caution when placing our babies, so yes, I'm sure we do sometimes turn down good homes, but when in doubt, we refuse to take chances with our babies.  If for any reason an adoption is not working out, we will take the rats back at any age, no questions asked, in fact we insist on it.  If you would like to adopt a SITH or JOY baby, you must first answer hundreds of questions aimed at convincing us that you will worship the ground the ratty walks on and dedicate the rest of your life, or at least the next 2 to 3 years of it, to making said ratty blissfully happy and the center of your universe.  Should you fail to answer the questions correctly, the adoption will be denied, which will mean all the more cute cuddly ratties for us!  

Unless you already have other similar aged rats at home, please be prepared to pony up or negotiate a price from 2 million dollars because we do not adopt out single rats.  With very rare exceptions, we believe it is unnatural and very hard on a rat to live alone, especially a baby, with no other rat, or rats to play with.  If you were not aware of the importance of keeping rats in same sex pairs or groups, please visit the following link which answers all of the frequently asked questions as to why rats need company.  We are not aware of any reputable ratteries or rescues that will adopt out lone rats, and we make no exceptions to this rule.  If you have any lingering doubts after checking out that link, then this really cute video should clinch it.

Baby rats are typically weaned at some point between 4 to 5 weeks of age.  Usually the longer they spend with their mother and siblings they better socially adjusted they will be, and the better they will bond with you and your family.  For this reason we do not adopt out babies younger than 5 weeks and for many litters, we prefer to wait until closer to 6 weeks.

The Adoption Process

Most of our litters are reserved before they are born, or are snapped up soon afterwards, so if you are even remotely considering SITH or JOY babies, now is the time to get on our waiting list.  To do this please email us and include the answers to the questions found on our Adoption Application Form.  Applications filled out in entirely one word answers or with questions left blank, will not be considered.  We are very low tech here, so you will need to copy and paste it into the body of an email message and type in your answers, or paste it into a word processor program, type in your answers, save the file (in doc, docx, txt, or rtf format) and attach it to an email message.  Please do not save the file in pdf format, as we may need to edit and add to it, following discussions with you.  Neatness and spelling do not count, but if you don't have time to fill out this form, hopefully in as much detail as possible, then you clearly don't have the time required to become the devoted slave of a highly demanding evil SITH or JOY ratty!  All reputable breeders and rescuers use a similar adoption process, and some ask even nosier questions than we do.  If you come across someone who does not carefully screen their adopters, I would be very suspicious as to the quality of the animals you will be getting.

Each approved adoption includes an adoption contract signed by all parties, a registered pedigree, and a sample of the formula 2018 Harlan Teklad lab blocks that our babies are weaned onto.  Some recently negotiated adoption fees were $30.00 per rat, or $50.00 for 2, or $70.00 for 3, but as noted above, prices may vary, and be subject to change at any time.  You may pay the adoption fee with cash, money order, PayPal or online banking transfer.  Unfortunately, we are no longer able to accept checks, unless the check is received in time to clear, prior to picking up your ratty.  If you expect us to hold the ratties beyond the age of 6 weeks, full non refundable payment is due at that time.  Additional boarding costs may be discussed, depending on the length of time we are asked to hold them.  Delivery can be arranged anywhere in the Greater Vancouver BC area.  For most litters, delivery to the Seattle area and points in between, or beyond, can also be arranged, as we frequently trade babies with the other ratteries in RatsPacNW and whenever possible, we try to time our litters to be ready for pick up at RatsPacNW Shows, including those in Portland OR, Boise ID, and all other areas.  We very much prefer not to ship our babies, and have only done it a few times... but we are at least open to discussing shipments on short direct flights, in temperate weather only, to areas where there are no other pedigreed rats available, provided it's to someone we know, or to an area where we know someone who can do a home visit for us.  Please see our Shipping Terms and Policies for details. 

Not willing to wait a few weeks or months for your ratties? 

Whatever you do, please do not buy rats from a pet store and here is one of many excellent articles that explains why not.  Additional information can be found on the No Puppy Mills Canada website. A much better choice would be to adopt from a rescue or from another ethical hobby breeder.  We will be happy to help in any way we can to match up approved adopters with suitable pet rats that have not come directly from a pet shop "ratty mill" or "backyard breeder".  Please be aware that ethical reputable hobby breeders do not advertise their babies on websites such as Craigslist or Kijiji.  The "breeders" you'll find there are people "trying" to make a profit by breeding rats they've purchased from pet stores.  In order to comply with the Craigslist rules, they will usually claim that their babies are rescues.  One can usually tell when the same people keep posting "accidental" litters on an ongoing basis.  By the same token, not every Rattery with a slick looking website is necessarily a reputable one.  The best way to find out, is to check with the nearest pet rat club, which in our area is RatsPacNW.  The RatsPacNW club Facebook discussion group can be found here.   You can also check with the reputable rat rescue groups in your area.  They can always tell you which ratteries partner with them and which "ratteries" they end up cleaning up after.  Perth Rat Rescue and Rehab offers a fairly complete listing of red flags to look for when choosing a breeder, and Sweet Whispers Rattery has compiled a great list of things that people may think are red flags but may not be at all.  If you have any questions or concerns about the opinions expressed on either of these lists, we will be happy to discuss them with you.  Just be sure to ask lots of questions of any rattery you deal with, especially when dealing with a "new breeder". 

For more info on our breeding and adoption policies check out our About Us page and our frequently asked questions.