In an ideal world, there would be no rescues because all breeders would take back animals which are surrendered. In reality this doesn't always happen and so rats can and do land up in rescue.

If you have kept rats before then you might want to include looking at available rescues aswell as available baby rats before making your decision. You can find both by using this website. Look under both Rescue and Adoption. 

If you are a new keeper or are new to Broadwaters Rats then we would recommend that you check out the Facebook pages of each breeder and make contact via their inbox. It is important to find a good match and who you think will be the right breeder for you. Most people like to return to the same breeder once they have found one that they trust. 

Next, you should join the BAND reservations page which is an app. Each breeder has their own Band and will send you their Link once you have made contact to discuss your experience level and what you are looking for. There you will find listings for available kits with their information, photos and video clips to help you choose. Once chosen you simply comment on the babies' listings and send over a holding deposit (as detailed in the pinned post on the BAND home page). 

If you are already an existing keeper, you have automatic priority on reserving more rats to add to your mischief. When you would like more rats, please inbox your breeder to be added to the priority list and they will contact you before reservations, to choose your new babies!

All Broadwaters Rats are raised in a home environment and have been raised with the best of care, love and attention. Babies are fed on a top quality and varied diet, the dry component of which is available to the public to purchase. They are well socialised and the perfect blank canvas for you to take home, bond with and train.

Parent rats are also fed a top quality diet and parents are always completely unrelated pairs with mum being at least a 6th generation Pedigree. Mothers have one litter or a maximum of two before retiring. Retired females live together in their own community cage and are spoiled for life, as are retired bucks. 

Babies leave to new homes aged 6 - 7 weeks if they are ready, to maximise this essential bonding period with their new owners. For brand new keepers it is sometimes advisable to wait a little longer and take your rats home at 7-8 weeks. sometimes the breeder may also hold back babies for the extra week or so if they are from a particularly large litter and therefore can take a little longer to grow. 

We operate an absolutely NO CULL policy and in the event that nature throws a curveball and a disabled rat is born, they are carefully placed into specialist homes or kept by the breeder. 

Our door is always open for the lifetime of each rat born and each are welcomed back if circumstances do change. 

Most people want to know that the pets they are bringing into their lives and hearts will be healthy and live as long as possible. All breeders should closely monitor the heath and lifespan of animals they breed. 

Not all, but many pet shops and especially chain stores who offer animals for sale, source their rats from rodent farms where the health of the animals can and does suffer as with any mass production/ farming of animals. Other pet shops try to go to private and smaller breeders but arguably the rats still do suffer with the extra move between breeder and final home. In addition, you would not know any background of the rats purchased. Such as how long did their parents or grandparents live for? Did they suffer any common ailments?

Other breeders have a smaller scale farming setup, usually in a shed or outbuilding as opposed to a home environment. These breeders often have the aim of producing feed for reptiles. Because the animals are to be culled at various stages, they are often bred in the largest volume possible for the operation which would consist of stacks of lab cages or plastic tubs. Due to the fact that the monetary value of the rats produced is much higher when sold as a pet, these types of 'feeder breeders' offer their rats to unsuspecting pet owners who if equipped with the knowledge above, would not choose to support such operations. 

Rats are also bred for scientific study but not usually available to the public. 

None of the above options make for ideal pets due to how the rats are bred and how they are then raised. 

The best options remaining therefore are to look into buying your rats from the last three types of breeder. Exhibition breeders, home breeders and Broadwaters Rats.

Exhibition breeders are affiliated together within a club either locally or nationally. They exhibit their rats at shows in order to judge their looks and temperament. These enthusiasts are dedicated to their favourite variety and are stewards of all the wonderful colours and patterns available. Most very much care about the health and longevity of the rats they breed. Most tend to have just a litter or two per year so availability and accessibility are often quite poor. To maintain quality of colour and type, show rats usually have a small, refined gene pool. This can lead to weaker rats overall, much the same as pedigree dogs vs crossbreeds with wider genepools. If buying from exhibition breeders, it should be easier to find reviews as they'll be more well known. You should also be able to get some background of the baby rats. Another reason to choose a show or home breeder is if you prefer 'top eared' rats. Our rats are 100% dumbo eared.

Home breeders are less experienced people who breed either intentionally or accidentally but the babies are raised in a home environment. Accidental litters are usually inbred so this should be considered. Those breeding more aimlessly with rats of unknown background are certainly not ideal but not the worst choice possible. 

Finally, our own Broadwaters Rats are bred for genetic diversity and the widest gene pool possible. Their inbreeding coefficient is 0% and at least an 8 generation pedigree (and counting) is available! This means that you can visit the registry and studbook on this website and clearly see the health and longevity of the parents and many ancestors of your baby rats. Any breeders who join the project, work closely with the hub rattery in order to help create the option of purchasing our rats in more locations of the UK over time. People travel far and wide to reach us in the Midlands but we hope to have co op breeders near you to reduce long journeys to find the perfect rats. In this way we hope to reduce demand for pet shop and feeder breeder rats which are poorly raised and reduce the overall welfare standard of the UK rat population. .We also offer and encourage lifetime support (and friendship!) via our private community group located on Facebook. This group is friendly and offers the support of new keepers and experienced keepers alike.

Some reasons to choose Broadwaters Rats:

• Bred to a breeding model unique to Broadwaters Rats, developed to reverse the severe inbreeding across all other sectors 
• Our breeders work together as opposed to in competition with each other
• Long health and longevity information publicly available. Transparent breeding practices.
• 6 Generation Pedigree available online
• Lifetime support
• Lots of Reviews to read (See Pinned FB posts)
• Waiting times usually very short
• No kitten allocation. You are able to choose your own.
• New keepers are welcome and there is no lengthy, patronising or condescending application form worthy of a primate keeper!
• Ability to follow the progress of reserved kits via Facebook
• Unique reservation system via our BAND app, allowing you to view multiple photos and video clip before reservation and holding with a deposit.
• Midlands location
• Priority on future kittens for life once you become a Broadwaters Rat Owner. 

To become a breeder with us you would need to express your interest and let us know about your current level of experience, your interests, ethics and aims. A new co-op can only be formed with a minimum of two breeders in a similar location who are able to work together. The next step would be to have an initial meeting with the Midlands Clan to discuss procedure. If you think you might like to register your interest then please don't hesitate to make contact with Caroline Lawson at Broadwaters Rattery & Friends. 

Rats each have different personalities. It is difficult to generalise but it is true that there tend to be differences between keeping males and females. To the point where avid enthusiasts often keep a cage of both! Kept carefully separated of course!

Male rats tend to be less active once they are mature. They sleep a lot and don't particularly enjoy working for their food or playing with toys to the extent which females do. Female rats tend to be more highly intelligent and trainable when it comes to 'trick training'. They love to explore and are less likely to choose to stay on you for long although often enjoy a quick cuddle! You can certainly get female rats who act more like stereotypical males and vice versa.

Females are more destructive of soft furnishings in the cage when they become broody and love to nest build.

Males are said to smell more but lots would disagree and say perhaps it is just a different scent. Cleaning and avoiding too much wood or ropes that cant easily be washed is a good way to control the smell of the cage. Hammocks and beds should be washed regularly to keep your rats in good condition.

Males may also have more fallings out at maturity if the alpha rat is a particularly bossy one! But females can be just as hormonal. You must be willing to learn how to manage such behaviour to help your rats to keep their peace.

So yes it is possible to generalise, but all rats are as different as dogs are to each other. You get out what you put in, time and effort is rewarded with lots of love and entertainment! Some rats seem to be 'people' rats and prefer the company of their human which can mean they are a little more argumentative or anti social with their ratty companions. Some rats on the other hand seem to be more rat orientated and don't enjoy handling and cuddles as much as just being with their rat family. 

The most successful keepers are those who have no expectations and accept their rats for exactly who they are and love and enjoy them regardless.

People say that boys are cuddly and girls are crazy. But babies are crazy no matter what! Boys can be cuddly, or irritable, or crazy, or timid. Girls can be cuddly, or irritable, or crazy, or timid. You see where I'm going here... they're like people in that all have their own personalities. If you don't have any rats yet, then have a look at which you like the look of regardless of sex. Or it might be that there are one sex that are more readily available... Go for that one! Whichever you choose, you won't be disappointed.

In terms of choosing a sex of rats it is completely down to the individual and what you are looking to gain from owning rats as pets. All rats having different personalities and although you can generalise traits between the two sexes it is not always guaranteed as all rats have their own personality.

So these are my own personal opinions: Male rats overall are less active once matured, can be a little more cuddly usually down to the fact they’re often lazier. Because of this i find males can become overweight if overfed and not encouraged to remain active, free roam time in a secure room or playpen is ideal to keep them stimulated. Males do smell a little stronger than girls and as they are a little lazier they tend to soil sleeping areas more often and continue snoozing. This can generally be avoided though by providing areas to toilet throughout the whole height of their enclosure by the means of attaching litter trays filled with the appropriate litter.

Females are a bit busier and more active, can sometimes prove a little more challenging to keep stimulated. They need lots of enrichment and again access to free roam time in a secure play pen or enclosure. They are more likely to destroy items within their cage to create nesting material even if you provide them with adequate nesting bedding such as shredded tissue paper, kitchen roll etc. Both sexes can be trained and are intelligent but if teaching your rats to do cool tricks is your thing i would definitely opt for females. they are generally more eager to please in this department as they enjoy keeping busy. Females can easily be kept in larger groups and are not as challenging to bond, the same can be said for males though so do not let that put you off boys. Males tend to need a little more space if keeping a large group which isn’t always feasible. It is important no matter the sex that you learn some of the basic hierarchal behaviours of rats so you can manage your group appropriately and ensure everyone is getting along as they should be. Either way if you are set on a particular sex then dont let this sway you too much. Rats are all amazing in their own way and all have their own little quirks that make them individually unique.

Three is the ideal number of rats to start with if you think you will not want a larger group.

Two or more is ideal for adding to a mischief, we do not recommend adding single babies to existing rats.

It is possible to start with two rats if you think you are likely to start a rolling group and keep adding pairs in future.

6 rats is a good max size group for males. Females like to live in groups as large as is possible without compromising their wellbeing in terms of your capacity to meet their needs in all areas including affording potential vet bills and in terms of being able to provide attention which will of course be divided with each rat added to your group.

My ideal? I would start with 3 or 4 as it makes things easier all round if every rat has more than one to bounce off. Then I would add 2 at a time every 6 months or so until the end of time.

Rats are social, in some cases the more honestly the merrier! But only take on what you can cope with. Ideally at the minimum you should start with a trio and when you lose your first (or before) add two more and then after that point every 6-8 months add another two, to keep a rolling group and ensure you are never left with a lone rat.

Girls are more easily kept in a larger group than boys. If you are wanting a one off group of rats, although I will say you will easily be swayed, rats are addictive, then it is important that when you are left with a singular rat you have an action plan in place somewhere for your lone rat to go where they will have company depending on how long they reasonably have left to live. 

I won't go into a huge amount of information here because as a pet feed manufacturer registered with Trading Standards, I have an official website where you can purchase the dry feed system that I developed for my own rattery. On that website is a comprehensive view of my beliefs regarding feeding rats. Suffice to say that the website focusses on the dried feed element which is only the half of it! You should also provide fresh wholefoods for your rat and when you do, it is clear to see the enrichment that it gives where dried feed doesn't quite create the same excitement!

Some people certainly advocate weighing and measuring daily food. Personally I do not recommend this. My rats are fed adlib and never left to run out of dried feed. Rats have a fast metabolism and it is said that they would have an empty stomach 6 hours after being left with no food. Daily, mine receive a small amount of a wide variety of plant matter including herbs, vegetables and fruit. They are also fed quality proteins in the form of cooked chicken and egg. They very much enjoy prawns as a treat too. If I am cooking rice or pasta I like to make extra to share with them. Each rat seems to go through phases of having certain favourite foods such as blueberries, broccoli or sweetcorn for example.

I find that people can get very confused over the obsessive information shared online about balancing your own mix. It is true that you cannot walk into a petshop and pick up a suitable bag of rat food! Most rat keepers create their own or buy from someone else who does. 

In truth when trying to research 'how to create your own mix' this obsession over having the correct balance of grain/plant/protein/seed becomes quite unfounded when you realise that

a) anything else you then offer will upset the 'balance' and

b) you can trust the rats themselves who are natural foragers to pick out and consume what they NEED that day, from the widest variety of foods that you can offer. Though do bear in mind that rats are susceptible to having a sweet tooth for sugars, just like we are.

I also do not personally add vitamins to my rat's diet because I believe that the wholefood diet provided has more than enough natural vitamins. Only a poor diet such as a convenience dried petfood type diet should require supplementation. I am not a nutritionalist and would not wish to risk overdosing my rats on vitamins that they will be getting from the fresh wholefoods provided. 

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I used to use Snowflake Supreme but got the hump when they shrunk the bale size dramatically and hiked the price!

I then switched to Natures Flake which the rats actually like better, particularly the females. They liked to nest build with it.

I now use Pure Flake Extra which I find to be softer and slightly nicer quality than Natures Flake.

I get mine from my local saddlery and it can usually be found at farm supplies stores too.

I also provide shredded tissue nest material.

As a breeder I do also keep a bag of carefresh paper bedding which has a habit of becoming very dusty so isn't a very suitable base for your cage but I am aware that some people like to use this type of bedding in the litter trays so I scatter it in my kitten handling tubs in order to expose them to paper style beddings at a young age and hopefully avoid allergies to paper type beddings. 

Back 2 Nature type cat litter is ideal for litter tray training. However my trained rats only have regular sawdust in their litter trays to help me to reduce cost. They use it just the same!