December News at the rattery

We want to first thank all of our adopters! We've had 5 litters this year and have 2 paired at this time and still a waiting list to fill. It's been a busy year for us. We usually only have 3 or so a year. But apparently our listing on ratster is getting noticed.

We are currently researching potential outcrosses for our breeding program. These rats will have to be shipped cross country so it will take some planning and a great deal of time. The name of the rattery we'll be working with won't be released until we've finalized our contract and are sure of which rats we'll be shipping. We may have new coats and colors coming to the rattery.

We still have hope that Astrid will give us a litter. We expected some difficulty because of her weight, plus the original male we had her paired with wasn't really interested. And DJ, who she is paired with right now, is very near 3 years old and may be sterile bc of his age. We're considering trying Geordie next. We'll be forced to retire her soon as she is almost 10mo old.

I'm happy to say that we have a new camera! We purchased a Nikon D80 DSLR camera and should be able to get even more wonderful photos of our babies. Working with our other camera has been quite a battle bc of its meager capabilities. And now maybe we'll capture better images and fewer blurry moments. I've missed some great shots bc the camera just couldn't keep up.

RRR Stardust x RDPY Kerrigan

RRR Stardust x RDPY Kerrigan
Black Varigated DU w/headspot x Black Capped Dalmation w/headspot
Paired on October 26th

Expecting 100% dumbo and smoothcoat. Colors are most likely black. Could see some blues. Very very small chance of other colors. Markings include dalmation, patched, and varigated, with the potential for downunder markings to go with those options. There should also be headspots.

If Stardust conceived within 24hrs of being put with Kerrigan, she is due the 19th. She's looking relatively bottom heavy, so I suspect if she's not due within the next couple of days, it won't be much longer. The body structure of the girls in this line appears to make it difficult to decide if they have baby pudge.

I'm hoping Astrid is also pregnant, but she's proving a slow mom. She doesn't seem to be showing much if any.

JM Nimue x RDPY Kerrigan

JM Nimue x RDPY Kerrigan
Black notch Capped/Patched Smoothcoat x Black Capped/Patched Smoothcoat

Expecting all smoothcoat dumbos. Purpose of the litter is to have the option of using another outcross in future breedings. We should see a lot of facial markings, headspots, and possibly even BEWs. They will likely be all black, but we may see some Russian blue.

These will be a litter entirely of RDPY lineage and could be available to select breeders, but only with permission from Kat at RDPY. Nimue is almost a year old and we are expecting a small litter. This will probably be a very friendly group of wheel enthusiasts!

**UPDATE 10/29/10** Nimue is starting to bloom. I doubt she's gorged herself that well, so she should have a baby belly. She should be due within the next week or so. She didn't show much with her first litter, so she'll likely not show much with these either. We'll be removing Kerrigan tonight.

Keep an eye out for a birth announcement!

First of our fall breeding plans

I intend to pair our next two litters on approximately September 20th. We will have two seperate breeding pairs this time.

JM Nimue x RDPY Kerrigan
Black notch Capped/Patched Smoothcoat x Black Capped/Patched Smoothcoat

Expecting all smoothcoat dumbos. Purpose of the litter is to have the option of using another outcross in future breedings. We should see a lot of facial markings, headspots, and possibly even BEWs. They will likely be all black, but we may see some Russian blue. These will be a litter entirely of RDPY lineage and could be available to select breeders, but only with permission from Kat at RDPY.

Nimue is almost a year old and we are expecting a small litter. This will probably be a very friendly group of wheel enthusiasts!

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RRR Astrid x RDPY Vale of Avalon
American blue Bareback Rex x Triple Dilute Smoothcoat

Expecting 100% dumbo in rex and smoothcoats. Purpose of the litter is to outcross Astrid's bloodline and increase our chances of Russian Dove. We are expecting Russian blue, American blue, Russian Dove, and dilutes. Should be a colorful litter. We could see a wide range of markings including headspots and blazes!

We've waited til Astrid is older to help monitor the health of her line. She tends to carry a little extra weight, but has been healthy to date. Her mother Evolet had a difficult labor so we hope she and Nimue will conceive and deliver about the same time in case there is trouble. Astrid should have a small litter as well. We're excited to see what we get from this litter.

Whats new in August

We welcome back a former resident, Captain Morgan. Sadly, he did not florish in his new home as we had hoped. Instead, he made it quite obvious that he wanted to come back. He returns to us minus his man-bits, and will obviously be resuming his pet-only status at the rattery. We missed his one eyed boggling self.

I am reconsidering my litter plans a little. I am going to be very selective about my next several keepers. We want to thoroughly evaluate all of our breeding rats to be sure the rattery is going the proper direction.

The one litter we may cancel is JM Nimue x RDPY Kerrigan, unless we get a decent waiting list between now and then. We are thinking we'll move back RRR Stardust's pairing with RDPY Kerrigan until we breed her sister, RRR Venice, as well. That way, I can pick the best of the two litters at the same approximate time.

Our RRR Astrid x RDPY Vale pairing will probably be moved to early-mid October. In light that it took her aunt some time to concieve, we don't want to wait too late. She'll have from October to January to concieve and we run less risk of her becoming too old. We are hoping to see some blazing with this pairing.

We are waiting to breed Heath and G until they are a year or older so that we can monitor the line more closely. Their sister Astrid will be 9mo old when we pair her to RDPY Vale. The three siblings come from RRR's original breeding pairs.

We are proud to say that we still have two of our three keepers from our first two litters. RRR Dobbie Junior (32mo old!) And RRR Leander (31mo old). We lost RRR Madmartigan (born March 2008 w/Dobbie Junior) the winter of 2009 to unknown causes. This longevity is what we hope to encourage in our lines. We look forward to enjoying DJ's and Leander's company for many more months to come! DJ is still spry enough to run on their wheel. :)

Available Rats

We have a few available rats here at RRR.

Everyone must fill out an adoption application prior to any final decisions. The adoption application is essentially a screening process to help us place our rats in the best possible homes.

You may occassionally find retired breeders listed as available. This decision is made soley on the rats fit in a breeding household and their bond to rats who are adoptable. If we feel a rat would do better in a pet only home, or have a rescue in need of a companion of similar age that that particular rat is bonded to, we may make the decision to let a retired breeder go. This decision is made for the benefit of the rats, not due to space factors or our convenience. We love our rats and wish for them to be somewhere they are happy, even if that is not with us. Some rats just thrive in a breeders household.

Available females:
Taj- Pearl merle berkshire smoothcoat dumbo.
-- Taj was a compulse buy of my mothers. She was part of an accidental litter that was consequently sent to a petstore by a local college student. I do not know her genetic background, but her health has been spotless throughout her time with us.

Taj was a bully at first and is still very willful, but she now resides happily with our resident girls. We would consider letting a retired breeder go with her so that she may have a companion similar in age. She may beat up or harrass younger females, though she has mellowed a lot in her adulthood.

RRR Igraine - Black capped/patched DU smoothcoat dumbo
-- Igraine was born to JM Nimue and RRR Navarre in March. She closely resembles her mother in looks and temperment.

Igraine is a good girl and loves her attention. She's particularly fond of playing in a blanket and rooting around. I tend to hide treats under them for the girls to find.

She has a younger cousin (RRR Nymph- 6wks younger) who is also available and could be placed with her or a home with other female rats.

RRR Nymph- Russian blue Variberk Double rex dumbo
--Nymph was born to RRR Sorcha and RRR Melod in May. She tends to be more hairless than otherwise.

Nymph is a bit more shy than her sisters were and tends to spook more easily at loud sounds. We think she'd open up better in a quieter household with less hussle and bustle. She gets along very well with her cousin Igraine and they are often found sleeping in their food dish (oddballs lol). They could be adopted as a pair.

We may have a couple boys available soon. We're wrestling a decision currently.

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We recommend emailing the text only adoption application to maidenbloodx@hotmail.com with the title 'Adoption application- (your name)' We may not be receiving all electronic forms due to webhost difficulties.

Breeding Plans

I am currently considering my future breeding plans. Through much planning and consideration, we are likely to not have another litter until this fall. September or October.

The specific litter announcements are not ready at this time. We're still pondering those! We would consider one more litter this summer if we have a rash of reservations in the next month or so.

I believe our last pair of girls will be reserved in the next few days. We are currently discussing their adoption with a recent applicant.

Welcome RDPY Kerrigan and RDPY Vale of Avalon

We would like to welcome our two newest additions from Rat Dippity Rattery in Michigan. A huge thanks to Kat of RDPY as well as to Tony of RH and Jen and Debbie of JM for helping transport.

RDPY Kerrigan of RRR is a Black dalmation smoothcoat dumbo. Just after getting home he was comfortable enough to sleep in the crook of my arm. He's a good sized boy with good dumbo ears and great body type! He should make a wonderful addition to our dalmation and downunder lines.

RDPY Vale of Avalon or just "Vale" is a Triple dilute smoothcoat dumbo. He is even bigger than Kerrigan and thus already a big squish. His favorite place so far is in his quarantine mom's hair. He comes from Russian blue lines and should improve our Russian blues and Russian doves. There are also blazes in his line so we may see some in his future litters!

Both are going to surpass the size of likely all our boys. We hope to see bigger rats from our lines in the future with the addition of these two lookers. Thanks again Rat Dippity!

RRR Sorcha x RRR Melod

Black variberk downunder rex x x Russian blue? berkshire rex

I paired Sorcha with Melod on the 13th. This is partly to help determine Melod's color. We think the mink or RED in his pedigree has made it appear different and modified the color. We just can't seem to agree and hopefully this will help answer our questions. His furr is entirely different from any of our Russian and American blues. His eyes are ruby, not black.

We will have all dumbos with standard, rex, and double rex furr. We hope the babies get their dad's comfirmation. He has gorgeous ears and is well proportioned whereas Sorcha is a bit lithe and narrow faced.

We will be expecting black and russian blue, possibly some RED. We have a good chance for downunders in this litter. It should be an interesting litter.

Play day for them while I clean

Today is cage cleaning day again. I intend to bring both cages out, rats and all. I'm going to set up the playpen in the grass with some tunnels, toys, wading pool, and a climbing jungle I bought. Not that they are likely to use the wading pool lmao

While I clean one groups cage, they'll be playing. The second group will get to enjoy the sunlight while inside their cage. Then I'll switch them out.

It requires a lot of work on my part, but they seem to love it. I miss it when it gets too hot or too cold out.

Nimue and the babies will be out too, but the babies can't enjoy the playpen. I'll probably let Nimue out with her lady friends and put the babies in the shade.

I think everyone could use a little fresh air! Pictures promised :)

Is it weird that I can't wait to clean cages? lol

Website issues

Our website is currently down due to technical difficulties. Our provider has changed servers. We hope to get everything straightened up and back online soon. In the meantime, please watch our blog and take a look at our photobucket for the latest pictures, particularly of the new litter.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z191/rodere/nimue-x-navarre/

JM Nimue-x-RRR Navarre (3/28/10)

Rodere Rattery is suprised and pleased to announce the birth of 7 rittens to Nimue and Navarre. 6 have survived.

They are already showing their markings. Every one has a headspot. There is only one male.The rest are girls. We won't know for a while yet if any are downunders.

Nimue had us dupped and gave birth before we thought she was due. She didn't look it. Pics are being taken and we'll update soon.

Sad day with Good news

Sadly, we had to help Fleur to the bridge today. RH Fleur was the mother of our very first litter. She was born September 19th, 2007 at RaffinHouse Rattery. She'd developed what we suspect was pyometria and only a spay could have helped her. The vet and I decided that, because of her age and condition, she'd likely not recover. If she had it may have only bought her a few more months. She will be greatly missed. A treasure we are glad to have known.

On a better note, JM Nimue may be pregnant! We've noted some weight gain and she's developing a thick figure in the right places. Unless she's just bulking up with adulthood, she's expecting :)

Spring is here!

And it feels like it, finally. We don't have much to update, but we wanted to be sure everyone knew we haven't forgotten.

So far, it doesn't appear Nimue and Sorcha are pregnant. We are crossing our fingers for results soon.

We may decide to keep the only girl from our last litter. Her adopter backed out. She has her mothers rediculously calm personality and that's what we want in this line.

Taj, our pearl merle rescue girl is available again. She's finally mellowing out. There's also Captain Morgan, Maverick, and the Russian Silver male from our last litter. They are available for adoption as well.

March here already?

We have changed the breeding trio. Pip had shown no results with Isabeau or Sorcha in the time they've been paired.

We swapped Isabeau for JM Nimue and are trying with Navarre. They've been paired for a couple days now.

We will be expecting downunders from both litters, with rex and standard fur. We should have some gorgeous bubs from this pairing.

More specific info will be available soon. We need to consult Nimue's pedigree first.

On a seperate note, our rescue boy and Captain Morgan are available again. Their adopter has backed out. And we have no final decision on the available girls, though they are still on hold.

Update for late Feb.

Everyone got their second mite treatment yesterday. Isabeau must really hate the taste. She threw a fit!

We have found Maverick and Morgan a home :) and possibly one for Taj and the baby girl from Evolet and Navarre's litter as well. Notice will be posted when everything is official for the girls. The boys should be going to their new home within the next couple weeks.

We would like to get updated photos, but it will have to wait until the weather improves. Its usually too cold for good outdoor photoshoots.

Ritten Alert!!

I came home to squeakers! Evie gave birth to 7 but sadly one did not make it. Two of the remaining six aren't as pink as I would like, so we will keep a close eye on them.

We have 4 smoothcoat and 2 rex. Evie is still awfully round, but I think she's done. We'll see. I'll give her til the morning and take a look then. We'll palpatate and see if we feel anyone else inside. She is active and calm and shows no signs of distress.

The birth doesn't seem to have adversely affected Evie. There is a normal amount of blood on the bedding and she is eating fine. She enjoyed a piece of a milkyway bar while I checked out the babies.

Bub Watch!

I am positive that Evolet is pregnant! Just in one night she's bloomed and not like she did before when she was paired with DJ.

She's been moved to the maternity cage tonight and given nesting material. Her mammory tissues seem to be swollen so she may be preparing to produce milk. And she's nesting a little.

My grandmother has bought a new house and is moving, so I will be moving into her previous home. Evolet will not make the trip until we are confident she will not be over stressed. Its only a 20minute drive, but we are taking it safe. Until then, she'll be in the care of my mother while I will visit daily.

We are very excited about this litter. We look forward to seeing their bubs grow and especially to seeing if we end up with downunders, which is very likely!

Minor Update

Evie hasn't lost the pudge and seems to be plumper. We aren't sure if she's pregnant or not et, but we shall see :)

Isabeau has a little pot belly. We intend to put her back in with the girls and see if she continues to gain weight.

We talked to our mentor about breeding plans and have decided to take Pip out of retirement. Breeding a downunder to a hooded helps encourage the markings and will improve them as well. Pip is our only hooded (other than Navarre). He has good ears and he is very healthy. We intend to try him with Isabeau if she's not pregnant.

RRR Isabeau x RRR Pip Squeak
Russian Silver Berkshire DU Smoothcoat x American Blue Broken Hooded Teddy Rex

Expecting 100% dumbo, rex and smoothcoat. Expecting american blue, russian silver, russian blue, and a chance of RED. Could see agouti variations as well. Hopefully will contribute better size and improve the ears to the downunder line.

January 8th update

Evolet is on a tentative pregnancy watch, but we're not removing her from the breeding cage yet, just in case. She's put on some more pudge and careful palpatation reveals a firm uterus and potential baby lumps! We'll know within the next couple of weeks I'm sure.

We are considering potential bucks to be paired to JM Nimue in Febuary or March. We are considering RRR DJ and RRR Navarre. Our goal would be marked rats with headspots and facial markings.

Happy New Year!

Wow, 2010 already which means this March will be our second anniversary! So many things come and go in that time and we miss the furry members of our family that have passed this last year and the cage-climbers we've sent to their new homes.

We have nothing new to report about our breeding trio, we may seperate Evolet from the pair and try her with Melod and have the two seperate couples in the works at once. Perhaps someone will figure out the deal! lol

We are keeping an eye out for heat cycles and flirtation. Since Isabeau doesn't show much interest we may try Sorcha. She's saucy and would probably raz the poor guy into fits, but maybe he'll take a hint.

Everyone wish us luck for the new year. We hope to present big healthy and grown up downunders for the coming 2011 calendar contests. We shall see. We are trying for a new litter, but nature just isn't cooperating! However, we refuse to give up hope!