Frequently Asked Questions
​
Where I am located?
​
I am located in East Aurora near DIA. I am 30 minutes from Golden, 30 minutes from Thornton, an hour from Loveland/Fort Collins, an hour from Colorado Springs, two hours from Pueblo.
​
Why are your rats 30$?
​
I get this question a lot. Some rats out there are 5-10$ and those rats can be amazing pets. The amount that any breeder charges for their rats is a personal decision. My decision to charge 30$ is based on how much time I spend on the rattery, including cleaning, picture taking, responding to emails, etc, how much they cost to raise, including feed, water, and housing. I also only sell the best of the best of my litters so I don’t sell often. Neutering and healing time may incur extra charges.
Why do you neuter? How long is the healing process? Can I get my neutered rat sooner?
For long time, I sold intact rats of both sexes. I loved this, it was easy to send rats home as soon as they were ready, those that wanted a specific sex could easily get it and there was a lot of less questions. But there were also people who bred my rats, people who knowingly took a rat that was pet only and bred her. She had trouble lactating and the litter died causing undue stress to the mom, the pups and the adopter. A few months ago, Kokopelli Kritters and I, received a message from a past adopter about the rats from us he had bred. The rat from me was from a line that after 6 months of age, started showing signs of a sickness. I, of course, had contacted all the adopters about these issues and let them know that rats were getting sick. Some of those rats passed away. And now, those rats offspring were out there, with the adopters having no idea what might happen in the future. I outcrossed that line, held back rats for longer than normal to ensure they were healthy. I continually kept in contact with past adopters about the issues that I found. I went through a lot of work to ensure that the line would be healthy for adoption in the future. Not every rat is meant to be bred. This girl should have never been bred and her offspring might end up getting sick although I hope not. After this, my sister rattery and I decided to only sell neutered males. This protects our rats in the best way we know how. This also allows adopters to be able to adopt females in the future and house together with their males.
The healing process is longer but less painful than a traditional neuter. The rats go through stages, in the beginning there is some swelling and discomfort, as the testicle shrink, they dry into hard scabs. These scabs need to stay on and be monitored. In the rare case, a rat will chew off the scabs exposing delicate tissue. I keep the rats till the scabs fall off and I can examine the tissue underneath for infection, swelling and bleeding. Once this area drys again, the rats will be sent home. The process can be take 3 weeks but it's not uncommon for it to take 5 weeks. Yes, this is a long time to wait for a rat and I try to speed the process along as much as I can but rats heal at their own pace.
I do not send rats home until they are ready. This ensures that the adopter will not have to pay for any medical bills and will not have to worry about the neuter healing properly. I take care of all of that for you.
​
What if I want to breed a rat from you? I am another rattery and I want to purchase breedable rats?
I've worked with many breeders, in and out of the state. Kokopelli Kritters got her starters from me. Both Forever Smitten Rattery and Twisted Tails Rattery also have rats from me. I love working with other breeders, I love sharing genes, I love getting new rats too! However, I need to know about the rattery my rats are going to. I need to talk and trust to the breeder and understand what is going to happen to my rats after they leave me. I want to work with people who have the same morals and ethics as I do. Some lines require a lot of work, not everything is ready to be released to the public. Breeding a rat is not a fast process and neither will getting a breeding rat from me. I really want to know about the breeder and I can't do that over a small application. A conversation and some time. Because breeder rats come with a full pedigree and breeding rights, they start at 40$. Not every rat is available for breeding so make sure to talk to me before picking out any rats. I can also help you pick out rats that will meet your specific goals.
​
Why is your contract 6 pages long for a rat?
​
In my first year of breeding, I didn’t think that people would sign a huge contract for a rat. I was probably right but that doesn’t mean that rats don’t deserve it. I put so much time and energy into my rats and I want my rats to go to someone who is willing to put in the same amount of effort that I do.
​
What do you have available? When will you have them available?
​
All available rats will be on my available rat page, if there are no rats, then I do not have anything available yet. If you fill out an adoption application, I will email you when I post them for sale on my website.
​
Are your rats handled every day?
​
No, they are not. The truth about handling rats is that rats are incredibly smart, easily trained and socialization can be an easy task but not one that allows a breeder to see true temperament. True temperament is the rat’s natural reaction to their environment without being trained, socialized or otherwise behaviorally manipulated. This means that should an adopter ever fall ill, go on vacation, or otherwise cannot handle their rats, it will not undo the socialization that has been forced upon the rat and from my rattery adopters will receive well-tempered, easy going rats without needing to socialize them. Of course, I encourage adopters to spend as much time as possible with their rats and to give them a little bit of an adjustment period when they first go home.
​
Male or female rats?
​
Here at Ratology Tales, I love both sexes very equally! I have loving cuddly females and adventurous outgoing males and vice versa. All rats personalities are unique no matter which sex you get. I believe that in offering neutered males, adopters have more choice of which rats you can chose later even if its not from us. Adding a male or female in later will be easy. Of course, always remember to not mix the sexes unless one sex has been altered.
​
Do I need to fill out an adoption form?
​
Absolutely. I do not adopt to anyone who has not filled out the adoption application and signed the contract and liability waiver. This allows me to get to know my adopters and my adopters to get to know me. Adopting should be a process on both sides so there are no surprises in the future.
Do I have a wait list?
​
In short no. I do not keep a waitlist. What I do keep is a document of approved adopters who have already filled out the adoption application and been approved. When I have babies for sale, I will post them and send out a mass email to everyone on the list that babies are available. Then babies go first come first serve.
​
When can we reserve babies?
​
Around 4-5 weeks, I will pick which rats I am keeping for my program, breeders that I am working get second pick and then I will post the babies that are available on my website. Adopters can reserve them the moment they are put up but remember rats do not leave my rattery until they are neutered and healed. To reserve, adopters will place a non-refundable deposit of half the price of the rats.
​
What age do I sell babies?
​
Around 8 weeks old. This gives them time to heal from their neuters and for me to watch them for any signs of discomfort or infection which can be treated promptly.
​
Will I sell a single rat?
​
Short answer no. Rats should not be alone. They do best in colonies, at least two but my preference is three or more. Rats thrive on social interaction with each other.
​
Can I visit you to meet/pick out my rats? How do I pick out the babies I want?
​
I run a closed rattery. This means that my rattery is not open to visitors. I also run my rattery out of my home and for my family’s and I’s safety, we do not allow visitors. All babies will be posted on my website with clear photos. I am more than happy to take a video for adopters of the rattery or babies they are interested in if they have any concerns.
​
When will you have rats available?
​
This depends. When adopters fill out an adoption application, I will email them when babies are available and they can pick out rats from there. I do not always have available rats because I only sell the best of the best of my litters and ensure that every rat that leaves my rattery is a perfect pet.
Can you let me know when you have X available?
​
I have a lot of requests for emails on specific pairings. I have a full time job while running a rattery and I do not have time to email each person individually for each litter. What I can do is email approved adopters when rats are available. If the adopter does not want anything from that litter, I will put them back on the list and email them for the next litter.
​
Why don't you have more dumbos available? When will you dumbos available? I'm looking for a dumbo rex. When will you have any?
Here's the truth. My love for dumbos ends with my two lines that are exclusively dumbo beyond that my goal is to eliminate dumbo from the rest of my lines. Now this doesn't mean I won't get any. It happens and recessives can hide for a long time. With this being said, all those dumbos are yours! I don't want them. Don't get me wrong. I don't dislike dumbo, I just happen to like a standard eared rats better. I find dumbos make cute rats but a nice standard ear rat makes a GORGEOUS rat. My dumbo lines are my dumbo variegated blaze line (mostly hairless) and my dumbo black eyed siamese line so if dumbo if something you absolutely have to have, you can wait for these litters or check out my sister rattery, Kokopelli Kritters who adores her dumbos.
​
Can you send me pictures?
​
I am more than happy to send adopters all the pictures I took of the babies when I put them up for adoption once the deposit has been made. These are nice pictures taken with my professional camera. From there, I will send pictures and updates if requested once a week, these will be taken with my cellphone. I cannot guarantee I can do more than that due to my very busy schedule. I cannot take time away from my family ot my other rats to send updates daily.
​
Do I deliver/ship?
​
I do not. This is a new policy update from Ohana Rattery where I did deliver for a fee. Because at the time I was living in Pueblo 90% of my adopters were from the Denver area, I delivered. Now that I am in the city, I will doing all adoptions at the Petco parking lot at 3511 Salida Ct #40, Aurora, CO 80011.
​
Do I breed hairless?
​
Yes, I do. My hairless are my oldest line. This line has three distinct branches, whiteisde, hairless black blazed variegated, and red eye Siamese. My hairless are some of my most amazing rats from temperament to health, they are all over amazing rats.
What food do you recommend? What treats are good?
​
For the pet owner, I recommend Oxbow, it can bought in small bags from Petsmart or can purchase big bags online from chewy.com. The foods on the market are changing. I suggest a kibble or block instead of a mixed homemade feed to ensure proper nutrition such as Mazuri, Kent, or Oxbow. Of course, some of my adopters have done this extremely well and I encourage adopters to make choices that will benefit their rats if they have the proper education. I feed my rats leftovers from meals, the other day they got pancakes and leftovers from cutting up fruits and veggies such as the ends of celery, the tops of strawberries. The fresher the food the better we feel about it. Cooked and raw bones are always a hit. I do cooked turkey legs and give them the bones. This is great for trimming teeth and lasts a long time. Hot wings are also a hit in my house with the humans so after a quick wash to get off the hot sauce, the ratties dig in.
​
Who is my vet or who do I recommend?
​
When I was in Pueblo, I actually saw a vet up here University Hills Animal Hospital and now they are Vida Veterinarian Care. I am looking for a vet that will do a home visit to help ensure the health of my colony now that I am in the city. Planned Pethood is another vet I hear great things about all the time.
​
Can I pay extra for you to socialize my baby?
​
Not a chance. This will hide genetic temperament from the adopter and from me and will not allow me to see the rats true temperament taking away any chance to make an informed decision about which rats are suitable for adoption.