About

I live in a three-bedroom house with a full basement. The rattery is set up in a spare room in our basement that we built when we first bought our house. (My own bedroom is also in the basement.) There is an exhaust fan set up in their room which goes outside via one of the windows and serves to keep the air as fresh and amonia-free as possible. This idea originally came about when I lived with a friend of mine who was actually allergic to the rats. It kept him from having coughing/sneezing fits everytime he went near the rat room.

The rats almost all live in powder coated Martins cages, mostly the R-680 and R-685 models, though a few ferret models are also used. There are a few other cages, mostly ferret/guinea pig style, that adult males live in. Baby rats are born in large aquariums, and later moved into wire cages as they learn to climb and move around. Every cage of babies and females has a wheel for excercise, and some male cages have them as well, depending on which boys they are. (While almost all baby and female rats enjoy running on a wheel, most males do not bother.) Aside from wheels, rats are provided with a variety of toys, including plastic igloos and castles, large plastic ferret tubes, and hanging toys.

SFR Lae enjoying her wheel

Bedding used is Sani-Chips ordered from Harlan through the GLFRA. Between shipments I use regular shredded Aspen. Food is lab blocks, also ordered from Harlan. Between shipments I feed a few select brands of dog food. Other food commonly fed are low-sugar cereals, dried pasta (a favorite!), and a variety of fresh fruits, veggies, and healthy table scraps.

I got my first rat when I was eight years old, after the heartbreaking loss of my pet Syrian hamster, Spice. I named him Jennx, and he was a Beige Hooded. Jennx lived to be about three years old, eventually passing away from a stroke. Throughout his life he went everywhere with me, to Florida on vacation, camping, picnicing, etc.

After his passing, I returned to the same petstore Jennx had came from and got another rat, this time a baby girl, and named her J.J., which stood for Jennx Junior. J.J. was a Black Hooded. After that I was hooked, and over time I brought home many new rats - Trousers was a huge PEW, Courage was a Beige Hooded, Ratbert was a Russian Blue Rex, and Beanie was a Black Berkshire. My first litter was between Trousers and Courage, and they were beautiful Black and Agouti Hooded babies. A year or two later I discovered the world of rats online and started researching more on genetics, breeding in general, etc. I realized there were other rat fanciers as into them as I was. The Silver Fuzz Rattery was officially named in 1999.

I've always loved a large array of colors and markings. I've worked with many varieties over the years, and over time have made some choices on which I'd like to work with and which to avoid. My lines are recessive marked, in American Blue, Russian Blue, Midnight Blue, American Mink, RED, and Burmese on both black and agouti bases. Other colors may pop up here and there as well. One of my passions is learning how different dilutes work with and effect one another. I prefer standard and satin coats to rex coats, and dumbo ears to standard ears, but I won't turn down an otherwise wonderful breeding candidate just because they are not my preferred ear/coat type.

I do avoid intentionally breeding hairless and dominant markings into my lines, mainly for the health risks involved. This is a personal choice and does not reflect my opinion of those who choose to breed these varieties - they're just not for me!