Join the Registry

Breeding Resources

Why the Registry?

The goals of the breeder registry are to:

provide support and mentoring for new breeders
create a list of people breeding ethically to help pet owners find good breeders when looking for new pets
maintain a database of information on individual rats in New Zealand
share studs, health data, and information

How to get Registered

We welcome all breeders to join the registry. We recommend you read through this website carefully to get a feel for who we are. We have a few important requirements for registered breeders which are outlined on this page. If you are still keen to join, choose one of the paths below. It is totally free to join the register and the main requirement to remaining registered is that you keep up the level of care you showed when you joined.

The requirements for registered breeders are:

To maintain a high standard of care for their rats. We collaboratively conduct rattery checks on all registered breeders once per year which involves a video tour of each rattery and a sharing and feedback session. These are informal sessions and give all breeders a chance to show off their rattery and get ideas from others while also ensuring that all of us are doing our best to care for our animals properly.
To register every litter produced and make an effort to keep this information up to date.
To complete a one-off interview with a currently registered breeder to ensure your goals and ethics align with those of the registry.

Main Register

This is the list for people who have been breeding for at least a year, are happy to answer questions from newer breeders, and are confident with all areas of rat care and breeding (including NZ rat genetics)

If you are an experienced and knowledgeable breeder you can ask to be interviewed by a breeder currently on the main register. You will be asked a series of questions to assess whether your breeding ethics align with the goals of the registry. Most questions could have a range of answers, but some things - like breeding ages, number of litters, and re-homing - have been decided and set by the community. Please ask any of the registered breeders if you have any questions or queries. When you are ready, contact a breeder on the main register list and make a time for your interview.

New Breeders

This is the list for people who have been breeding less than a year and/or are not yet confident with all areas of rat care and breeding and are looking for support from other breeders to increase their knowledge.

If you are a new breeder, or are looking to start, contact any of the breeders on the main registry. You will be added to a group chat if you would like to join where you can ask as many questions as you like, or, if you prefer a more one-on -one approach, you can be mentored by a more experienced breeder. When you feel confident you can make a time to complete your interview. Breeders on this list will automatically move to the main registry when they have been breeding for one year and filled in any gaps they had in the interview.

Interview

The purpose of the interview is to insure that all registered breeders have a good knowledge of all areas of rat care and breeding, that their rats are housed, feed, and cared for correctly, and that heir breeding ethics align with those of the registry. We understand that interviews can be stressful so we aim for more of a chat and sharing session - Interviews are one-on-one and the interviewee is welcome to pick who they would like to talk to. They can be done in person, over the phone, or in google hangouts/skype/facebook messenger. The interview will be recorded so that your answers can be moderated by other breeders.

Video Tour

All breeders film a video tour of their rattery every year and when they first become registered. This is so that we can collectively vouch for each other and ensure that care and housing standards are up to scratch and so that adopters know that they are getting rats form ratteries with high standards of care.

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