The rodentry has transitioned to new ownership.
I will no longer be operating this rodentry as I have developed a severe allergy to rats. It was transitioned to a local friend of mine, who is an excellent keeper and my rodentry mentor. So you will certainly be in good hands. Once she is open to the public I will list her information on the available page.
Frozen rodents are still available from myself as supplies last. Otherwise, Local reptile keepers (and now falconry keepers too- cool huh?) have been saving tremendously on their feed and shipping costs by joining in on the local feed order pools that ship out every 3 months. If you'd like to get in on that action contact me, and I'll be happy to assist you.
This page is kept up for legacy and information on the bloodlines of the rodentry purposes.
Frozen rodents are still available from myself as supplies last. Otherwise, Local reptile keepers (and now falconry keepers too- cool huh?) have been saving tremendously on their feed and shipping costs by joining in on the local feed order pools that ship out every 3 months. If you'd like to get in on that action contact me, and I'll be happy to assist you.
This page is kept up for legacy and information on the bloodlines of the rodentry purposes.
Rats & Mice are currently in production
I offer limited quantities of live rats and mice to Alaskan purchasers only. I do not ship, but am willing to deliver within a reasonable distance of Kenai. Both feeders and pets are available and are listed on the available page.
What differentiates a feeder from a pet? The pet quality rats offered are handled from birth and socialized around children. The feeders are not. Its that simple. They all receive the same quality of care. Only rats with the very best temperaments are chosen to become breeders. This ensures friendly offspring, a trait I am line breeding towards.
The mice available are sizes from pinky up, and soon will be available in multiple colors, as this is legal to do in Alaska (see below). Petco sells adult albino mice cheaper than I am able to provide, so in general I direct people there for adult feeder mice.
***TERMS FOR LIVE FEEDER RATS***
Due to limited production, I am not currently set up to fully support the full time feeding of other reptile collections at this time. I ask that persons who acquire live feeders do so only if a live feeding is absolutely last resort, to save the life of the reptile, and only while they are in the process of attempting to convince the reptile to take (the aboundantly cheaper and vastly more available) frozen thawed prey. This is not a judgement on persons who choose to feed live, but rather a request to ensure there is enough feeders to go around for those truly in need. Having that said, I expect all animals to be treated with respect. I reserve the right to refuse service to any person I suspect is utilizing feeders for reasons reptile keepers would deem cruel or inhumane.
What differentiates a feeder from a pet? The pet quality rats offered are handled from birth and socialized around children. The feeders are not. Its that simple. They all receive the same quality of care. Only rats with the very best temperaments are chosen to become breeders. This ensures friendly offspring, a trait I am line breeding towards.
The mice available are sizes from pinky up, and soon will be available in multiple colors, as this is legal to do in Alaska (see below). Petco sells adult albino mice cheaper than I am able to provide, so in general I direct people there for adult feeder mice.
***TERMS FOR LIVE FEEDER RATS***
Due to limited production, I am not currently set up to fully support the full time feeding of other reptile collections at this time. I ask that persons who acquire live feeders do so only if a live feeding is absolutely last resort, to save the life of the reptile, and only while they are in the process of attempting to convince the reptile to take (the aboundantly cheaper and vastly more available) frozen thawed prey. This is not a judgement on persons who choose to feed live, but rather a request to ensure there is enough feeders to go around for those truly in need. Having that said, I expect all animals to be treated with respect. I reserve the right to refuse service to any person I suspect is utilizing feeders for reasons reptile keepers would deem cruel or inhumane.
History of the Alaskan Rat Ban, and the Formation of thisRodentry
Alaskans know a live rat was always hard to find. The Fish & Game banned any live rat that wasnt the albino variety some time ago. They imposed heavy fines on any business that imported a single colored rat from distributors in the states. Being that albino is a recessive gene, and as such fairly rare, distributors in the states would send as many albinos as they could find and generally fill the rest of the order with colored rats despite the requests not to. Alaskan pet stores would be fined for this anyway even though they didnt really have any control over it. Businesses suffered, putting enormous pressure on them to stop carrying rats at all- even feeders- simply to avoid these fines.
Some small businesses, like the late "Our best friends" compensated for this by breeding their own albino rats and offering them for sale as both pets, and as feeders. Unfortunately, when the corporate chain petstores (PetCo) began moving up to Alaska, these small businesses could not compete and were forced to shut down. This left the corperate chain stores as the only access to feeder items, which due entirely to their own ignorance on the matter, decided that ALL reptiles can eat prekilled prey and therefore the sale of feeder rats wasnt necessary and became 'against their policy'due to animal cruelty concerns'.
As many, many, experienced reptile keepers know, not all reptiles will convert to prekilled prey. Many Alaskan snake keepers would watch in horror and frustration as their beloved, but not furry and therefore apparently less deserving, pets would slowly, and painfully, starve to death. Apparently that is less cruel than the quick, natural, death a feeder rat endures to feed a snake that has no other means for nourishment, but i digress.
Some live rat colonies survived in private collections around the state, too scattered and too few in number, sadly many of them have been doomed to failure simply due to the amount of inbreeding that has to occur in order to keep the colonies viable. This was the challenge that reptile keepers would need to overcome if we were to stop the horrors that our government created for us in banning the sale of rats.
So with the help of many, many, dedicated and knowledgeable keepers from around the state, I began a conservation campaign to preserve the viability of feeder rats for those reptiles who simply would die a horrific cruel death otherwise.
I built a large rack utilizing several large concrete mixing tubs measuring 3'L x 2' wide x 6" H. I realize thats not terribly big by pet rat fancier standards but by 'feeder' standards thats 3x the size a group of 4 would be housed in. It had to be built inside the room. It was quite the job. I intend to share the process in the DIY section coming soon. I decided to use wood shavings, an automated gravity fed watering system, and Mazuri 6F rodent block for feed. It is completely pro. The rats also get environmental enrichment as often as I can think of something neat for them to have fun doing.
After I got the housing down I set out collecting rats from all over the state, Anchorage, Palmer, Wasilla, Homer, Fairbanks... A few here, a few there. Unrelated bloodlines. Different sizes. It was a acuquistion that lasted months. Then finally in august 2016, I felt I could not find anymore. So I started to work creating what I believe to be the most genetically diverse rat colony in Alaska.
The first litters have been very strong, and healthy. Dare I say perfect? perhaps.
Some small businesses, like the late "Our best friends" compensated for this by breeding their own albino rats and offering them for sale as both pets, and as feeders. Unfortunately, when the corporate chain petstores (PetCo) began moving up to Alaska, these small businesses could not compete and were forced to shut down. This left the corperate chain stores as the only access to feeder items, which due entirely to their own ignorance on the matter, decided that ALL reptiles can eat prekilled prey and therefore the sale of feeder rats wasnt necessary and became 'against their policy'due to animal cruelty concerns'.
As many, many, experienced reptile keepers know, not all reptiles will convert to prekilled prey. Many Alaskan snake keepers would watch in horror and frustration as their beloved, but not furry and therefore apparently less deserving, pets would slowly, and painfully, starve to death. Apparently that is less cruel than the quick, natural, death a feeder rat endures to feed a snake that has no other means for nourishment, but i digress.
Some live rat colonies survived in private collections around the state, too scattered and too few in number, sadly many of them have been doomed to failure simply due to the amount of inbreeding that has to occur in order to keep the colonies viable. This was the challenge that reptile keepers would need to overcome if we were to stop the horrors that our government created for us in banning the sale of rats.
So with the help of many, many, dedicated and knowledgeable keepers from around the state, I began a conservation campaign to preserve the viability of feeder rats for those reptiles who simply would die a horrific cruel death otherwise.
I built a large rack utilizing several large concrete mixing tubs measuring 3'L x 2' wide x 6" H. I realize thats not terribly big by pet rat fancier standards but by 'feeder' standards thats 3x the size a group of 4 would be housed in. It had to be built inside the room. It was quite the job. I intend to share the process in the DIY section coming soon. I decided to use wood shavings, an automated gravity fed watering system, and Mazuri 6F rodent block for feed. It is completely pro. The rats also get environmental enrichment as often as I can think of something neat for them to have fun doing.
After I got the housing down I set out collecting rats from all over the state, Anchorage, Palmer, Wasilla, Homer, Fairbanks... A few here, a few there. Unrelated bloodlines. Different sizes. It was a acuquistion that lasted months. Then finally in august 2016, I felt I could not find anymore. So I started to work creating what I believe to be the most genetically diverse rat colony in Alaska.
The first litters have been very strong, and healthy. Dare I say perfect? perhaps.
Introducing a new and 100% legal rat variety, the REX albino!
The Alaska rat ban law only dictates what a legal rat looks like, namely that it must be albino, i.e. white with red eyes or PEW as it is commonly referred to (more on this here http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/aac.asp#5.92.065). It does not dictate what an animal can carry genetically so long as it is not expressed. It does not seem to notice or care that the only thing that distinguishes an albino rat from a non albino one is the lack of melanin that removes the color. Underneath this lack of melanin every albino rat is still a regular norway rat, which come in many varieties... could be black, brown, champage, hooded, etc. If you breed an albino rat to any other rat and you will see what it is 'underneath' as only two albino rats would produce a litter of only albino babies.
During my time hunting down genetically diverse PEW rats, I happened to stumble across a pew with slightly different fur, a male. At first glance I would have just assumed he was a bit older, but after closer inspection I realized he had a bit of a curl to his whiskers. He was immediately put to work as the stud for many of the pew females I had acquired. Within the very first litters I had a few that carried these strange whiskers, so I waited and line bred the curliest rats of each generation with painstaking detail to their bloodlines until I created these.
I am pleased to announce, as far as I know, the only full REX pew rats in the state. The brothers Rutt and Tooke.
During my time hunting down genetically diverse PEW rats, I happened to stumble across a pew with slightly different fur, a male. At first glance I would have just assumed he was a bit older, but after closer inspection I realized he had a bit of a curl to his whiskers. He was immediately put to work as the stud for many of the pew females I had acquired. Within the very first litters I had a few that carried these strange whiskers, so I waited and line bred the curliest rats of each generation with painstaking detail to their bloodlines until I created these.
I am pleased to announce, as far as I know, the only full REX pew rats in the state. The brothers Rutt and Tooke.
I have confirmed with the local fish and game that Rutt and Tooke are 100% legal. The composition of their fur does not in anyway affect their legality as they are still albino. I intend to have these available for the public as 'pet only' in the coming months. When available, they will be pictured and listed in the available page.
Next I will be creating hairless PEW, so stay tuned for updates!
Next I will be creating hairless PEW, so stay tuned for updates!