There is a lot of misinformation, nonsense and just plain horse hockey being passed along to new breeders from some of the established breeders out there, and it's often combined with a heavy dose of our-way-or-the-highway "attitude". Newbies must kow-tow or they will be ostracized, and certainly will never be given breeding stock. New breeders and wannabe-breeders look up to established breeders and seek them out for advice. They SHOULD be able to do this, given the amount of knowledge and experience that established breeders have to share. What saddens me at present is that newbies are being subjected to arrogant "dictates" and a lot of just plain nonsense (IMO). Worse, the newbies are buying it. Because the established breeders CERTAINLY know what they're talking about, DON'T they? And newbies NEED those breeders to give them breeding stock, DON"T they? (Not always; not necessarily.)
One doesn't get very far in life without noticing that it's lessons come in shades of grey, instead of black-and-white. There are different paths to becoming a good, ethical, successful, rat breeder. Information presented on a breeder's website should reflect the experience and philosophy of that breeder and not be there simply because other breeders dictate that it must be such-and-such a way, have such-an-such a page, or whatever.****If you don't have a page listing all your past litters, or a "bridge" page, for example, the breeders who like to dictate to others will say that you must be "hiding" something because you aren't sharing all the information on every past litter and every rat who has died. NONSENSE! Breeders SHOULD keep careful records and should also BE WILLING TO SHARE that information when asked, and ALWAYS with other breeders who may be acquiring breeding animals. Established breeders who dictate to newbies that ALL breeders MUST plaster their websites with every bit of information about past litters, rats who have passed on, information about lab testings, necropsy results, etc, etc, if they wish to be "accepted" and certainly if they ever hope to be given breeding animals, are simply on a power trip and/or have a lot of control issues!
Shades of grey are ignored and new breeders are instead given black-and-white pictures of the way a good breeder "must" operate. Misinformation too, is many times shared. For example, when it comes to what ages to use animals for breeding, it is being passed along that waiting till animals have reached 10 months and up (for females) and 12 months and up (for males) is best. One newer breeder said she's heard an established breeder's claim that breeders are creating "slower maturing" rats (which I suppose means they can keep safely and without problems delay breeding till older and older ages). HORSE HOCKEY! Older rats, just like older human females, have more difficulty getting pregnant. There can be birthing difficulties. (Some breeders will blame their "lines" and not their own breeding practices.) With humans, the difficulty in getting pregnant, and the potential for genetic problems (for example, Down's Syndrome), increases with maternal age. Mother Nature didn't intend for us to wait so long to bear children. Has Science been able to help US "mature slower" so that WE can more successfully "breed" at older and older ages? No. Can't be done. (This is why fertility clinics are so busy, and older women are "high risk" deliveries.) Can't be done with our rats either. But the newbies believe it because that's what they're being told.
One person in the rat community has managed to "sell" a lot of others on her unfounded "fact" that soy in rat food is harmful, and that eliminating it from what we feed our rats will extend their lives several years beyond the average of 2 1/2-3. There are just no serious studies supporting these claims, the "articles" pointed to were written by the same woman making the claims, and none of her own rats have lived as long as what she claims they WILL on a soy-free diet. It's all HORSE HOCKEY!
Every breeder, new, established, or wannabe, should be aware that rat breeding practices, like living life, are full of shades of grey. There is no, one, "right" way to do things. Question things that don't make sense for you instead of just following the dictates of others. Apply your common sense. Don't allow yourself to be bullied into doing things "just because" the established breeders tell you that's the way you MUST do them if you want to become a good, successful breeder. NONSENSE! Please don't be discouraged and fear your dream of breeding rats will be derailed if you are not able to obtain breeding animals from these self-important breeders; there ARE breeders who will help.
Debbie
