The amazing cuteness of Ovaltine- and ? for breeders.

Sun Feb 05, 2006 9:30 pm

Just some pictures of my favoritestsmoogliesthandsomest boy. Heart

So I haven't yet made the decision as to whether or not I should breed him...

I want nothing more than a bunch of fat snuggly Ovaltine babies...but he just won't stop with the respiratory problems. Sad

He isn't sickly, he'll just get congested for a few days, stop for a few weeks, and then get congested again.

I just can't make the decision. If it were any other rat, I'd say "Breathing problems, nope, no breeding." But he's SO perfect...I've never met a rat that had Every. Single. physical quality that I needed. Everything my rats lack type-wise, he has. Everything they lack personality-wise, he has. I have the perfect girl for him and everything. To me, he is the epitome of ratdome, and I WANT his genes added to my line.

I believe that if I *did* choose to breed him, the health of my rats would balance out what little problem he has, and the babies should be fine...I'm just not sure if I should go there, you know? Then again, if I *didn't* breed him, I would be seriously missing out on a chance at majorly improving the type of my rats. I'm just so torn...I can't seem to come to a conclusion as to whether it's worth the risk. Plus, it isn't like he's perpetually wheezy and miserable- he just has a little problem from time to time and overall he stays pretty healthy.

So I'd love input from anyone as to whether it's a good idea to go on with it or not. I think it would probably be fine, like I said, my rats have pretty strong immune systems so it should probably balance out...but I don't want to go into it with clouded judgement and make a bad decision because I so badly want babies from him.

So, ideas, anyone? Ovaltine is the greatest and best ever...if he'd just stop being so damn snuffly.

_________________
--Brittany

"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom."

Sun Feb 05, 2006 10:14 pm

Such a smoochy kissy face! lurve

Be sure to smother him with belly and head kisses for me now. Mr. Green

As to the breeding.... *sigh* this is why it's so difficult....

What about the rest of his lines - how are their general health? Do his relatives have generally good health or are they prone to getting a little snuffly? The fact that he's only had a couple of days of snuffles each time that resolves on it's own is a good sign (insofar as he's not constantly snuffly or descending into all out myco flares) but from my own, sad, experience with the wheezy boys, that's often how it starts - odd snuffles that become more and more lengthy and severe.... Course, my poor lads are not a good basis to judge from - they were incredibly poorly and had pretty much no real resistance to myco whatsoever. All of them were chronically wheezy before they were a year old (rather than snuffily in the nose) and all of them died with a combination of the chronic respiratory problems and pituitary tumours by 18 months. I guess I'm probably also the last person to ask because I am so passionate particularly about the respiratory issues and their eradication....

So I guess it depends on the following: How old is he now? How much do you know about the health of his littermates (particularly) and his close relatives and ancestors? Have you gone the antibiotic route or has it always resolved on it's own? How often do the snuffle attacks last, and how long have they been happening?

You seem to have super healthy lines - and I know you desperately want his type and temperament genes as well, but I also know you definitely do not want that to compromise the excellent health of your lines. Let me know what you know about his litter mates and their other relatives etc, and perhaps that will help clarify things a little more - one way or the other.

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Sun Feb 05, 2006 10:14 pm

Awwww, Ovaltine is such a cutie! He looks so happy in all of the pictures.

I can't really help with the snufflyness, but I hope that you wind up being able to safley breed him Crossed Fingers

_________________
Rosie

* * *

I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Sun Feb 05, 2006 10:37 pm

Well, if you want my honest opinion - no, I wouldn't breed him. But, I tend to be very adamant about not breeding ANY rat who has respiratory problems - especially not one with recurrent problems.

Even if his relatives are very healthy, his genes will be passed on to his offspring, which would make his offspring more susceptible to respiratory illnesses. With the fact that all rats have Myco (with the exception of some lab strains), adding to the problem would not be beneficial to your lines. Over time, it would make them less resistant to Myco and its effects, and would weaken your lines as a whole.

I know exactly how you feel, Britt. I have 4 rats with me that I would love to breed, but each has a "flaw" - or at least, in my eyes, they do.

Trinity, my Black Cap/Stripe Blazed girl, has the absolute best personality ever. She's very active, curious, healthy, friendly, licky and petite (which I like in my girls). But, she's a high white. Eventhough I have her pedigree and know that the rats listed in her pedigree did not have any MC problems, I still refuse to breed her just in case MC would show up in a litter.

Isis, my Himilayan girl, is a very laid back girl. She's so mellow and sweet, and has the most beautiful white coat. But, she had one case of respiratory illness when we moved up here, and she's an overgroomer. So, eventhough I would love to have some Himi babies like her, I won't breed her just because she may pass lowered Myco resistance and the overgrooming to her offspring.

Sam, my Agouti Hooded Dumbo boy, is my baby. He has a wonderful personality, and is very friendly and healthy. He's usually my spokes-rat, so he gets to meet all the new people who come over for visits. He is also the Alpha of the boys cage, and can be a bit too pushy with them at times. He is also tends to get jealous of the other rats if I am paying attention to them and not him. A couple of his relatives have recently shown mild to moderate aggression problems, so he will not ever be bred.

And lastly, Dream Weaver, my Black Berk Dumbo boy. He's a sweet heart, but is quite timid and standoffish at times. He's been very healthy, but since he is not very friendly I do not want to pass that onto any offspring.

So, I do understand where you are coming from. I've been in the same spot, but ultimately made the choice to not breed those that I feel are not bettering my lines as a whole.

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Shanna
~ Serendipity Rodentry ~

Sun Feb 05, 2006 10:48 pm

Well, I also have his brother (from the same litter) who hasn't had a single health problem at all- but I don't want to breed him because his type and temperament aren't as good as Ovaltine's. (He's not bad, just not really what I'm looking for.)

The founders for my line were originally from this breeder, and I've gotten most of my breeders from her in the past- so overall, her rats are pretty great health wise. The only thing I see on his pedigree as far as health is concerned is the occasional URI, but never any cases of full blown myco or wheeziness- then again, I've had a issues with her record keeping in the past so it may not be 100% accurate. Still, I know most of her rats and know that they're generally very healthy.

He's a year old (his Birthday is today, in fact) and his first snuffles started in November, so that would make him about 9 months when they first started. The first time it was a full blown URI and he needed Baytril, since then it's just been the occasional congestion that quickly clears on its own. I'd say it happens about twice a month, for 2-4 days at a time. His brother has never sneezed a day in his life.

Plus, it'll be a while yet before I breed him if I do decide to, so by that time I should have a better picture as to whether he's going to have very minor problems, or full blown chronic wheeziness.

Edit: Re: Shanna's Post: Yeah, you're probably right, Shanna. Ultimately I'll probably decide not to breed him...I'm just not 100% yet. Of course, I don't want to weaken my lines at all- he just has so much to add. Like I said though, it's not something I'm likely to go on with....I just haven't arrived at a complete decision yet.

_________________
--Brittany

"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom."

Sun Feb 05, 2006 10:58 pm

As a non-breeder, I really cannot add any input to your question. I would, however, say that if you did breed him and lived closer, I would not hesitate for one moment to put myself on the list for one of his offspring. That being said, as a non-breeder, whatever I would acquire would never be bred because I am NOT a breeder. I am a lover of squish.

Follow your heart on this one.

_________________
Rats are man's best friend. They gave up long life to be able to give more love.

Sun Feb 05, 2006 11:22 pm

I have to say, Britt, that I think I'd say, even as a non-breeder who has no real experience (so feel free to take this with as little or as much confidence as you wish!) that I probably wouldn't be happy breeding him if that were me. Like Shanna, if I were breeding, I know that respiratory issues would be something I would be super fussy about as well. Perhaps if he had one very minor upper respiratory infection (purely nasal) that cleared up within a few days and never recurred, then I might say ok if he was really, really special... but seeing as it's been recurrent (even just a few days every couple of weeks) for the last few months and occured relatively young, I just wouldn't feel happy with it. I guess you have probably have some of the same concerns yourself as you're asking opinions.

Like you said - the breeding wouldn't be for a while anyway - but I have to say that I'd vote no. Of course, I'm not a breeder and I'm just speaking from seeing the ickiness of dealing with a group of related ratties with chronic respiratory problems. But I wouldn't be comfortable with it I don't think. Can you find out if any of his other littermates have had issues? I know that most of your rats from this breeder have been healthy, but having seen some of the issues with documentation I'd probably be more wary anyway - it could well be that there isn't any problem, but... I'm suspicious like that... if there are issues with area, there might be issues in another and I wouldn't want to take the risk I don't think, especially considering how healthy your guys are on the whole.

I know how much you want to keep your lines going - hopefully you'll be able to do that with one or two of the last litter you had. And Ovaltine is a babe, for sure, and I can only imagine it's difficult to say no when there is potentially so much good he could bring into the lines... but I also know that you would feel terrible if you chose to breed him and respiratory issues started to rear their ugly head in what was previously a wonderful line healthwise. I think there will be other superb boys that can bring good into your lines, but without the potential risk of the wheeziness... even though it must seem hard to turn down Ovaltine babies (who I am sure would be darlings!). That's the part of breeding that I always figured would be hardest - stopping a line or cross, even when you've put in possibly years of work, because it's in their best interests. Hug

whatever you decide.

Edited to add: Happy birthday, Ovaltine! Cheers

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Sun Feb 05, 2006 11:47 pm

Yeah, I tend to agree with you, Andy. In the past, I've always been extremely adamant about never breeding anything that even snuffled...which is how I've managed to keep them so healthy, so I know it could really cause more harm than good. Hearing other people's opinions really does confirm that- I knew I was probably just trying to justify it when I really shouldn't be, which is why I asked. I appreciate that you guys are willing to be so up front with me. Hug

And yeah, I've had a long relationship with this breeder that has finally ended- recurrent problems with pedigrees, problems with her lying- just a lot of drama, and though she did help get me started and I've gotten some great rats from her, I decided a few months ago that I was going to stop talking to her.

I'm just scared to death of losing my lines...my girls will be around a year old by the time I'm able to breed, and I wouldn't risk them by putting them through a litter at that age, *especially* given the problems Cossette had with their birth. Piangi and Phantom are nice rats, but Piangi's type sucks (really little eyes, small ears) and Phantom's color and markings suck. (funky berk belly, and lots of silvering)
They're healthy so far, and their temperament is good, but under normal circumstances they just wouldn't be at the top of my list for breeding. If I did breed them to save the line, it would have to be to a really great girl...but even then I wouldn't feel as though I were making *better* rats...just more. Sad

I dunno...Its probably too early to worry about this anyway. I'll just have to see where I am when I move out and make a decision from there, I guess.

_________________
--Brittany

"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom."

Mon Feb 06, 2006 12:38 am

Aye - see how it goes, and how the situation changes. While the girls may be pushing it for their first litter, and those two boys might not be top of your breeding list, you may still have others you can call on - like you said, boys keep on giving, as it were.... wink

If you do have to start over - I can certainly understand that would be incredibly hard after all the work you've put into it.... but even if you do lose your lines, it's not like it will have been for nothing - you've learned tonnes, got, plenty of experience, produced lots of healthy ratties for people to love on, if nothing else - that is precisely what you wanted to do. If it's meant to be that you start over (and I can only say that hopefully whatever rats you started over with would have easier to trace pedigrees!) then perhaps it's fate stepping in. Course, not everyone believes in fate, but things often happen for a reason and if you're meant to continue this line, something will work out. If you're not, then perhaps there's a good reason for that as well. Hug

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:01 am

	Quote:
	produced lots of healthy ratties for people to love on, if nothing else - that is precisely what you wanted to do.

Yeah, even if the rats aren't always that happy about being smooshed and squished, you have made lots of people happy *smooshes Firmin* wink

Seriously though, with Piangi and Phantom, is it just that there type/color/markings suck, or is there temperment not *great* (breeding quality)?

What about Grim? He is a few months younger than Ovaltine (right?), and his health and temperment seem to be great.

_________________
Rosie

* * *

I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:25 am

Very handsome manrat!

_________________
X: XERXES did die,
And so must I.

Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:25 am

Why not use Phantom? If he comes from a good line and has a great personality, with no health problems, he could be a good pick. Breeding for colors is great, but maybe with him you could go for a litter that concentrates on personality and behavior. I know pleanty of people here would be willing to take little Phantom babies off of your hands, and that way you wouldn't lose the line completely. And the silvering kind of gives him a fuzzy-kissy look. (And that spot on his belly is in just the right smooshing spot!) Besides, who knows what will come of a litter of his? He's got a really cute sister, and maybe you'll get lucky!

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Boys: Qariol and Shen (PEWs)
Jemric and Verdrin (PEW dumbos)

Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:27 am

Ratsicles wrote:

He's a year old (his Birthday is today, in fact) and his first snuffles started in November, so that would make him about 9 months when they first started. The first time it was a full blown URI and he needed Baytril, since then it's just been the occasional congestion that quickly clears on its own. I'd say it happens about twice a month, for 2-4 days at a time. His brother has never sneezed a day in his life.

Has something changed in your life or his? Could this be a case of dry air/dust/vacuuming alergies??

My gang gets sneezy and snuffly once in a while. A little Simply Stuffy in their water or some Benadryl clears it right up.

If he had a history of URI, shouldn't it take hold of him and not clear up so easily??

_________________
Rats are man's best friend. They gave up long life to be able to give more love.

Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:37 am

Britt, give him six months. If he's stopped sniffling, reconsider. He won't be too old to breed, and maybe if he's improved, you'll be able to find another lady friend who is perfect for him. You could always breed his brother, too. I had rats that had babies before I got them. I had the mom and the dad and his brother. Puck was the father, and he really only liked me most of the time. His brother Goldmund sounds a lot like Ovaltine, and he had a *spectacular* personality. All of the kiddos that my mom adopted had the same personality as their mother and Goldmund (their uncle) and are/were lovely beautiful rats.

Good luck, and happy birthday Ovaltine!!

_________________
Rats~Janine, Madeleine, Cooper, Basil, Dolly, Kitty, Ilori, Theo, Elliot, Vladimir, Freya, Devi, Yoshimi, Nigel, Rosshalde, Faust, Tolkien, Caleb, Mira, Ivy, Nemo, Willow, Nikolas, Lucian & Linus
Mice~Molly, James & Will
Beardie~Cleo

Mon Feb 06, 2006 6:20 am

	Quote:
	If he had a history of URI, shouldn't it take hold of him and not clear up so easily??

Not necessarily so... Out of my 5 related rats, 4 are now passed, and 4 of them have/had chronic respiratory problems (Charlie is the only one that escaped - he just had congestive heart failure, an overgrown tooth, arthritis and hind end problems that progressed really from 18 months). Malachi is the only one who started off with a bad respiratory infection and never improved - he had a severe bout of pneumonia at 8 months and the damage, scarring and chronic myco problems persisted from then onwards. He was kept comfy and happy with daily neb treatments and other medications. Az and Finn started off getting a minor URI that apparently cleared up, then a few weeks later, more snuffles. Sometimes they would clear up on their own in a few days, and other times they would need treatment. Over time, their overall condition worsened, the respiratory problems worsened and became more chronic.... Ellie (my last related rat) has had the same progress of symptoms. The odd all out infection, mostly snuffles that persist for a few days, ease off, recur days or weeks later etc.

My flatmate also has a sneezy boy, Stevie. He's been sneezy and snuffly on and off since he was a few months old. Periodically, his dry sneezes would get snotty, and antibiotics would get him back to the "dry sneezy" stage, but would never clear him up completely (and believe me, we tried many different combinations and dosages) - he'd still have days where he snuffled and sneezed, and other days where he was pretty much ok. Sometimes he'd go weeks or even months between antibiotic treatments. That went on until the last couple of months. Only now (aged 20 months) has it progressed to the stage where he's become more poorly, with lower respiratory problems (wheezing and congestion) and more antibiotic treatment needed.

_________________
Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Mon Feb 06, 2006 5:58 pm

LittleWillow wrote:

If you do have to start over - I can certainly understand that would be incredibly hard after all the work you've put into it.... but even if you do lose your lines, it's not like it will have been for nothing - you've learned tonnes, got, plenty of experience, produced lots of healthy ratties for people to love on, if nothing else - that is precisely what you wanted to do. If it's meant to be that you start over (and I can only say that hopefully whatever rats you started over with would have easier to trace pedigrees!) then perhaps it's fate stepping in. Course, not everyone believes in fate, but things often happen for a reason and if you're meant to continue this line, something will work out. If you're not, then perhaps there's a good reason for that as well. Hug

I guess that's true, and it does make me feel better...and yes, it *would* be nice to have rats without such motley backgrounds! I wouldn't know what to do if my rats had easily traceable pedigrees- especially for someone like me who has such a hard time with genetics. I'd love to know exactly what to expect from a litter, and I would imagine it would make placement a heckuva lot easier.

	Quote:
	Seriously though, with Piangi and Phantom, is it just that there type/color/markings suck, or is there temperment not great (breeding quality)? What about Grim? He is a few months younger than Ovaltine (right?), and his health and temperment seem to be great.

It's really just type/color/markings with them. Their health and temperaments are fine so far- in fact, Phantom epecially is a bit floppier and lovier than my rats usually tend to be.

I hadn't even though about breeding Grim again, but it would definitely be something to consider- he does carry dumbo, and though he's a little small, his type is pretty decent overall.

Quote:

Why not use Phantom? If he comes from a good line and has a great personality, with no health problems, he could be a good pick. Breeding for colors is great, but maybe with him you could go for a litter that concentrates on personality and behavior. I know pleanty of people here would be willing to take little Phantom babies off of your hands, and that way you wouldn't lose the line completely. And the silvering kind of gives him a fuzzy-kissy look. (And that spot on his belly is in just the right smooshing spot!) Besides, who knows what will come of a litter of his? He's got a really cute sister, and maybe you'll get lucky!

The reason I'm so focused on color/markings/type right now is because I haven't been in the past. I focused SO much on temperament and health, that I sacrificed their appearance- I'm not sorry about the pairings I chose, because from them I've developed a line with a long life span, tumor free(never had a tumor yet!), and with minimal respiratory problems (occasional URI in a few of them, but never chronic myco flare-ups.) Their temperament could use improving- I've never had problems with aggression, but my girls can be a little bit high strung and while they all like people and enjoy attention, most of them can take or leave humans for the most part. This last litter seems to have done a lot in the way of improving their temperament though, because like I said before, the babies from this last litter are *great* personality-wise.

But as anyone can tell from looking at one of their pedigrees (and LittleWillow can vouch for this I'm sure!) they have very random backgrounds when it comes to color and markings, there's a little of this, a little of that- because I never considered color or type or markings, I simply chose the ones that were the healthiest. While that isn't a bad thing, color, markings and type are important aspects of breeding as well, and I should have been choosing rats who were healthy and who had really good physical qualities.

Which is why I'm trying to remedy that now- I'm happy where my rats are health wise, and now I need to improve their appearance. (Not at the expense of their health, which is why Ovaltine probably wouldn't be a good choice.) So that's why I'm not nuts about breeding Phantom- his babies would be healthy and sweet, but they would not be an improvement on him- so I'd just be making more rats of the same quality, rather than better ones. That, to me, would not be a justifiable reason to have a litter- however, if it becomes the only way to salvage my lines, I'll do so, and improve on the babies from there. It would be a setback, but it would be better than losing years of hard work.

Right now, I'm thinking his father (grim) would be the better choice.

_________________
--Brittany

"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom."

Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:01 pm

Well, Britt...I could always bring you a couple of my rats. I have 3 litters planned so far for this year, and will be making a trip down to GA at least once this year.

Let me know if you are interested, as I would be more than happy to help you out. wink

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Shanna
~ Serendipity Rodentry ~

Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:15 pm

That would be awesome, Shanna...especially since I really want to work with american blues, and I know you breed them. Mr. Green

I'll PM you in a little while and we can talk about it. Hug

_________________
--Brittany

"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom."

Tue Feb 07, 2006 3:59 am

	Quote:
	I don't want to weaken my lines at all

	Quote:
	I focused SO much on temperament and health

Yep, I think it sounds like you've already decided not to breed him. Improving type is a good goal, but not at the expense of losing the good health you've built up in your lines. There will always be other rats with good type that you can bring in, rats that have good type and good health.

The very best rat I ever had (out of over 100 over a few years) was LMR Makade. I desperately wanted to breed him, he had such good temperament and type. But he had this chronic little respiratory squeek. With good management of his health and his environment, he lived 2 1/2 years. But I wouldn't want to pass on his lack of a strong respiratory system, or maybe his immune system, to generations of rats to come. It's a tough decision, but it is the best if we really want to work seriously toward improving our rats' health and longevity.

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Scout of Manitou Mischief Rattery

Tue Feb 07, 2006 5:30 am

Hey Brittany,
man, what a hard choice. I personally would also not breed him. I would look for, like you have said, an improvement- in as many areas as I can. For me, breeding Ovlatine would be a step backward though he is absolutely adorable. Like Scout says, there are so many good lines that you can bring in that will accomplish the temperament and type (color, marking, etc.) goal AND the health improvement goal. I think a lot of us breeders have had to make this same decision. Ultimately its what we choose to do and breed that makes us great breeders or just okay breeders. When you get ready to look in your new direction and new stock, just send me an email. I would like to work closer with you (We GA breeders need to stick together.)

Amy

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Phoenix Gate Rats
www.pxrats.com

Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:06 pm

Yeah, I've officially decided against breeding him- I've been talking to Shanna from Serendipity about getting some nice rats from her when she comes down to GA towards the end of the year, and I'll definitely get back to you when I've got a better idea as to what my exact plans will be- I had actually planned to contact you about possibly getting some rats when I started back up anyway, so I'll be keeping in touch. Mr. Green

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--Brittany

"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom."

Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:30 pm

I thought you said EVERYONE did nice American Blues so you weren't gonna work wiff dem XP
Ovaltine is such a fatty, I'm sorry his genes won't populate the world, but then whatever y'know. I don't think he cares so much, as his mommy keeps him fat and stupid on treats and belly squishes =D

Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:34 pm

I was just saying that to be grumpy.

I really do like A. blues, I just meant that so many new breeders pop up and say "Yay I wanna breed blues!" and I didn't want to sound like one of those people.

Actually, my long term goal is for BEW's...my absolute favorites. I want to breed them on my own though, through breeding minimally marked dalis and that sort of thing- which is why I haven't gone out directly looking for BEW's. Right now, I'm just trying to keep my lines going long enough to get the heck out of my mother's house.

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--Brittany

"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom."

Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:41 pm

Wow BEW *_*

I really love the BEW look. Both Bandit and Beans are my attempt to get a BEW (minimal eye markings, but otherwise all white).
Beans has his little 'kinda sorta not quite eye mask' and Bandit had grouchy eyebrows and ear smudges. Both pretty, but not quite BEW.

I look forward to babes from this line whenever you start eet >_>

Wed Feb 08, 2006 3:27 am

Ooh, BEW babies lurve

I think it is great that you want to get them on your own though. It will make it more dificult, but in the end more rewarding.

_________________
Rosie

* * *

I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Wed Feb 08, 2006 7:37 am

	Ratsicles wrote:
	Actually, my long term goal is for BEW's...my absolute favorites. I want to breed them on my own though, through breeding minimally marked dalis and that sort of thing- which is why I haven't gone out directly looking for BEW's.

It's funny you should say that, as that is one of the main reasons I chose to keep Noel. wink

Since she is a recessively Blazed rat, she's completely safe to work with. I am planning to breed her to her brother, Dexter. He was adopted by John and Jane, a couple who live a mere 4 minutes from me - and they will be allowing me to borrow him for a breeding in June/July. I am hoping to bring out more recessive Blazing in that litter, as well as produce some more American Blues and possibly get a couple of minimally marked rats to work on building a BEW line with. Mr. Green

I am also looking to better the ears of my rats, and they should be an improvement there. Noel has some nice, round Dumbo ears and Dex is a Standard, so we should get 50% Dumbos - hopefully all with Noel's lovely ear shape. Crossed Fingers

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Shanna
~ Serendipity Rodentry ~

Wed Feb 08, 2006 5:36 pm

Yup, that's why I was interested in some of her babies- I saw her markings and new she would be perfect for exactly that. Mr. Green

Mine need better ears too- they're nicely shaped, but they're too small, both my standard ears and dumbos, so those ears could help mine as well. Mr. Green

_________________
--Brittany

"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom."