Ratbags Rattery

 

Ratbags Rattery is run by Clare Whitehead and Louis Varley

The rattery takes its name from a weekly rat fancier's club that I ran at Berrywoods Pets, then owned by Louis Varley. Louis is a very established breeder, having practised for around 4 years. He has a special interest in genetics and aims to ethically produce happy, healthy rats of good type. He favours Siamese and Blues and is now to concentrate on these lines.

I acquired my original pair of rats from Louis, a cinnamon point buck I named Basil, and the legendary Tank, my Pied Masked heart rat. Tank was an incredible creature in terms of physicality and personality.He fathered 30 children, most of whom have gone on to make excellent, very handleable pets. My aim in raising these litters was to make them as socialised as possible. They were accustomed to handling, stroking and tolietting (not as gross as it sounds!) from early days. I believe they benefited from the nature AND nurture approach. Though they don't fit into any show category as such, they make the greatest pets.

Our joint obsession with the amazing, amusing, intelligent and adaptable creature that is the fancy rat brought us together in more ways than one.... we now live together with my 2 children in a lively, happy and very rat orientated household. We breed occasional litters when time and family allow, constantly striving to further perfect the genetics of our lines and raise them to be an asset to any loving home.