About Us
Blue Skies rattery is located in Lancaster, Pa. We are registered with NARR (North American Rat Registry) under the prefix BSKI. I talk and seek the advice of several established breeders, if you would like to know more about the lines of our rats, please contact us. Most of our rats are registered with NARR so breeders should already have access. For pet adopters, just because bloodlines aren't listed on the site doesn't mean they are not available. I just find it taxing to put up pedigrees on each litter page and really haven't found a nice web page design to display the information in a non-cluttered way.
We are a closed rattery, due to viruses that can easily spread and quickly destroy a rat colony. I would be happy to send as many pictures as you would like and even video of our rats and their homes. We have this policy in place to protect our rats and our adoptor's rats.
I have had pets all my life and love the gentle, interactive personalities of rats. I would like to focus on creating more curly rexes and dumbos with better proportioned, more blocky faces and upturned noses. I would also like to breed for bigger size. Our #1 focus is health and temperament, no rats with poor temperaments will be used in our program. Any lines with identified, congenital health problems will be discontinued.
We have our favorite colors we will focus on: Russian blue, soon burmese, black eyed siamese, mink and merle varieties. We will often have other colors available since our rats do carry recessives. We will have mainly dumbo rats, but may have some standard ears. We may also have standard, rex, hairless (although it is not a focus, many of our rats happen to carry hairless), and double rex (aka, 'patchwork hairless' to some pet adopters) available. We also have several manx, so they will eventually be available in our selected varieties. All of our rats are handled daily and a major part of our lives. We typically only have a few litters a year and like to focus all our attention on them. I love to help out new rat owners and am always available for questions!
We are a closed rattery, due to viruses that can easily spread and quickly destroy a rat colony. I would be happy to send as many pictures as you would like and even video of our rats and their homes. We have this policy in place to protect our rats and our adoptor's rats.
I have had pets all my life and love the gentle, interactive personalities of rats. I would like to focus on creating more curly rexes and dumbos with better proportioned, more blocky faces and upturned noses. I would also like to breed for bigger size. Our #1 focus is health and temperament, no rats with poor temperaments will be used in our program. Any lines with identified, congenital health problems will be discontinued.
We have our favorite colors we will focus on: Russian blue, soon burmese, black eyed siamese, mink and merle varieties. We will often have other colors available since our rats do carry recessives. We will have mainly dumbo rats, but may have some standard ears. We may also have standard, rex, hairless (although it is not a focus, many of our rats happen to carry hairless), and double rex (aka, 'patchwork hairless' to some pet adopters) available. We also have several manx, so they will eventually be available in our selected varieties. All of our rats are handled daily and a major part of our lives. We typically only have a few litters a year and like to focus all our attention on them. I love to help out new rat owners and am always available for questions!
How Our Rats Are Housed
The girls are housed in a home made cage. I couldn't find a cage big enough, with as many levels as I wanted, so we made our own. It is 2' wide, 2' deep, 4' tall. There are 4 levels, with ramps. There is a wodent wheel in there, because Rhea really enjoys using it sometimes. We have different types of hammocks, beds and toys we switch out every week so no one gets bored. The front is wire for plenty of light and ventillation. We used tile on the floors/walls/ramps so we can easily wipe it down between cage cleanings. The levels can convert into separate cages, if needed. I was skeptical of making a cage for them at first, but it turned out great and is the easiest cage to clean. We also have a Martin's 695 we use for the younger girls.
The boys are in a Critter Nation. We tried the wheel with them, but as expected, they do not use it. We have several hammocks, cubes, tunnels and chewing objects for them. We have several other wire cages incase we need them and for separating the boys/girls for future litters. This includes a Martin's 690, a homemade wire cage incase we need extra space. The green cage pictured below is a maternity ward. It has a deep bottom to prevent anyone from falling out and it gives the expectant mom plenty of space. The girls seem to like it. Mom and the litter stay in there until the babies are mobile and I think they can handle the different levels of the Martin's cages. I have several extra wire cages I did not post pictures of and may post later when I get some time, but these are the main cages we use.
The boys are in a Critter Nation. We tried the wheel with them, but as expected, they do not use it. We have several hammocks, cubes, tunnels and chewing objects for them. We have several other wire cages incase we need them and for separating the boys/girls for future litters. This includes a Martin's 690, a homemade wire cage incase we need extra space. The green cage pictured below is a maternity ward. It has a deep bottom to prevent anyone from falling out and it gives the expectant mom plenty of space. The girls seem to like it. Mom and the litter stay in there until the babies are mobile and I think they can handle the different levels of the Martin's cages. I have several extra wire cages I did not post pictures of and may post later when I get some time, but these are the main cages we use.
Playtime
Our rats are a part of our family and housed in the living room so they are in the middle of all the action. I don't think they would get as much interaction if they had their own room. We handle our rats daily, at bare MINIMUM at least 2 hours a day. I actually think it's rare when our rats only get 2 hours out. They usually have playtime in the morning before we head off to work and are let out in the evening (when they decide to wake up until they start to get tired). We use a room in the finished basement to set up play areas and let everyone run around. The two hairless girls are trustworthy enough to have free range time (when the boys are inaccessible of course) and will come to their names when called. We have several play areas for them and change their cages around frequently to prevent boredom. All of our rats love people and ask to be let out of their cage. The morning is filled with swarming, bruxing rats, eager to say 'hello' and start their day.