# The great APS rat swap



## diamondgal79 (Jan 31, 2010)

ok had an idea.
Everyone should introduce new lines to their rats to keep them healthy etc.
so why not do a swap with other ASPers?
we could swap or buy them (not on here as to interfere with swapping selling thingo) for colours/sexes we need.
what do you think.


----------



## Hooglabah (Jan 31, 2010)

i thinks its a great idea


----------



## chickensnake (Jan 31, 2010)

yeah im in lol


----------



## Lonewolf (Feb 8, 2010)

I'm up for it. Though, i think people might be a little bit iffy about taking in new lines as they've worked so hard on getting their own healthy they won't want anything stuffing that up.. Like myco, biting, mites, lice etc. If everyone quarantines properly though it could be extremely helpful introducing new lines.


----------



## it_slithers (Feb 8, 2010)

What relevence does colour have for a feeder animal??? Or am i missing something


----------



## Lonewolf (Feb 8, 2010)

Some people like specific colours, coat types etc. Why not have a little fun?


----------



## Brettix (Feb 8, 2010)

Sometimes is best to inbreed to eradicate all health probs.
How do you know you have problem free lines with out inbreeding to see the probs ?


----------



## TWENTY B (Feb 8, 2010)

i'm already doing swaps with a few members...


----------



## dtulip10 (Feb 8, 2010)

yeah i'll swap a few girls. i dont want hoods though they bite to much.


----------



## mungus (Feb 8, 2010)

swinger rats.................


----------



## dtulip10 (Feb 8, 2010)

mungus said:


> swinger rats.................



some one has to get some action. god knows being a snake nerd does not pick up chicks


----------



## diamondgal79 (Feb 8, 2010)

ok well the only way it will work is to swap with folks close to you.
Unless your travelling somewhere and willing to transport.
Quarrantine is a MUST treat them like you would if they were reps.
i do inbreed and keep records of such but its alway wise to outcross and bring in new lines.
So lets set up a register and you can tell folks what you want and what you have to swap.
and where you are and if your travellin g somewhere where you can swap along the way.

Location: ACT

Colours: buff,agouti,silver fawn,dove,black and white berkshire, black and white hooded,dove hooded,silver fawn hooded.

Looking for: mink,blaze,wedge,blues and any unsual patterns/colours.


----------



## Lonewolf (Feb 8, 2010)

Good idea. 

Location: Richmond NSW

Have: Unfortunately not much atm since the heat wiped 90% of my stock. But i have agouti berk, black variegated berk (Some with blazes, headspots and some rex), champagne, PEW and a litter that could be just about anything.

Looking For: Hooded any colour but black, self in any colour but black, headspots, blazes etc.

At the moment not looking to travel or freight. Got no car  but do live close to the train station if anyone is relatively close.

Question though, what if someone has what we're looking for but doesn't know what it's called? Lots of people call mink grey and agouti brown etc.. Should i go find the Australian site that gives details and pics of all the different colours, types etc?


----------



## diamondgal79 (Feb 8, 2010)

Lonewolf that would be great if oyu could post a link.
Also feel free to put up pics of what you have if your not of colur.
oooooooooooooooh rexes now thats what i talikng about i need some of those!
And blazes too. Lucky thing.


----------



## Lonewolf (Feb 8, 2010)

Ok i'll go find the link. 

I forgot to add, i can breed BEWs as well as blazed and headspots if anyone knows about them. I recently bred my first BEW rex which i'm so proud of!


----------



## Lonewolf (Feb 8, 2010)

Ok found the link! It's missing BEWs and variegated berkshires though. 

What Rat Is That?


----------



## herptrader (Feb 8, 2010)

It is also missing my line of pale headed rats. They have an almost white skull cap which varies in intensity with age. The snakes reckon they all taste the same though!


----------



## dtulip10 (Feb 8, 2010)

and is does not have my new ones that i had pop out a few weeks ago i call them possums because they are a dead set same color as a brushtail possum. or the darker form which i call sewers because they look like a sewer rat


----------



## scorps (Feb 8, 2010)

That website also states there are no hairless rats in Australia which to my knowledge is wrong, there is deffiantly hairless mice and I am pretty sure hairless rats getting around. Am I right?


----------



## Lonewolf (Feb 8, 2010)

I might add that the colours vary a lot much like reptiles.. Different state, different colour. I had a brown mink once others have almost blue minks.

I'm guessing your rats would be champagne capped herptrader lol

To the general public there is no hairless. People have bred them but don't let them go. Plus, they appear to have really short lifespans. The alternative is the double rex which a breeder in Nowra is producing. They are completely nude for most of their life but grow patches of fur every now and then.

Yep there are hairless mice in Aus. So ugly.. But cute.


----------



## toximac (Feb 8, 2010)

Lonewolf said:


> won't want anything stuffing that up.. Like myco, biting, mites, lice etc.


I think trades wouldn't be definite, and if you sense the rat sneezing, itching, coughing etc you wouldn't trade it, thats why I think it could work when all of us wanna trade so we can choose.




it_slithers said:


> What relevence does colour have for a feeder animal??? Or am i missing something


You are missing something.. when your breeding by the 100's and some fancy kind pop up *patches or barecap/underbelly*.. rat people pay up to 60 bucs for a rat with patches, its profitable food.



Brettix said:


> Sometimes is best to inbreed to eradicate all health probs.
> How do you know you have problem free lines with out inbreeding to see the probs ?


Check the fur for no orange marking, ear's, behaviour with rat tilting head/ear infection, look at feed/tail, hand over ear near its mouth to hear breathing, if it isnt heavy, or doesnt sneeze or cough, its healthy. Also size lol



diamondgal79 said:


> ok well the only way it will work is to swap with folks close to you.
> Location: ACT


Can we have it somewhere between sydney and canberra? lol or the macauther show?? :-o



scorps said:


> hairless rats Am I right?


Yep their harder to keep and they look dirty, you never wanna hold em or cuddle em :-( lol


----------



## grimbeny (Feb 8, 2010)

it_slithers said:


> What relevence does colour have for a feeder animal??? Or am i missing something



When you spend more time looking after your rodents you may aswell have a bit of fun with them too. Keeping rats can be fun, its always a bit exciting seeing a massivley pregnant mum and the day after seeing a big litter of cute little rats.


----------



## Brettix (Feb 8, 2010)

Heres somthing for you all to think about

Inbreeding, Linebreeding & Outcrossing


----------



## dtulip10 (Feb 8, 2010)

yeah i awoke this morning to a litter of 18 pinkies in one cage. which i think is a new recorded for my rats.


----------



## Sdaji (Feb 8, 2010)

herptrader said:


> It is also missing my line of pale headed rats. They have an almost white skull cap which varies in intensity with age. The snakes reckon they all taste the same though!



They are called mink. All mink-based rats have that pattern, it's most obvious at about six to eight weeks and eventually disappears. Mink is on the site, but they don't talk about the 'moult cap'. Sometimes the moult patterns can be pretty cool, with stripes along the body. Mink hets have the moult cap too, but only weakly. If yours have caps which are almost white they are probably rr or pp.

I don't think we have any 'true hairless' rats in Australia, but double rex rats can be hairless for a while during the juvenile moulting stage.

We have all combinations of mink, ruby-eyed and pink-eyed dilutions in black (aa) and agouti (A*). We also have black-eyed whites (including head-spotted and blazed hets, and some nn patch rats/mm BEWs), albinoes and nn pp C* pink-eyed whites. Mostly hoodeds but lots of Berkshires and selfs too. We have a small number of rexes but deliberately avoid making double rexes. The only colour we don't have is blue, and there are at least two pattern types we don't have (downunder and variegated). 

Patch rat






Black-eared black-eyed white





"Mink cap"





A moult cap with a funky triangle on the back





Head spot/patch





Blaze


----------



## dtulip10 (Feb 8, 2010)

that black ear is cool i have never had anything like that, maybe i should selectively breed my rats a little more which i may start doing just to see what i get.


----------



## Hooglabah (Feb 8, 2010)

the main thing i noticed about the photos is that sdaji is a hairy man


----------



## Hooglabah (Feb 8, 2010)

is it wrong that even tho i loves the ratties i still have no problem killing them and feeding em to my snakes.


----------



## diamondgal79 (Feb 8, 2010)

no its not wrong i love mine but their offspring are snake food simple.
but why shouldnt i have some fun with them while im at it?
Tox we arent coming to mcauthar i dont htink.
when is it?
Happy to pay if no one is interested in swaps.
I understand that some would be hesitant to bring in animals.


----------



## Southside Morelia (Feb 8, 2010)

I think i'll have to post some pics of my rats.
Forgive my ignorance as I only breed for food, but have almost "outbred" the whites in the colony over the years...personal preference, I dont like the look of them, like white cars...lol, so feed them off first.
I have some really funky patterned and coloured ones, but didn't think anything of them really. I have one little cutie that has a mask like zoro and a "mink cap" from Sdaji's description. I hope he's still there, I may have fed him already :shock:, but do like to keep the cool ones to breed. depends on the size of them and if I need that size to feed.

I do love my rats though and have some breeders that I would never feed to a snake, they are pets of sorts I guess.. Gramps is the last "white" and one of the founders of this colony. He's big, placid as and a real "stud" dragging some tackle I have never seen on other males :shock: :lol:, although at over 3 years old is getting on and likes to sleep a lot... he still services 3 x females in his own enclosure with no probs at all. He's a great old guy!


----------



## herptrader (Feb 8, 2010)

So our snakes and lizards have been dining on Mink!

(Yes that is exactly what they look like.)



Sdaji said:


> They are called mink. All mink-based rats have that pattern, it's most obvious at about six to eight weeks and eventually disappears. Mink is on the site, but they don't talk about the 'moult cap'. Sometimes the moult patterns can be pretty cool, with stripes along the body. Mink hets have the moult cap too, but only weakly. If yours have caps which are almost white they are probably rr or pp.
> 
> I don't think we have any 'true hairless' rats in Australia, but double rex rats can be hairless for a while during the juvenile moulting stage.
> 
> ...


----------



## ChimeraProNG (Feb 8, 2010)

Hi all,
I just came across this thread just now, I'd be keen to do some swaps
Location; Toowoomba near Brisbane
Colours; i'll go back and look at some links for names, but theres mink capped hoodeds, PEW, BEW maybe silver or dove, self in a couple of colours.
Swap; i'd like some long coat and rex plus head spots and patches.
Any body into mice aswell? I just picked up yesterday a trio of hairless, some dove tans, agouti/champange, chinchilla, siamese manx and a couple of supers. i also breed some nice jersy marked and extra long coat( this lines alittle obese so they get big and don't live more than 18mths, snakes love them but, in small doses:lol. I've seen hairless rats bred from a blue line with the hemorage gene. I have not seen or heard of either in a few years. I think its fun to enjoy breeding food and just hoping that something nice or different is born.


----------



## Sdaji (Feb 9, 2010)

Hooglabah said:


> the main thing i noticed about the photos is that sdaji is a hairy man
> 
> 
> is it wrong that even tho i loves the ratties i still have no problem killing them and feeding em to my snakes.



I don't think it's a problem that you're able to understand that snakes need to eat, and thus be able to feed animals you like to them.

I think your main problem is that you pay too much attention to hairy men! :shock:

 :lol:


----------



## ChimeraProNG (Feb 10, 2010)

bump, i bet theres more people out there with rats and mice, that enjoy breeding different varieties. Just to clear up my hairless mice aren't for food just to breed for fun. Is there anybody in brisbane area that breeds rex rats that would swap or sell me some new blood.


----------



## Lonewolf (Feb 10, 2010)

Oops haha forgot about the moult caps! 

I'm also after capped rats in any colour but black as well. Or barebacks. 

Does anyone breed 'jumbo' rats? I saw some once and ever since then i've been after them but can't find anyone that sells live.. 

I should probably organise rat racks first lol


----------



## Krystal (Feb 10, 2010)

I have 2 rex females left - they are sickly little things that get myco easily. When Ziggy had babies last time they had problems with their eyes - 1 of them I thought had no eyes but he opened them just before weaning and they were very small. Her litter also had a few end up with that head tilt thing that makes them run in circles after a few days.
Because their dad was normal and they are mated with a normal male, the girls babies don't turn out as rex, some just have longer fur.
fluffieherper: I got my original rex off someone named Odessa stud (something like that) on this site.


----------



## Sdaji (Feb 10, 2010)

Lonewolf said:


> Oops haha forgot about the moult caps!
> 
> I'm also after capped rats in any colour but black as well. Or barebacks.
> 
> ...



The 'jumbos' you're talking about are probably Wistars. They're very large, but very fatty and not good for snake food. I've seen them well over 1kg.


----------



## Lonewolf (Feb 10, 2010)

Yeah, i don't have anything that would eat them anyway. I'd just like to have a big squishy pet one. My old rat used to chase our cat lol was really funny. He wasn't jumbo, but he was huge!


----------



## Lonewolf (Feb 14, 2010)

I'm also willing to pay top dollar for a mink capped, bareback, blazed or headspotted.


----------



## Sdaji (Feb 14, 2010)

Lonewolf said:


> I'm also willing to pay top dollar for a mink capped, bareback, blazed or headspotted.



What's top dollar? I'm sure you'll find one. Lots of people make head-spotted minks, we've produced blazed and barebacked ones, and probably capped (I don't pay much attention to cappeds). You would probably pick one up locally for about $20-$30 if you asked around.


----------



## Lonewolf (Feb 15, 2010)

Haha maybe not 150.. But around 60-100 for a nice one. Once we've saved enough to get a car it'll be so much easier. And then i can beg the partner to drive me to VIC for some of your rats Sdaji!


----------



## Sdaji (Feb 15, 2010)

If you want a head-spotted mink you don't need to come to Victoria to get it


----------



## ChimeraProNG (Feb 15, 2010)

Cheers krystal, sounds like a bit of a geneticly weak line you working with or do all fancy rat strains tend to be like that? I'll have to do a search for odessa stud and see what they have availible. anybody else in this area breed fancy rats and mice?


----------



## TWENTY B (Feb 15, 2010)

lonewolf, we'll have to arange a swap..
i'm after BEW 
any self colours
blazed

i have mink, pew, hood in black agouti & fawn, birks with very little white.
and more, pics on ausrats. same username as here


----------



## Lonewolf (Feb 16, 2010)

True, but i am determined. You always want what ya can't have right?  Everyone wants your rats. Yet hardly any actually get them. Live at least. I'm still gonna suss out all the pet shops and other breeders though.

Twenty B, will go check it out. Are you after a normal BEW or a rex? My BEW and blazed carrier girls are just a little too young to breed at the moment but in a month or two they'll be paired up.


----------



## TWENTY B (Feb 16, 2010)

normal, rex, whatever..


----------



## Lonewolf (Feb 16, 2010)

Just asking as some people believe rex aren't as healthy as standards for some reason. I saw your ratties, they look real nice  Definitely interested. Will contact you when bubs have colour so you can choose which ones you want.


----------



## herptrader (Feb 16, 2010)

Hey I will do minks for $8 each S.E. of Melbourne/


----------



## diamondgal79 (Feb 25, 2010)

hi all still chasing wedged rats,blazed rats in any colur or sex, also chasing mink rats in any ex and also chasing rex rats in any colour sex and pattern. and any unusal patterns.
Im coming down the south coast on the weekend of the 6th and 7th of march and im coming as far as kiama.
If you have anything available please let me know.
Cheers DG


----------



## Lonewolf (Feb 25, 2010)

I just figured out i can breed downunder rats too in berkshire and hooded. Though, people really should do some research on them before breeding any DUs. They can have problems. 

Also, i may have a couple of fawn rex berkshires available in 2-3 weeks. 

Good luck with your search diamondgal79


----------



## diamondgal79 (Feb 25, 2010)

i also have to swap or sell black and white berkshires,a beautiful dove male,2 dove females,a silver fawn hooded female and a silver fawn berkshire female.


----------



## diamondgal79 (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi i have a bunch of coloured bubs to swap if anyone has some wedged rats,headspots,blues or varigated rats.
We are coming up to expo and can bring them to swap or i can purchase them from you.
I have dove,silverfawn,black and agouti in all markings.


----------



## 152Boy (Apr 21, 2010)

sorry are hooded rats just rats with darker colour all around their head or is it something different?? i have just started breeding rats and mice, dont know if they are safe to feed though. how do you know you have healthy babies no lice ect?


dtulip10 said:


> yeah i'll swap a few girls. i dont want hoods though they bite to much.


----------



## Danniell (Apr 21, 2010)

Lonewolf said:


> I just figured out i can breed downunder rats too in berkshire and hooded. Though, people really should do some research on them before breeding any DUs. They can have problems.


 

What Problems are there with DU's? I know when the line first started there was a small eye/missing thing happening but that was pretty much fixed and there was talk of breeding du to du caused some of the foetus’s to die but that’s not to major.


----------



## diamondgal79 (Apr 21, 2010)

hooded rats are whote with colour on their heads and a line down their back.


----------



## 152Boy (Apr 21, 2010)

sorry got excited and didnt look at the link that explains them all. i did notice though head tilting means their is a problem with your rats or mice. my rat had a littler of ten a few weeks ago and about 2 weeks before she gave birth up until the babies were about a week and a half old she had an extremely tilted head, she would roll trying to get into her little box /hide. it didnt seem to be causing her pain and is completly gone now. just wondering if that would be caused by stress of having her first litter or is it more likely to be a health problem? Thanks


----------



## diamondgal79 (Apr 21, 2010)

head tilt could be from an ear infection sometimes bought on by RI.
Its not a good thing


----------



## 152Boy (Apr 21, 2010)

Yeah she didnt look to good, do you by anhance know what effect this will have on her babies?


----------



## diamondgal79 (Apr 21, 2010)

cant really say they could be fine but sometimes they get the RI from her.


----------



## 152Boy (Apr 21, 2010)

oh ill just have to keep a real close eye on them, Thanks for all your help. sorry if im being a pain but could you please explain what ri is? i tried looking id up and it just came up with ear infections.


----------



## diamondgal79 (Apr 21, 2010)

Respitory infection, look up myco in rats


----------



## Lonewolf (Apr 21, 2010)

Does anyone near Richmond or Mosman Syd have any 'unusual' rats for sale? Headspots, downunders, blazed, BEWs etc.


----------



## Tayla152girl (Apr 21, 2010)

Hey just wondering if anyone breeds or sells Manx (tailless) mice around the brissy area? And if any one prefers breeding Manx compared to normal mice for snake food?


----------



## Lonewolf (Apr 21, 2010)

We prefer tailed mice for food. Don't know why though, my partner does it. Be careful breeding manx mice also. It's a deformity. People often have the problem of breeding two manx together and ending up with mice that have short spines and can't walk.


----------



## Tayla152girl (Apr 21, 2010)

ah thanks for the info, Yeah i remember having one when i was little i think it lasted about a year compared to the normal ones i had that seemed to last for forever. Just curious ever since owning one when i was about 10 i have never seen them for sale at pet shops or even mentioned as pet food.


----------



## Lonewolf (Apr 21, 2010)

There's plenty around my area. They're great pets. And you can still breed them, just don't breed manx x manx. You'll need a female manx carrier and a male manx.  Female manx sometimes have trouble giving birth.


----------



## Tayla152girl (Apr 21, 2010)

Is a female manx carrier, just a normal female mouse or a normal female mouse out of a litter that produced manx?? sorry for all the questions, but your the only one supplying answers lol. oh and Thanks for the info.


----------



## Lonewolf (Jul 7, 2010)

Oh jeez i'm slack lol

A female manx carrier is a normal looking mouse that has manx relatives  

Ok, does anyone have any rats or mice available between VIC and Syd? I lost the majority of my stock in the heat


----------



## Lonewolf (Jul 7, 2010)

Also, is anyone else having trouble breeding rats at the moment? All the fanciers and half the feeders i know are having absolutely no luck breeding for some reason..


----------



## No-two (Jul 7, 2010)

Lonewolf said:


> Also, is anyone else having trouble breeding rats at the moment? All the fanciers and half the feeders i know are having absolutely no luck breeding for some reason..


 
Ours are taking a little longer to get pregenant but they're still doing well. It's been giving us time to bother with blazed varigated that we have been working on though.


----------



## beeman (Jul 7, 2010)

Lonewolf said:


> Also, is anyone else having trouble breeding rats at the moment? All the fanciers and half the feeders i know are having absolutely no luck breeding for some reason..



For this reason we heat the rodent shed, Breeding never stops!


----------



## Lonewolf (Jul 7, 2010)

Mine are doing fine too, but since we lost the majority of our rodents we're running out of females and it's beginning to get annoying not being able to find new ones!

The thing i find weird is the fact that most fanciers keep theirs inside so it's surely got to be warm..? Yet they're still struggling.


----------



## TWENTY B (Jul 8, 2010)

i'm still doing well, rats and mice are both going strong, and it's been as low as 0.6 in the rodent farm already this winter..
how many are you looking to get lonewolf, i may be able to help.


----------



## mungus (Jul 8, 2010)

mine go off in winter !!
trying to scale down, two many females dropping to many babies...........lol


----------



## Lonewolf (Jul 8, 2010)

I'm after practically as many as i can get lol i'm down to 3 breeding females and i'm getting a huge 15 tub rat rack this week  But it may be a good idea to only get a few from each breeder so i don't have all the same bloodlines happening.. So say 5 maybe?


----------



## TWENTY B (Jul 8, 2010)

I have 6 different blood lines going at the moment, but can only supply young animals from 3 lines..


----------



## Lonewolf (Jul 9, 2010)

Hmm, well can i get back to you after Tues? Have to sort something out about transport. What colours/markings do you have?


----------



## TWENTY B (Jul 9, 2010)

lots of colours and markings.


----------



## Lonewolf (Jul 9, 2010)

Kool.


----------



## thezookeeper (Jul 11, 2010)

as far as i know markings and coulour doesnt afect the friendlyness of the rat i have a bekshire that bites. also the only unhealthy rats are the blue rats although the line is getting stronger.
its ok to have a couple of rats as pets and feed the rest to reptiles but personally i couldnt do it i love snakes but i also love my rats so am stiking to frogs beardies and turttles. 
as for the diferent coulours, diferent states have diferent names it is very confussing. and feeder lines can come out with diferent markings/coulours than the usual show rat.
also does anyone breed rats in the newcatle area?


----------



## Lonewolf (Jul 11, 2010)

Hey thezookeeper! (It's CR  ) 

So you're diving in then?! I demand pics of your newbies


----------



## thezookeeper (Jul 11, 2010)

hay lonewolf or costalrodents. i came across this site from the rat forum. i havent got my reptiles yet as i will be sending my licence away this week, hopefully. and i am doing more research, this site is filled with heaps of info. but there will be definatly pics when i get them.


----------



## AM Pythons (Jul 11, 2010)

i breed rats & mice in Newcastle... i have blue lines that are fine aswell, would put up pics but ive done my quota...wont let me..


----------



## AM Pythons (Jul 11, 2010)

lonewolf, if you pm me your email ill send you pics


----------



## thezookeeper (Jul 11, 2010)

am pythons are you interested in selling any bubs expecially any blue bubs.


----------



## Lonewolf (Jul 11, 2010)

Jeez, you'll be waiting a while if you haven't sent in your application lol NSW DECC sucks to put it simply. Everything takes (if you're lucky) at least two weeks. How are you going with the beardie enclosure?  Thought up any new ideas or still sticking to something like mine?


----------



## Lonewolf (Jul 11, 2010)

Oops just realised this went way off topic.. Will pm instead


----------



## giggle (Jul 21, 2010)

*Need rats in Mackay*

Hey guys, anyone up in Mackay region? The pet shops are terribly slack here, I got a rat today and I cant even handle him. If there is someone in Mackay looking to sell or swap... I have to swap a mink hooded male with a fairly decent line on his back... but I will also pay $20 for a new rat if you arent interested in swapping. I need a friendly rat, male pref... pref black, dove, blue or BEW...not interested in any hoods... ruby or black eyed colours... will take berkshire, bareback, blaze(even if hooded), cardigan, variegated, irish and self.


----------



## AM Pythons (Jul 21, 2010)

View attachment 155725
View attachment 155726
i just swapped 30 mixed 100grammerView attachment 155724
s with ANTERESIA1 in Taree for 30 mixed of his, i am open to trade rats with ppl this way i dont have to get rid of any breeders & get to keep my lines..View attachment 155723


----------



## thezookeeper (Jul 21, 2010)

am pythons i have 6 boys available (for breeding preferably) that i can swap. the coulours are champagene, fawn and silverfawn. im after black eyed white, buff, argentie and blue in girls.


----------



## TWENTY B (Jul 21, 2010)

i have BEW's


----------



## giggle (Jul 25, 2010)

*free rats*

I have a couple of free rats available in the andergrove region.
Very friendly, would make excellent breeders. Not interested in keeping them anymore because of the smell 8|


----------



## congo_python (Jul 25, 2010)

any one around the penrith area looking too sell/swap some weaners off, as i need more girls too lift my colony numbers.

Cheers


----------



## Saz (Jul 25, 2010)

I breed mice for food purposes, manx, hairless, rex, longcoat, standard in just about every colour, although most of them are blue based or a c-dilute.

Possibly interested in a trade for a well established line in the Brisbane area.


----------



## Saz (Jul 25, 2010)

For those that have pet rats as well as feeders...my favourite recent pics

Uncle Winston






Pile of Nephews





Bug courting Lucy


----------



## Lonewolf (Jul 27, 2010)

Gorgeous ratties as always Saz


----------



## Lonewolf (Aug 26, 2010)

Guys, i have seven rats available. Three males, five females. Colours include buff and fawn. In hooded and berkshire. Some carry the BEW/blazed gene. Roughly five weeks old but quite beefy for their age. 

Also have heaps of mice available. Marked, self, tan and fox. Rex, longcoat rex and standard coat. Colours include siamese, colourpoint beige, chocolate, black, dove, lilac, argente, champagne, cinnamon etc. Age ranges from 2-8wks old.


----------



## Lonewolf (Aug 29, 2010)

Also, i know a few of you are after blues.. I have two blue carrying litters on the way if anyone is interested. Depending on how many there are, i think a few of them are reserved.

I paired a blue wedge blazed berkshire to a mink hooded and an odd eyed white roughly a week and a half ago now. They're starting to get a bit chubby


----------



## The Devil (Aug 29, 2010)

I'm looking for a couple of Fischer 344 rats if anyone knows of some......


----------



## benjamind2010 (Aug 30, 2010)

AM Pythons, those rats don't look like blues. They look much more like minks, the head patches occur on minks but not on blues, at least to my knowledge.


----------



## TigerCoastal (Aug 30, 2010)

I'm just getting in to the rat breeding now and dont have much that you could call anything but standard, but am willing to swap 3 of mine for 2 of yours, am especially after blues and rex's in any markings, Have included pics of some of my results so far


----------



## Saz (Aug 30, 2010)

Yep, they are minks not blue. Blue minks still get the mink cap though.

Here are a few blue minks going through their mink cap moult.











Blue minks end up a slightly darker shade than blue - blue on left, blue mink on right





A couple of comparison pics of minks and blue


----------



## Lonewolf (Aug 30, 2010)

Saz, may i ask how you get the blue minks? I just paired my blue boy to a mink but i don't think he carries it. If i paired the siblings from that litter, would it be possible then to get blue mink? Is that how it works?


----------



## Saz (Aug 30, 2010)

If you don't have a mink that carries blue or a blue that carries mink, cross a blue to a mink and pair the offspring together. 25% will be blue and 25% will be mink, you just have to have that you get one or two that are both mink AND blue 

My original blue carrier was a Cinnamon (mink agouti), which is how I got mink into the blue line from the start.

This is a ruby eyed blue mink going through her mink moult. Will be breeding her soon, was planning on breeding her to one of my blazed lines but I think I'm going to breed her to a blue boy and keep that line 'pure' as such for a few more gens. Haven't had any bleeding issues which is a blessing but have had a few respiritory issues that have shown up in the last couple of months that I want to breed out.

As a bub





Mink moult





And as an adult





Here's a pic of young blue and blue mink (blue mink on the right) Its amazing how much they darken as they age.


----------



## benjamind2010 (Aug 30, 2010)

Those are beautiful rats, I really like the blue minks too! They really hold their own when it comes to beauty. The coats of either are spectacular.


----------



## Lonewolf (Aug 30, 2010)

They are beautiful Saz  I'm hopeless with genetics so you may have me bugging you again shortly haha i'm not sure if it's just your pics or something else that seems to make your normal blues darker than what i've ever seen before? 

One of the girls i paired with the blue wedge is an odd eyed white and is definitely pregnant and probably due next week. She was in with headspot cinnamons and minks that looked roughly her age. So i'm hoping she's one of those under the white! Here's hoping anyway


----------



## Saz (Aug 31, 2010)

No worries, happy to help. Would be fab if she is a cinnamon or mink under her BEW!

My blues are the colour that they show in the photos. They are much darker than the blue that I got from you all those moons ago. The blue that came from you is actually in one of the comparison photos, you can see how different she looks to my blues.


----------



## Lonewolf (Aug 31, 2010)

I saw her! That's what got me thinking haha. 

The really annoying thing about OEWs is the fact there's so many colours to choose from with both the ruby and black eyes..


----------



## Saz (Aug 31, 2010)

I know, BEW and PEW are a pain the **** if you are breeding for colour :s Have my fingers crossed for you anyway


----------



## Saz (Aug 31, 2010)

Oooo...I made stars


----------



## Lonewolf (Aug 31, 2010)

Haha you did too  

I'm itching for her to hurry up and pop already! Lucky for me, i wasn't aiming for a particular colour with these pairings, more going for healthy blue carriers. Mink is an added bonus though haha


----------



## kupper (Aug 31, 2010)

Anyone willing to freight some of these oddities down to Melbourne ?


----------



## Lonewolf (Aug 31, 2010)

I'm quite happy to freight if i have what you're after, and you may only have to pay a few dollars too since i have about 2-3 other people more than happy to split the cost. It's now just a matter of having enough for everyone haha

Which oddities are you talking about? The blue mink, blue, or OEW?


----------



## kupper (Aug 31, 2010)

Blues and variegated would be nice 

Saz do you breed anything with a color morph ? :lol:


----------



## Saz (Aug 31, 2010)

Love my ratties, and looooove blue. I'm one of the crazies that breeds them as pets, not food  If only beardies and geckos came in blue in this country!


----------



## kupper (Aug 31, 2010)

they do.......

but then they change color


----------



## TWENTY B (Oct 24, 2010)

almost time for me to get some new rats off people, I'm after
blue
blazed
selfs
BEW
rex
young ones are fine, both sexes, 
let me know what you have or what you have coming, and how much you want for them


----------



## Sdaji (Oct 25, 2010)

Hey hey! The APS rat thread is still going  As long as I'm breeding lots of rats I figure I might as well keep at developing cute and interesting ones. I've been playing around with some of the same things I used to, like blazes and hooded patterns, and over the last six months I've been working on making piebald/spotted/Dalmatian or whatever you want to call them. I've also just started breeding blues and chocolates.

I really struggle with rat photography. If you think herps are tricky, try rats and you'll stop complaining! :lol: Baby rats are a bit easier than older ones. I don't know how Sarah manages to keep getting such good ones, very impressive.


----------



## Sarah (Oct 25, 2010)

very nice Sadji !


----------



## Kristy_07 (Oct 25, 2010)

Sdaji - your dallie line is coming along so well!! Well done! Any chance of posting some pics of your blues and chocs? 

PS - Sorry I haven't replied to your PM, I've had glandular fever. But, really appreciated the info, thank you! Will reply in detail this week!


----------



## Sdaji (Oct 25, 2010)

Kristy: Thanks  It's pretty cool what you can do with rats and selective breeding! You can do the same with snakes, but the rats are just so much easier and faster to work with.

The chocolates are only new in Australia. As far as I know the first breeder of them only let the first ones out about six weeks ago, I have one male on breeding loan and my first hets should be born any day now. To be honest they're really not all that exciting, and I'm not even 100% convinced they are a legitimate morph, but I'll be able to see the results (or lack of results) in about 14 weeks. I'm not all that much further ahead with the blues, but Saz puts up lots of lovely blue pictures anyway, and my rat photography isn't likely to come close to hers, so just enjoy them! :lol: Well, a short way down the track when I have a few to photograph I'll put up pictures.

We're doing some pretty cool things with mouse colours and patterns too.


----------



## Kristy_07 (Oct 25, 2010)

Mice are cute, and there's definitely a lot of cool things, but I just can't go past the rats, I'm afraid 

I've already been in touch with Saz about some of hers, including the blues - they are gorgeous, aren't they? 

I'm sure my snakes would enjoy chocolate rats, though 

Looking forward to your results as always - you're right, selective breeding in snakes is producing some amazing things atm IMO, but rats are so much faster, and have cute little faces to boot. And with the numbers you're producing, I always look forward to seeing your new projects!

Do you mind if I ask - for the dallie line, did you take variegateds and just breed out less and less solid colour... or do I remember that you took some ear-patched ones and down-unders together, or something?


----------



## hazza (Oct 25, 2010)

may i ask what APERS are haha???


----------



## Sdaji (Oct 25, 2010)

Kristy_07 said:


> Mice are cute, and there's definitely a lot of cool things, but I just can't go past the rats, I'm afraid



Yeah, I know what you mean  The mice just don't have the character or size of a rat, but they do have a fantastic diversity of colour and pattern, and it's handy having the itsy bitsy pinkies for baby Adders 



> Do you mind if I ask - for the dallie line, did you take variegateds and just breed out less and less solid colour... or do I remember that you took some ear-patched ones and down-unders together, or something?


 
Neither. I haven't made them using a special combination of Mendelian traits, I've just selected for the best spotty ones. I've actually never worked with downunder or variegated at all. Either one might improve the Dalmatians, but I haven't tried. I have considered it, and might have a go some time next year, but it's a lot of effort getting new rats through quarantine and then continually outcrossing them to get them healthy.


----------



## littleslinky (Oct 25, 2010)

g0t rAts?
I live in Newtown SYdney if ya wanna do some swapping pm meeeeeeeee!
rat rat ratties!


----------



## Kristy_07 (Oct 25, 2010)

Sdaji said:


> Neither. I haven't made them using a special combination of Mendelian traits, I've just selected for the best spotty ones. I've actually never worked with downunder or variegated at all. Either one might improve the Dalmatians, but I haven't tried. I have considered it, and might have a go some time next year, but it's a lot of effort getting new rats through quarantine and then continually outcrossing them to get them healthy.



And here I was thinking you had a FANTASTIC understanding of ratty genetics, but you've just bred them the same as I do - "If I breed this pretty girl with that handsome boy, the offspring will be ADORABLE!"  

Kidding. Either way, they're some great looking snake food


----------



## icedmice (Oct 29, 2010)

I'm still in the process of gathering the rodents I need to be founders of our line. Currently I'm really pleased with the quality of our rexes and blue appearance mink coats. We're on track but we need more ingredients for our ICED trademark pets.


I'm seeking a really nice wedge blazed rattie.
Preferably male bonus points if he's black or mink based.


I'll have bubs to swap with in about 12 weeks. I haven't got a clue what I'll get apart from mink and dove in rex coat.

I'm experimenting with manx although I have no idea how sucessful it will be because my manx dude is a bit obese and not showing much interest in his sexy mink berkshire companion. Fingers crossed anyway.


Just putting my feelers out for any recent pairings that might result in the rat I need.

I'm also keen of verigated only because my OH has an obsession with marked rats. We went out and bought a pet black hooded the other day. So I thought I'd better start catering for his tastes too since we share husbandry .


----------



## ShepQLD (Oct 29, 2010)

Ive got everything ready to get two female rats and Id really like to get something unusual from the start. I bred rats years ago but just your average hooded's. Anyone breed anything fancy on the gold coast who can point me in the right direction for two baby girls. (The younger the better as they will be pets as well as breeders.) Ive been searching pet shops but it seems theres nothing fancy on the coast anywhere! where do people get things like Rex's from on the coast?


----------



## TWENTY B (Oct 31, 2010)

i may have some things of intrest icedmice


----------



## TigerCoastal (Nov 5, 2010)

Have been working on pink/ruby eye combinations, here's some of my results so far. The fuzzy PEW is actually the lightest colored one in the group photo, the champagne(?) hooded.


----------

