Sapphire Rattery

A breeding program focused on Dwarfism.
Adopt and shop responsibly!

My name is Christopher, and the goal of my rattery is to create happy, healthy, pet quality rats, and to improve these beautiful animals above all. All income from my program goes into savings and is spent on vet bills, health testing, and supplies to keep my program running. I do not allow people inside my home; this is to prevent the spread of pathogens.
A note for breeders interested in my rats: I am incredibly picky about releasing breeding prospects. A lot of my values and ethics come from the dog world, so I recognize I may have different standards, but these aren't "just rats" to me. "I care about my rats" is not a good enough reason for me to sell my rats to you. I believe that if you are breeding an animal, it should be with the purpose of improving the species, not just because "I want cute babies". Domesticated animals deserve to be healthy and mentally sound!

Basic Care

This list covers the absolute basic things I could think of off the top of my head. I will add more if I think of anything, or upon suggestion!The first thing you'll need is an appropriate cage. The cage you'll see everyone recommend is the critter nation. I love this cage myself, however, I personally do not believe it is appropriate straight out of the package. Norway rats are a fossorial species, meaning they evolved to burrow, and the trays that the critter nation come with do not allow for much bedding; and if you do use bedding, it'll be a big mess. I have made acrylic bases for my critter nations, which allows for plenty of space for your friends to dig to their heart's desire! Click here for a good video tutorial on how to do this yourself. If you can't afford a critter nation, a great, cheap option is bin cages. Make sure the bar spacing of any cage is about 1/4th an inch.Next is food. Rats need a good lab block diet. Lab blocks prevent pickiness, and pickiness can lead to vitamin deficiencies. Treats are always good for training and positive reinforcement though! Click here for a list of the best lab block diets, along with safe treats. Water is a given of course, but I do not recommend giving any animal distilled water. There are important vitamins and minerals in water that your pets should have. Carbonated drinks are also not safe for rats, as they cannot burp.Bedding! The only bedding I can think of that is absolutely unsafe is cedar. There's a half-myth still floating around the rodent community that pine is unsafe. Kiln-dried pine is perfectly safe to use, and almost all pet brand shavings in the USA are kiln dried, as far as I'm aware. However, if you get pine shavings from a feed store, be sure to double check. Aspen shavings and hemp are also two good beddings you can use, although hemp tends to be expensive. Paper and fleece are acceptable, however, I do not recommend them as they aren't very absorbent, and fleece needs to be washed almost every other day (depending on cage size and how many rats you have) in order to maintain good hygiene.That's about it for the basics! Click here for an amazon list of good products I have personally used for my own rats. Some extras: rats smell. They're definitely not nearly as bad as ferrets or a cat's litterbox, but they do have their own scent. I have found that air purifiers work wonderfully for this! Plus, it's good for the rats too. Please do not clean your cage daily to try getting rid of your rats natural scent. This will stress your little buddies out immensely.

Pricing & Varieties

Fun fact: rats do not come in breeds (different shapes and sizes), but variations (colors, tail, fur, etc).
Rats should always be in groups of two or more. If you want to purchase one rat from me, I require proof that you already own a rat. I do not sell dwarves to households with pre-existing standard rats for safety concerns. If you are co-habitating male dwarves and standards, I recommend having at least two of each.

Dwarves
My dwarves are priced slightly higher due to veterinary care and other general care that goes into producing this variety. They are $40 for one, or $50 for two. If you would like more than two, it's $20+ for each rat added. For example, three dwarves would be $70 total.Standards
My standard rats are $30 for one, or $40 for two, and are $10+ for every rat added. For example, bringing home three standard rats would be $50 total.Retired Ladies
Sometimes, I will put up one year old female rats for sale. I do not need to sell these rats, but I know some people enjoy bringing in older girls, and any rat I have selected for breeding will always have an amazing temperament. They are $20 each, or $30 if sold as a pair.

Varieties
These are all the varieties I have in my rattery. Almost all of these varieties come in dwarf, as that is the main focus of my breeding program. Almost all of my rats have dumbo ears as well. Please note that this is not a build-a-bear. These are live animals, and my main focus will always be health, temperament, and body type above all.

  • Colors; I work with both black and agouti based colors. My original line consisted of siamese, burmese, marten and BE marten, although I'm holding my martens back to make sure they're healthy for a few generations. I have since brought in blue varieties from Sweet Potato Rattery, which I'm still learning how to identify!

  • Coats; I am currently working on werewolves, so expect those in the future! The line I obtained may have aggression, so I am not selling this variety to breeders OR pet owners for several generations. I have silvermane, rex, and proven recessive hairless. Hairless may have a wait list.

So, more commonly available colors; Black, agouti, siamese, burmese, and blues.
More commonly available coats: rex and silvermane.

Contact Methods

The easiest way to contact me is through Facebook messenger here.
You can also message my number at (734)-621-8020. Please do not call me.
I also have an email, [email protected], although I do not check this email often.