A rat?!

Yes!!! ... well no.. ratS plural! If you're here maybe you or someone you know has an interest in finding a rat as a companion animal. For those of you who are already in love with these little hearts of love, get ready to bask in it. For those uncertain, I'd like you to sit and listen for a while . . or well . . read. . . . -- Anyway! Let's begin!


Why do rats make great pets?I've always been a lover of animals -- especially the sort that like to cuddle up and just spend time with you. So, you likely can imagine I've had a number of cats and dogs in my history and you'd be right. However, would you believe me if I said that while I love my wet nose puppers and chaos cats, they are no longer my absolute favorite pet for companionship?I was raised in Louisiana and was always taught to avoid things such as rats and mice. The very mention of them would sound like a nasty word to me. However, when I finally did hold my first rat, I was amazed at how different the reality was from what I always expected.A pet rat raised properly by its breeder and handled regularly is not the scary critter you're told to scream and flee from. Rats are highly intelligent and affectionate animals. They can be taught tricks, give kisses, and even curl up to sleep in your sleeve or hood while you're watching tv or doing work around home.Rats can even be litter trained with some persistence and patience! Contrary to popular belief of rats being dirty and diseased, they are actually very clean little animals. Like a cat, they are particular about grooming themselves.. which brings me to my next important point that will explain why I kept rats plural up above!


I really can't just have one??Yes but also very, very no. But let me explain. Rats are social animals. Even if you stay at home 24/7 and can have your rat with you every waking minute of every day, you will inevitably have to sleep, shower, drop the kids off at the pool... There will be a time you won't be there for your rat.There are also things you simply cannot give a rat that a fellow rat can. Could you live without human interaction?? TV, games, or books could occupy you for a while.. but those things can't give you the same things that interaction with another person would. Sure we could make a ball named Wilson and maybe that could work for a while but is that really enough? And what if our substitute Wilson wasn't even around all the time? How would you feel??Rats are, for the most part, nocturnal. When you sleep, your pet rat will most likely be active . . and alone. Rats sleep together, groom one another, play and bond... A rat kept alone simply isn't thriving.One thing to keep in mind is that rats don't stay with us very long due to their short lifespan. Therefor, it is best that we give them the best life they can have -- and their friend(s) too! Lucky you, rattos have large litters so it's very likely you can find a buddy/gal from the same litter to take home with you to ensure they're best friends for life! That way you can sleep well at night knowing that, because of your thoughtful decision, your little ratties, rattos, furbabies, and/or not-so-furrybabies are living their best life!


Who are you people? Where are you located?We are a small rattery located in Eastern Tennessee around the Knoxville area, specializing in pet-quality rats. Our rattos get plenty of play time with real human hands so that they will be ready for yours!!We are run by two seasoned rat-loving people: Jayce and Steve. We are both fortunate enough to spend most of our time at home. What does that mean? It means our rattos have even more hands-on time as well as playtime and supervised interaction with our personal pet rats.. which should mean an easier introduction process for you (if you already have an existing colony).We're more than happy to answer any questions you may have so ask away! We very much look forward to being able to provide you with friendly, well-adjusted rat-friends. Additionally, if you need any help or advice in the future, we'll be there for you.


In memory of all who we've loved, lost and will never forget.

November 5, 2019


Pirattery opens!


Adoptables

NURSERY

ADULTS

Lady Captains

Our current female breeders

Anne

Sophia

Birdie

Sir Captains

Our current male breeders

Bastion

Ryeot

Atreus

Zoro

V

Lil Mischiefs

Please make sure to check out our before you buy Pirattery Code for lots of useful information to ensure you are well-prepared and informed before you decide to take home your first time rattie!Please check out our facebook page, Pirattery, for our available babies! We keep the albums there for boys and girls updated. Please send us any questions or inquiries to our page through private message or you can shoot us an email. We look forward to hearing from you and we will get back to you as soon as we can!



Past babies



Prepare

Imporant!! Read first..

Please make sure to check out our before you buy Pirattery Code for lots of useful information to ensure you are well-prepared and informed before you decide to take home your first time rattie!If you have any questions/inquiries, or you are interested in any available or future available ratties, feel free to contact us through email or message to our facebook page (facebook should be the quickest turnaround of the two). We also now have an application form for new customers to fill out! Please check that out here: Pirattery Adoption ApplicationWe look forward to hearing from you and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

Click an item on list for even more detail!

What you need before you bring home your ratties:

I AM PREPARED!

Veterinarian

Make certain you have a veterinarian knowledge in and willing to see your rats. Please consider that in most cases rats are considered exotic pets and therefor will require an "exotic" vet visit which could possibly cost more than an average vet visit.Preferably have someone lined up before you bring your ratties home. Your ratties should be healthy, but if and when they ever have any health issues, they can go down fast. If you have a veterinarian prepared to see your pet rats, it will save valuable, possibly life-saving time.

Cage

When looking for a cage to house your ratties, keep in mind the age of your new rat(s). If your new addition(s) are very young, be careful of bar spacing that is too large. A critter nation single or double level cage (or similar) is usually best.Homemade bin-cages are also nice, more money-conscious choices.... as long as your ratties are not heavy chewers.If you are picking up a ratto, DON'T FORGET A TRAVEL CAGE !While our rats are very used to people, you never want to chance something happening out of control of our wee human hands. It is best to keep your new ratto secure during transport at least until they have become accustomed to their new person. It's unfamiliar territory and all new smells! If spooked, your new furchild might try to scurry off. Just trust me, it's not a hide-and-seek game you want to play in a moving vehicle. Be safe!

Our recommendations:

Bedding

The type of bedding will depend on the type of cage you choose for your ratties. Wired cages with bar spacing and no tray will do best with fleece liners/blankets or paper/cardboard "floors".If you have gone the route of a cage with a tray, avoid cedar and pine shavings! They cause respiratory disease and organ damage. Instead, use careFRESH or similar, aspen shavings, etc.Additionally, don't forget to offer hammocks, beds, hides (caves or timothy hay huts), running wheels (no wire, it's safer for their little toes and legs!), and litter pans (corner ones,for small animals). Rats can be trained to use a litter pan! Ensure to have the pan filled with an absorbent rat-safe litter (newspaper or sophresh/carefresh, etc works), then on top the grate, place a rock. Any rock will do that will require the rat to walk across it when getting into the pan. Walking across a smooth rock will encourage them to use the bathroom there. Make sure to clean the cage regularly of any wayward potty spots. Keep a few remainders in the pan to further encourage your ratties to use their designated potty pan. Your persistence will pay off!

Water bottle/dish

Depending on your cage setup, you can use either water bottles or dishes to keep water available to your ratties.I'd recommend not using a water dish if you plan to also use paper bedding. They can and will throw the bedding into the dish and before you know it your ratties have created a swamp monster. Also, make certain your water bottles are dispensing water! Many times a water bottle will fail to operate properly, leaving your ratties without water until the bottle is fixed. If your ratties are at the nozzle drinking and you do not see any bubbles coming up from the bottom, chances are that your water bottle is not dripping.

Food bowl

Keep in mind that your ratties are chewers! The more sturdy and durable a bowl/dish you find, the longer it will survive to fulfill its purpose.. sort of.Some ratties like to pack their food in hiding places. Don't be surprised when it's cleaning day and you find 90% of the food you gave pouring out of a folded blanket or hoarded away in a hide/hut.

Food

The most recommended food for ratties would be from Mazuri or Oxbow. With Oxbow the more readily available choice, in my experience.Special meals/treats of safe fruits and veggies are great as well, but nothing can beat the sort of tooth-grinding help they can get from Oxbow or Mazuri rat food.

Our recommendations:

Toys

Chews for days!! When shopping for new toys for your ratties, always be on the lookout for things that are engaging but also SAFE for them to chew. Food dyes are great for color in any toys made of rat-safe wood.

Our recommendations:

I am prepared!! . . . now what?

A promise between homes new and old:

Though their journey will take them to a new shore, there will always be help available from us here at Pirattery. If you ever have questions or concerns, feel free to contact us via email or facebook messenger and we will do our best to get back to you promptly.Also, if there ever comes a time when you decide your journey cannot carry your ratto and feel the need to rehome, we will GLADLY accept the rat back, no questions asked, no matter how long ago they left from our care. We want our rattos to have the best of lives and we understand that sometimes life can hit us with the unexpected. We will always welcome aboard ratties that need a new place to call home -- or an old place to call their home again.If there are ever major health concerns with your Pirattery rat, please inform us. We are striving for healthy happy rattie companions. The more information we get back on their well-being, the better we can plan future litters if there are any health issues in family line.


Adoption Fee Info:

To ensure our ratties are going to good homes, there is a rehoming fee. To ensure our ratties do not miss out on going to good homes, those that are reserved require a deposit in half or full (pre-paid). If half reserve deposit, the last half is required BEFORE pick-up.If you think you may be late or need to reschedule pick-up day, please let us know so we can work out a new date/time accordingly.If you change your mind after a full deposit reserve, you will be refunded half of your deposit to cover the cost of boarding the ratto longer to find them another home. If you change your mind after a half-paid deposit reservation, there will be no refund.


Shopping list:

If you'd like to give back while shopping for your ratties, please follow our affiliate links provided below and purchase through our lists there.Amazon shopping list in the works!
Chewy shopping list in the works!

OK! I am ready to choose my rattie!

Looking for recommendations?

Shopping list:

If you'd like to give back while shopping for your ratties, please follow our affiliate links provided below and purchase through our lists there.Amazon shopping list
Chewy shopping list in the works!

I am ready to choose my rattie!

Adoption Fee (Full deposit):

Top ear:
$20 for standard
$30 color variations (ex: siamese, marten, dalmatian, etc)
$40 coat variations
$50 color AND coat variation
Dumbo:
$30 standard
$40 color variations (ex: siamese, marten, dalmatian, etc)
$50 coat variations
$60 color AND coat variation
Hairless:
$30 for top ear hairless
$40 for dumbo hairless
Multiples:
As long as you're purchasing more than a single, there is a discount!


Adoption form:

Apply to Adopt and get on our waiting list!

Rescue:

Ask if we have any older ratties or rescues for rehoming. They deserve all the love too!

Contact us:

Email: j.pirattery@gmail.com
Facebook: @pirattery

Contact us

Please make sure to check out our Pirattery Code for lots of useful information to ensure you are well-prepared and informed before you decide to take home your first time rattie!If you have any questions/inquiries, or you are interested in any available or future available ratties, feel free to contact us through email or message to our facebook page (facebook should be the quickest turnaround of the two). We look forward to hearing from you and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

Email: j.pirattery@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/pirattery