Jewels pups leave for their homes this weekend. This litter produced my first home-bred Satin!  I will be Jewel again after she has a rest.

Hoshi has been bred to Shogun last week and if she is pregnant the pups are due right about Febraury 2nd. Also Shogun is being bred this week to Roisin. Arduinne will also be bred to either Liam or Shogun in a few weeks provided there are more people on the waiting list.

If you are interested in being on the list then you can either keep track of my litters page or subscribe to this blog for litter updates.

Thanks!

Happy New Year! I hope 2013 will be a great year for everyone, and another great year for my rattery. Last year ended on a good note with a couple of successful litters after a dry spell of no females getting pregnant.

I have made breeding plans for the 2013, but like always they are tentative.Keep an eye for updates on my litters page.

Lucy's litter is SO cute and doing fantastic!  All are reserved.
Jewel had a litter of only 4 live pups and they are doing well now. They too are reserved.
The next litter is being bred this week: MWR Nimbus X MWR My Fair Lady.
 If you would like pups from this upcoming litter please contact me through my website. www.merriwhiskers.com

Well here it is at the end of November already. Where has the time gone!
At least the cooler whether brought some successful breedings. One is on the ground now. (They are all spoken for.) :-))  The other is due December 3rd.  The third should be due about the 20th.
Check out my website for updates and announcements: http://merriwhiskers.com

I haven't had time to really sit and write another article. I hope to do so within the next couple of months, so hope you will check back.

I had 2 Thanksgivings this year!  One was on the correct day and the other was the Sunday after. Yum, lots of leftovers to tide me over for several days! It was so nice to see close friends this year for the holiday - both.

Now that I am back in town, I will be working on the next article. :-)

I can't believe September is here already!  As always, summer was too short!

I just spent some time in VT visiting a friend and helping her VT Total Doberman Club put on the UDC (United Doberman Club) New England Regional show.  One of her dogs took Best of Breed on Saturday, Aug 25! Then Sunday took Best Opposite Sex. Her young dog picked up another youth CC. My friend had a very successful weekend! 

We were all very busy setting up, running and taking down the show. Overall I had a fantastic weekend!

I always bring my dog, Drako. He thoroughly enjoys running around on the very large property my friend owns.

Why You Should Get More Than One Rat

Rats are intelligent and highly social animals. They live in colonies that range in size depending on resources and other factors. In good conditions, the colony is often quite large. Within the group, a social structure is necessary for the health and happiness of the group. Their complex communication provides the colony with information about their surroundings, where to find food, where dangers may be, and even inform the others about any poisonous foods. The colony provides the social interaction that only other rats can provide. Other rats provide play, someone to cuddle and sleep with, protection, safety and comfort. A lone rat's existence is like keeping a dog chained to a dog house without human interaction. I think many people could understand that analogy. At least I hope so!

Humans are just not able to provide the same continuous interaction a rat needs and craves. A lone rat will survive, but its existence will be very lonely and the rat will be depressed. When a rat is depressed and is stressed too. This leaves the rat vulnerable to physical and behavioral problems. A stressed rat has a lowered immune system and thus it becomes much more susceptible to diseases, such as Mycoplasma. This means vet bills and probably a shorter lifespan of your rat. Why put your pet rat through all that!

A lone rat is likely to have behavioral changes too. Your rat will not bond to you in any different or better way than if you have 2 or more. It could be quite the contrary! Your rat could become shy and not want to come out of its cage. It may startle easily and run to hide from what it perceives as a threat. It might even become defensive and aggressive. Your lone rat doesn't have other rats to provide security, so it feels "open and exposed to danger."
It's best to have a pair or more of the same sex in a cage large enough to accommodate the number of rats you have. (See the article on housing). Making certain they are all the same sex will prevent unwanted litters. You could be stuck and quickly become overwhelmed with 15 or more babies that in only 5 or 6 weeks could be breeding even more litters!

These are all reasons why a breeder will only sell rats in same-sex pairs. A good breeder will only let somebody take one rat if they are certain the person already has another rat to give the new one company of its own kind.

I do hope this article has provided you with the understanding of why you should acquire 2 or more rats instead of just one. Believe me, your rats will be grateful!