How much do Rats from a Breeder or Rattery cost?

[bkcj88]

Since my son & I have gotten our rats from our New Pet Store in town, We have read, read & read more about our new little sweet  tickley nose buddies. We have read things about pet store rats not being as healthy & dieing sooner than ones bought from a Breeder or Rattery. So could someone tell me about how much they cost. I am in Tennessee. Thank You very much,   Kathy

[Fnordia]

In my experience, they can go for anywhere between $5-$20 dollars each.  This also depends on whether you'd buying a super-uber double fancy pedigreed guaranteed Rat, or just a nice pedigreed pet.  ^_^

Check with your local breeders, I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you asked!

If you don't know of any in your area, here's a great resource:  http://www.ratster.com/breederlinks.html

This lists breeders, ratteries, and rescues by State.  Good luck!

[bkcj88]

Thank You very much! We are enjoying the newest members of our family so much & we got very scared when we read that they aren't as healthy so I just wanted to know the cost we were looking at when we get more. Not if but when.
Thank you again,
Kathy     

[kmw]

I've had rats from petstores and breeders.  I've been really lucky, and not had major issues either way.  The rat that cost me the most $$ medically speaking, was from a breeder!  Just got unlucky, and some major respiratory issues cropped up. 

I prefer supporting breeders who are striving to improve the rat fancy, rather than stores who are trying to improve their profit margin.  But, it's a highly personal decision, and something everybody has to decide for themselves  

For what it's worth, I've driven 8 hours in a day to get rats from a breeder.  So, while the rat may have been $15, I probably spent at least that much on gas alone!   

[brandy]

I've seen prices ranging from $10-30. Some breeders charge more for "exotic" things like dumbo or hairless, some don't; some give you a discount for taking two, some don't.

If the main reason you want to go with a breeder is health reasons, be sure to do your research. A person can take two pet store rats and stick them together and call themselves a "breeder", and their rats will still have bad immune systems and tumors.  Make sure all the rats have pedigrees going back several generations, ask how the rats' parents, grandparents, and aunts & uncles are doing health-wise and what any have died from.  And remember that it's no guarantee - some breeders have done a great job of, for instance, getting tumors totally out of their lines, but because they've focused on that there are still a few other problems.  And things can always show up just randomly.

[redestarr]

i paid 15 dollars for kitty.. a hairless female.. from a local mom n' pop petstore...kitty trusted me right off the bat.. she was  handled at the pet shop.. and i paid 32 dollars for bella.. a russian blue dumbo that is going to be registered.. she costed 25 dollars ...the extra charge was for delivering bella to my home ...since i got no car and don't have driver licence.. the breeder was real nice and delivered :-)

i plan on getting another one soon.. a male this time and i will have him neutered so i can have him with the girls eventually..

redestarr, nickles, kitty, and bella

[scout]

I've paid as little as $10 (and that's generally what I charge these days for rats I've bred) and as much as $38 (not including the 8 hour drive and hotel stay) for a good quality breeding rat. Do check your breeder out and ask about the health of the rats they breed. All rats eventually die of something and they should be willing to tell you what the rats in their lines have died of and at what ages. If they're not prepared to give you this information, keep researching your breeders.

Even a well bred rat is no guarantee, in the end, that the rat YOU get will have better health. I bred two wonderful rats from good, healthy lines, and both parents have outlived most of the offspring from that breeding. For whatever reason, it was a bad pairing genetically, and one that couldn't have been predicted based on the health of the two lines that were brought together. Needless to say, none of the offspring have been bred and the line has been discontinued. But you just can't predict with 100% certainty that you'll get the best - only increase the odds that you will.

Good luck with your search!

[Mornahen]

I've gotten rats from the store and from a breeder- and it's amazing the difference when you get them from a good breeder.  Dorian and Alaric were much more sociable and healthy than the others I got from the pet store- they were used to being held and very well behaved when held.  The boys I got from the store took a little longer to socialize, but now all six are just darlings.  Also, I've had to take the store bought rats to the vet for upper respiratory, a problem I haven't had with the other two.  But really, it's a matter of choice.

[bkcj88]

Thank You everyone so much for your replies. I love this forum & one other one also. Everyone is so helpful.
Thanks again
Kathy 

[Fnordia]

Which other forum is that? 

[bkcj88]

I don't think there is any rule about mentioning another forums name so... It is RatPalace.com  .

[laurie]

It is always a good idea to set up a savings plan for when you might need to see a vet. It is good to be prepared if you can. Also start looking for vets in your area who treat rats.