Breeders & the NFRS

Good afternoon! How are we all? This is a post I have wanted to write for a little while and I've finally found the time to sit and put my thoughts into words. Let me start off by saying this is obviously based on my own personal views and experiences. No one has told me to write this, nor am I doing it for any reason other than to inform people and put my thoughts across. I'm not the most eloquent person in the world so please forgive me.

For those that don't know, the NFRS is the National Fancy Rat Society. It was started in 1976 by a group of rat lovers with the aim to promote rats as pets and show animals. The NFRS is the organisation that writes the UK standards for the different varieties and provides a ton of information for both pet owners and breeders. Anyone can sign up to be a member and doing so will give you access to the Forum as well as the magazine Pro-Rat-A which comes out every couple of months. If you're a breeder, you can register your rattery with the NFRS after being a member for a year and later earn your studname by earning the required awards at shows. You can find out more about this here.

I've been a member of the NFRS since last year and in November I will finally be able to register my rattery which I'm super excited about! When people post on Facebook "Where do I find a breeder?", the first thing people send is the link to the NFRS breeders list. This is the first place I started when I was looking to get rats and is obviously a really great idea. What a lot of people aren't aware of is that anyone who has been a member of the NFRS for a year can register a rattery. There are no checks done and they're not inspected! The only thing (as far as I'm aware) that they will check is that the rattery name is not the same as someone else's. What I'm trying to get at is that just because someone is on the list, it does not mean they are necessarily a good breeder. There are actually some NFRS breeders that I would advise pet homes to avoid where possible. Similarly, if people are not on the list for valid reasons e.g. they are having to wait until they have been a member for a year, that does not make them a bad breeder. I'd like to hope that people don't automatically write me off because I'm not NFRS registered! What is absolutely vital is that when you look at this list of breeders, you do your own research and contact them to ensure their ethics align with yours. All breeders are individuals; we all care for our rats in different ways and have different breeding practices so you have to find the right breeder for you. 

Zoe from Azuline Rattery has a great post here about how to identify a reputable breeder. I'm not going to reiterate all her points but one of the main things for me is that a reputable breeder will not avoid questions or decline to show photos of how their rats are kept. They should be happy to answer any and all questions about their rats/rattery really! There is a useful Facebook group called UK Rattery & Breeder Reviews which you can use to check for feedback on any breeder you're considering. There may not necessarily be reviews for every rattery but you can pretty much bet that someone will know something about them! If you're still stuck, you can try messaging a breeder/rat owner that you trust and ask for your local recommendations. 

Another particular thing I find troubling is breeders that avoid being a part of the NFRS or refusing to show. This ties in with some common misconceptions about the NFRS being "just about showing". The NFRS is so much more than that. It is a huge and welcoming community that exists to promote healthy and happy rats. Shows are not simply about competing and winning (though that is a bonus), but about ensuring rats are healthy. Going to shows and having experienced rat owners/breeders handle your animals is incredibly beneficial as they can provide feedback on things you are doing well and things you need to improve on. If you are the only person that ever sees your rats, you can become "shed-blind" and fail to notice your rats heads are getting increasingly shorter or that your rats have no muscle tone (for example). Shows are also great for the social aspect. It's a brilliant chance to meet up with other breeders/owners from all over the country and just have a good old natter about rats and other things! Since starting breeding I've had an overwhelming amount of support from breeders all over the place and I really can't thank everyone enough. I couldn't imagine breeding without having this huge knowledgeable community behind me. 

I'm not entirely sure I've accomplished what I set out to here...it's a complicated topic! Basically, the NFRS breeders list is a great starting point but don't be mistaken in believing it is a list of entirely trustworthy and ethical breeders. Of course the majority of breeders on the list are brilliant and I would recommend them to anyone in a heartbeat. The reason for this post is just to ensure that everyone is aware that the NFRS does not monitor or check those on the list so of course some slightly less ethical people will slip through. It's an absolute minefield out there and it can be really hard to know who to go to. Sometimes it's about going with your gut. If alarm bells are ringing somewhere, stay away.