About

Roman Rattery is a NFRS registered stud and is run by myself, Abigail, in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, UK. I am breeding for healthy, friendly rats that make great pets but are also of excellent show standard. I love going to shows and believe that it's incredibly important for breeders to show their rats to gain outside opinions and knowledge from other experienced individuals. I am currently breeding two separate lines. First is a Topaz and Russian Topaz line, with both top ear and dumbo. I also have a Variegated line with standard and rex coats. 

My foundation rats for my Topaz line were Bayo Flora and Kiwi Custard, two absolutely lovely rats. Flora originally came to me as a pet, and as she started my love of Russian Topaz, I'm really pleased that Stacey allowed me to use her for breeding. My foundations for my Variegated line were Halcyon Callida and Halcyon Kito. I am very thankful to have the support of some really wonderful breeders as I literally couldn't have done this without them. 

Breeding rats is not a business for me. Owning and showing rats is purely a hobby that I love and breeding/showing was something I very quickly became passionate about. I breed to improve rats health and temperament with each generation and aim for confident, outgoing and healthy pets. 

Sometimes I may have rats available for pet homes. Pet homes will receive life-long support from myself and I will always be happy to take back rats if circumstances change. If you would be interested in owning Roman rats, please get in touch for an application form via the Roman Rattery Facebook page here or email romanrattery@gmail.com. Alternatively, you can use the buttons on the right of this page.

Why 'Roman Rattery'?
If you're nosy like me, then you're probably always curious as to how breeders chose the names for their rattery. When I was at college, one of the A-Levels I studied was Archaeology. This was an incredibly interesting course but one of my favourite modules was Roman Religion and Ritual. I loved learning about the gods and goddesses and even went on a trip to Italy to see the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. When I got my first rats from Bayo Rattery I decided I was going to name them after Roman goddesses. I've stuck to that theme and once I decided I was going to breed, I chose Roman Rattery. I do like a bit of alliteration and it helps that it's short and easy to spell/pronounce so I won't be making things difficult for people at shows!

What are you currently working on?

Topaz: For my Topaz line, I'm working on improving their muscle tone as they're quite light at the moment. I'm also looking to improve the colour as they can be a little sooty/grey in places, instead of the nice golden fawn that they should be. In terms of health issues, mammary lumps in females and heart issues are occurring occasionally so I am trying to work away from those. Temperament wise, I'm pretty happy with where these guys are at. They're lovely and confident, and always keen to say hello and explore.

Variegated: For my Variegated line, muscle tone and size has also an issue with them so I'm aiming to improve that. In regards to health, the line is still quite new so I don't have a lot of data yet. There's been a few different issues arising but nothing consistent so I am just keeping an eye as we go. The temperament in the varis has been one of the biggest things I'm focusing on at the moment. They started as less confident than my Topaz, and were less people orientated but this has been improving nicely.