# Rattus Rattus



## simmo (Oct 9, 2008)

I'v heard the rattus rattus genome, (the original english black rat) is now being bread as a pet and I would like to know about anybody that may be breeding them for sale prefferably around the north derbyshire area.


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## StolenkissGerbils (Aug 8, 2008)

Aren't they a very aggressive species? I thought they were being crowded out by rattus norvegicus (brown rat)?

Why not just go for an ordinary fancy rat with a black coat?


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## Feline2001 (Oct 11, 2008)

Hi,

I have not heard of rattus rattus being bred - BUT I can totally understand you wanting a black rat!

If rattus rattus is being bred though - I'm not sure where they got their starting line from - and would be worried about the rats having some of the dieseases wild rats carry such as weils diesease as it take many a generation to improve the genes and get these dieseases eradicated!

Black fancy rats however are gorgeous - I've got 5! three black berkies - a black capped and a black hooded! Here's my three black berkshires:


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## StolenkissGerbils (Aug 8, 2008)

> If rattus rattus is being bred though - I'm not sure where they got their starting line from - and would be worried about the rats having some of the dieseases wild rats carry such as weils diesease as it take many a generation to improve the genes and get these dieseases eradicated!


That would be my main concern, these have never been pets before as far as I know. If I were in the market for a rattus rattus as a pet I would want to wait until they had been bred for about 10 years or more in sterile lab-like conditions so that I could be sure my new pet wasn't harbouring weil's disease, parasites or who knows what.

Are you absolutely sure you have heard of this species being bred as a pet? It seems possible that someone might try to pass off ordinary black fancy rats as rattus rattus to unsuspecting buyers.  Stranger claims have been made by unscrupulous animal breeders! lol

Feline - your rats are just lovely


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