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Adoption

To adopt rats from us you will need to fill out an adoption application

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We do not adopt single rats. Rats are sold only in same-sex pairs or more. We also suggest that you quarantine the new rats that you purchase from us. That is why we only adopt out in pairs, it would be cruel to leave a rat alone for weeks, no matter how much human interaction they receive. I highly recommend trios for first-time adopters, the hierarchy is more stable, if one rat gets sick then you'll only have one lone rat, not two or if one passes away you won't be stressed to find a partner for your remaining rat. 

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Our babies are ready to leave for their new homes starting at 8 weeks of age. Dwarf babies are ready to leave starting at 10 weeks of age. We start taking reservations/deposits when they are 5 weeks old after they pass temperament testing. 

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Also please make sure you send us an email or message before or after sending in the application! I do usually contact applicants but it does get away from me, so just to be safe shoot me a message.

Filling out an application does not guarantee adoption.

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We are now requiring a $20 non-refundable waitlist fee to be added to our waitlist! It will be added to 

your full adoption fee, you only lose out on money if you back out! 

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Click on the link below to start the adoption process:

Adoption Form

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If you have already adopted from me, plan to or just want a place to share your

babies join my group Rats of Sleepy Whiskers

Pricing

Black Rexoid/Marten Line:

PRODUCES: rexoids, satin rexoids, satin, dwarf, dumbo, marten, extreme markings (blazes, DWS, etc...)

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PETS ONLY PRICING

$40 each for all varieties EXCEPT for Dwarf

$75 each for DWARVES

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BREEDING RIGHTS PRICING

$80 for Teddy rex, Velveteen, Double Velv. Double rex, Satin rexoids (rex, teddy, velv.), satin

$60 for standard coats

$60 for C-locus

+$40 added to coat pricing for dwarves 

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Harley/Silvermane Line(COMING SOON):

PRODUCES: Harley, silvermane, dumbo, black, C-locus, dwarf, BE C-locus

PETS ONLY PRICING

$80 Each

$100 for Harley +

  • Dwarf

  • Harley-Silvermane

BREEDING RIGHTS PRICING:

NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE

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Coming soon to line:

Harvel

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Werewolf Line(COMING SOON):

PRODUCES: AM Mink, Black, AM Cinnamon, Lux, silvermane, agouti,

dumbo...more to be proven

PETS ONLY PRICING

$100 each

BREEDING RIGHTS PRICING:

NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE

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Pricing is due to change based on the quality and difficulty of each line. I may also lower prices for retired or older rats, I also offer deals on 3 or more rats.

I don't charge based on sex or variety; I charge based on the difficulty of each line. I work very hard to produce the rats I do, and each variety has its own set of difficulties. Adding variety and caring for every rat cost time and money, and I make little to no profit on breeding my rats alone.

 

If you'd like to reserve any rat I have listed, you may put down a deposit. If there is no reservation or deposit they will be adopted on a first come first serve.

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Bucks Available

 

Does Available

 

While it isn't required to donate or buy things for the rattery, you're more than welcome too! This helps us out a ton

Adoption Process

So you want to adopt rats from Sleepy Whiskers? Well, the first step to that is to fill out an application and contact me! I usually respond after receiving and reviewing the application but I do get busy so feel free to shoot me a message. I will be running adoption as FIRST COME FIRST SERVE. Once you have an application submitted and have contacted me you will have to wait until I have babies available. They will be posted to my Facebook and webpage, I will send a message out to my applicants the day before I post available babies so they can prepare. If you'd like to be added to my waitlist it now has a $20 non-refundable fee, it will be added to your final full adoption fee amount so you only lose money if you back out! This makes so I know you're serious and I don't get my time wasted. 

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PLEASE MESSAGE ME WHEN COMPLETING AN APPLICATION, I WILL NOT REVIEW OR APPROVE APPLICATIONS WITHOUT BEING NOTIFIED.

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SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION NO LONGER AUTOMATICALLY ADDS YOU TO MY WAITLIST

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It only allows me to contact you to prepare for my posting of available babies. Once posted, they will be first come first serve, you must:

1. Message me with the rats you choose, they may or may not be available, and I'll try to keep my posts updated with whose reserved.

2. Have an application submitted! 

3. Pay the deposit, which is 1/2 the adoption fee

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For Paid Approved Adopters

Well, what do I do now that I have submitted an application and paid the waitlist fee? Good question! 

now that you have completed the application, contact the breeder, and paid the waitlist fee, you will now have been added to the approved adopter's list. Enjoy the baby pictures while you wait!

Wait? Wait?! What?!

Yep, enjoy the wait! Pairings are made with a purpose, and that purpose is at the forefront of our minds while we patiently wait on babies! We may be breeding for a certain coat, temperament, or even marking. That’s right, we breed for ourselves first. This can be a long wait as we have to pick out babies for ourselves and then the approved adopters who are higher on the list will then pick. There is no guarantee that you'll get the exact baby or even the litter you want.  Many of my babies are adopted before they're even born! While you can't reserve babies until they are 5 weeks old many of my approved adopters have been waiting weeks, even months to adopt from ECMR and will adopt any babies available, quickly. The list can be long but don't let that discourage you. While it's definitely quicker to go to a pet store or a BYB, you miss out on ethically bred rats, with solid temperaments while also supporting animal abuse, neglect, and unethical practices. We don't pump out babies to appease the demand, we only breed for ourselves first, that is the only way we can continue producing amazing babies for our adopters! 

 Once babies are born, our job begins! We are checking mom and babies daily, as we watch the little ones grow! We start considering temperament at 4-5 weeks old and officially start evaluating temperament at 5-6 weeks. Our goal is to hold back temperament/coat/color for future breeding purposes, and then evaluate who else in the litter might make an excellent pet. This means that not all babies will be available, for different reasons. Then I will contact all my approved adopters and they will start reserving babies at around 5-6 weeks, sometimes later if we need to evaluate a certain line, ex. Dwarves, After reservations, the babies will be available to go to their new homes at 8 weeks minimum... No baby will ever go home earlier than 8 weeks of age and sometimes not even until 10-12 weeks. After the paid approved adopters choose their babies, they will be posted to my webpage and Facebook and they will then be first come first served.  Babies are adopted out in ONLY  pairs, meaning no singles will leave the Rattery.

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So to recap:

Step 1: Put in an application! 

Step 2: Contact the breeder (me! haha)

Step 3: Pay the waitlist fee of $20 (This does go towards your final adoption fee)

Step 3: wait (the hardest step)

Step 4: Receive a message from Sleepy Whiskers notifying you that there are babies available!

Step 5: pick and reserve your new babies

Step 6: wait some more until they are at least 8 weeks

Step 7: Come pick up your new babies!! (the best part)

Step 8: enjoy your SLP Babies, who have been selectively bred to be friendly and sweet.

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It can be a lot of waiting, but it's worth it when you finally have your new heart rats in your arms.

Pick Up & Bringing them Home

Carriers

When you come to pick up your babies, you will need to bring a carrier! I do offer cardboard carriers but if you're traveling more than 30 minutes - 1 hour away I'd recommend bringing your own. I can also make you a bin carrier for a $20 fee, but let me know a week or two in advance so I can have time to make it.

A cat carrier may be fine. The plastic ones often have too wide of holes that babies can escape from.

Fabric ones may be chewed through easily, like in a blink of an eye!

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Some carriers I recommend are:

  • small Bin cages

  • A small travel cage

  • Any plastic carrier catered to small animals. 

New Home Sneezes

New home sneezes are a very common thing that may give new owners some concern. Rats can be sensitive to new environments and scents. A brand-new home and cage can bring on sneezes for a week or two as they adjust.

 

This is perfectly normal!

 

When to worry:

If there is a wet lung sound, coughing, excessive porphyrin (red gunk around eyes/nose or on fur as it can be spread around as they groom), lethargic.

Then I would be concerned and take them to the vet.

Things to Help the Transition From the Rattery to Home

The area where my rattery is located is a very quiet and calm environment, so it can be jarring for these rats to move and adjust to a whole new environment. SLP rats are bred to be friendly and have fairly confident personalities, but are still prey animals. It might take them a few days, to a week to fully settle into their new homes. These are some ways to keep the transition from Sleepy Whiskers to the car to home as stress-free as possible:

Before Bringing Them Home:

You should have everything you need for your rats before pick up so that there won't be any unnecessary stops on the way back home.

You should also set up their cage completely before picking up your rats, set up food, water, toys, and enrichment. This will allow you to immediately put your rats in their cage and allow them to have a safe and stress-free area to relax after the trip. 

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In the Car:

  • No smoking of any kind (all smoke is bad) around the animals, whether it be in the car or at home (same room). Do not use fragrance- air fresheners, perfumes, candles, incense, etc...

  • If a long trip I'd recommend a small water bottle attached to the cage and some food

  • Try to keep it fairly quiet, a small amount of music won't hurt, but try not to blast it. Maybe a nice podcast would be a bit better than some loud metal

  • A cover over the travel cage will keep it nice, and dark and will make it less stressful for the rats. Though try to keep one side uncovered so they don't overheat or suffocate

  • Even though they are very cute, try to keep the handling for when you get home. Stress can make a rat jumpy and it would be awful to lose them in your car or outside. 

  • When bringing your rats home consider the temperature for travel. Sometimes the car's heat or AC can trigger some respiratory issues. But you also do not want the trip to be too hot or cold. I'd block off any direct air so that it doesn't blow on them. Obviously, if you stop do not leave them in the car alone.​

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At Home

  • Give at least 24-48 hours to settle in, SLP rats are bred to be friendly, but as any animal instinct can take over. Rats are prey animals and may be scared/skittish when first coming home.

  • Keep the area where their cage is quiet and dark, and avoid harsh lights. 

  • If there are children in the home I would wait to let them hold and interact with the rats for a few days. Excited children may be too rough for rats who are just settling in. Though sitting by the cage and softly talking to them is a good way to bond and get them used to the family before handling them. 

  • Limit out of the cage time and build up to more. Let them explore their new cage too!

  • Try to have an hour or two a day just dedicated to them, put your hands in the cage, feed them treats, and give them a tickle! Once they're settled at least an hour a day of free roam.

  • Limit them from being around other pets until settled. These means don't let your cat or dog hover around the cage. Never let them interact, even with supervision. Accidents can happen quickly and all it takes is a snap of jaws to injure/kill a rat.

  • Try to keep a natural day/night cycle of light and darkness. This is super important for their health and tumor prevention as well! I suggest not putting the cage in a room where you may be up with lights and activity at night if possible.

  • Do not introduce too many new foods at once this can give them diarrhea.

  • I feed Oxbow Regal Adult and Kalmbach 23%, I offer a small sample during pick up to help transition them to the diet you choose. I would mix the food about 50/50 then for each fill-up increase your chosen diet. Rats switch to new diets fairly easily. ​

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All rats are treated with revolution (cat flea/mite/parasite spot-on treatment) before they leave. This is just a precaution as pests are super easy to get in food and bedding. It protects them for a month.

Facebook Groups

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If you are looking for a good fun social group to discuss rats, I highly recommend:

Bonding with your new rat

The best way to bond with your new babies is to take it slow! While my rats are bred for temperament and are held daily, they might go through a fear period when moving to a new home. All the new smells, noises, and people are bound to make them a bit nervous.

Some good way to bond with your pet rats are:

  • Putting your hands flat in the cage to let them sniff you

    • They might give you a curious nibble, rats tend to explore with their mouths

  • Opening the cage door and letting them come to you

  • Taking baby food or some sort of liquid treat and letting them lick it from your hands

    • This allows them to get a yummy treat without running away from you, which associates you with said yummy treat

  • Taking them to a rat-proofed space and letting them run and play around you

  • Making or buying a bonding scarf

    • You can carry them around, and this allows them to feel safer

  • Sitting by the cage and talking or singing to them

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