Sceville Rattery

31/05/2026

1 week old today ❤️

27/05/2026

New rat boarding/baby cage at Tiny Paws HQ 🥰

I've still got availability for boarding in July and part of August, and scattered availability the rest of the year too ☺️

24/05/2026

Well, looks like in the chaos that is my life, I convinced myself I'd paired one rat when infact I'd paired the other, and have been wondering why Nova didn't come into season...that'll be because she was pregnant 🤦🏻‍♀️

Nova (agouti silken) gave birth to 5 babies today with one sadly passed, fathered by Sirius (black top ear). 3 bucks and 1 doe surviving.

So I didn't pair Lyra with Jasper at all, I just convinced myself I did.

But how did I get this muddled up you ask?

Lyra is black top ear. Sirius is black top ear. My brain clearly went 'black top ear, Lyra' when I was writing reminders in my calendar.

Absolutely brilliant. Truly a new low for me. Sums up my life at the moment, it truly does.

Nova is doing brilliantly. I'm going to be pairing Lyra and Astra this week. A three week age gap isn't particularly ideal for the little lone doe, but s**t happens and you've just gotta work with what you have sometimes, and this is my mistake.

15/05/2026

Please don’t ask me when I’ll have baby rats - I genuinely don’t know.

I paired Lyra and she should be around 2 weeks today, but she doesn’t look pregnant. Some of my does don’t show until a few days before birth, so there’s still a chance, but right now I just don’t know.

I’ve also tried pairing Nova this week, but she hasn’t come into season, so I’ve stopped trying for now.

Honestly, I’m feeling really deflated with rat ownership at the moment. I’ve got another old lady with a lump, and now Ava - who’s only just turned one - has developed one too.

All of my rats currently live in my bedroom, and it affects my asthma. Antonio and I are hoping to buy a house at the end of this year so the rats can finally have their own room, but right now that feels very far away when I dealing with litters in my bedroom while struggling with my health at the same time.

I also struggle with simple tasks like cleaning them out and making their food mix because I have a herniated disc in my spinal cord that I’m currently undergoing treatment for. One cage clean and I'm in pain for days.

At the moment, I’m seriously contemplating my future with rats, and I honestly don’t know if I’m going to continue breeding - or even owning them. The constant pressure from outside people wanting baby rats really doesn’t help. I just want to enjoy my pets without feeling pressured, because that’s become a huge factor in all of this.

I won't be posting any updates on my page for a while - even if I do have litters born, just so I can take some time to myself, try and enjoy my pets again, and not deal with additional stress and feeling like I HAVE to breed my rats and they HAVE to have lots of babies to please everyone who wants them.

Thank you for understanding.

08/05/2026

I've paired Lyra (black) with Jasper (black silken dumbo), so if all has gone to plan, she should be around a week pregnant today.

I still haven’t managed to pair Nova yet. My does usually come into season in the evening, and with a few overnight pet-sitting stays recently, I’ve only really been home during the day. I’m currently in two minds about whether to continue trying, as I’m not feeling hugely enthusiastic about the breeding side of things at the moment - but we’ll see. I’m home all of next week, so I may continue trying each evening then.

I do appreciate how difficult it can be to find ethically bred rats, but it’s important to remember that ethical breeders aren’t doing this to meet pet demand. We breed primarily for ourselves, as a hobby and to further our lines, and any rats available to pet homes after we’ve chosen our keepers are simply a bonus.

I know the waiting times can be frustrating, but there’s a reason for that - we don’t churn out litters or treat our rats like breeding machines in the way backyard breeders and rodent mills do.

Please be patient with ethical breeders, and try to resist projecting frustrations about availability or waiting times onto us. Most of us are doing the best we can alongside work, family, health, and the countless other responsibilities that come with life and animal care. Ethical breeding is slow, intentional, and often emotionally and financially draining, and ultimately the welfare of our rats will always come before breeding - they are our pets after all.

At the end of the day, we all want the same thing: healthy, well-bred rats living happy lives in good homes, and I would quite like to enjoy my hobby without additional pressure from outside people 🥲

06/05/2026

Sedona & Denali 04/07/2024 - 06/05/2026 🌈

Goodbye was much sooner than I expected....rest in peace my lovely girls. 😞🧡

01/05/2026

Rat breeding and ownership can be incredibly hard sometimes.

Sedona and Denali will be two in July. I often forget that I have five oldies now, because they all still act like youngster 🥲

Sedona had a lump removed a few months ago. Without surgery, I would have had to make the heartbreaking decision to let her go much sooner. Sadly, she has now developed another mass, this time in her groin area. Given the location, surgery isn't something I'm willing to put her through again. I'm grateful we've had extra time together.

Denali has an internal pea-sized mass near her va**na. At the moment, she can still urinate normally, so that isn't a concern, but she has lost a little condition recently. Unfortunately, this mass isn't operable.

For now, both girls are happy and comfortable, and that's all that matters. We're simply keeping a close eye on their quality of life. Deep down, I suspect that when one sister is ready to leave, I'll take them both to go together - a day too early is always kinder than a day too late, especially when the issues they face cannot be cured.

It's impossible not to blame yourself as a breeder. I brought these girls into the world, and now they are facing health challenges. Lumps are incredibly common in ageing female rats - even with the very best breeding they can still happen - but that knowledge doesn't always quiet the guilt.

But I guess that breeding isn't about creating perfection; it's about doing your best, breeding for the right reasons, and giving them the happiest, healthiest lives possible.

For now, we treasure every mischievous moment, and every day we get with these wonderful girls ❤️

29/04/2026

Resharing this as a reminder as I've been getting a lot of emails and messages recently asking if I have rats available.

I don't breed to demand, and it's unlikely I'll have rats available when you want them.

This is my homing process, I no longer operate a waiting list as it's too much admin.

Any questions please give me a shout ☺️

I've had a lot of new followers recently so I thought I’d make an infographic breaking down my application and homing process into easy, step-by-step info and link the pinned info posts on my page.

The link to join the mailing list is here: https://forms.gle/u58nYj5qTzWsatk58

All info related to Sceville Rats can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1af277qQmC/

** Please note, there won't be any babies available to new homes from my current litter. My next litters will be in the Summer all being well **

26/04/2026

Slight change to my breeding plans! I'm now hoping to pair my silkens from now rather than waiting until June. Fingers crossed.🤞🏻

Planned pairings:
🐀 Lyra (black top ear) × Jasper (black silken dumbo)
🐀 Nova (agouti silken top ear) × Sirius (black top ear)

If a pairing is successful, the expected timeline is:
• Approximately 3 weeks gestation
• Babies will remain with me until 7-8 weeks old
• Around 11-12 weeks total from pairing to babies being ready for their new homes

Ethically bred rats are always worth the wait, so please keep this timeline in mind if you're planning a future mischief or hoping to welcome new additions.

If you'd like to be notified when applications open for future litters, please fill out my mailing list form: https://forms.gle/u58nYj5qTzWsatk58

A quick note: interest in this year's litters has been incredibly high, with 54 people currently on my mailing list and 43 from my previous waiting list. This doesn't include current Sceville owners who may wish to add to their mischiefs. I do not breed to meet demand, so there will never be enough babies for every interested home this year.

When litters arrive and applications open, they will be reviewed in the order they are received. Suitable applications will be offered available rats. If an application isn't the right fit, I'll move on to the next. With such a large volume of interest this year, I'm unfortunately unable to go back and forth with people if multiple changes are required.

Steph

20/04/2026

Anyone local need nesting/bedding material?

Similar to safebed. Huge bag, £10 collection near Ilminster.

Message me if you're interested.