Steeltown Rats

09/05/2026

Dr Squid (PhD from the University of Life) is here to talk to you about Hantavirus, which you'll no doubt have seen in the news recently ⚠️🐀

The cruise ship passengers affected by Hantavirus were infected with the Andes strain, which has a fatality rate of 35-40%, affects the lungs, and is transmissible human-human. It's spread through airborne transmission.

The Andes strain originates from South America and is generally carried by the long tailed Pygmy Rice Rat, and not the humble Norway Rat like Squid and his wild counterparts!

The only strain identified in the UK is the Seoul strain, which affects the kidneys and has a fatality rate of about 1%. The Seoul strain is not transmissible human-human.

Pet rats may carry hantavirus, and so precautions should always be taken as with any live animal.

The most up to date Government advice is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pet-rats-mice-hamsters-reducing-the-risk-of-infection/reducing-the-risk-of-human-infection-from-pet-rodents?fbclid=IwdGRjcARr435jbGNrBGvjdmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHtVMr8j5KaWsCNjVtZtzh2m1uKc055kAmddtKq5BqMTkfRUPW7emL6zUIzZt_aem_YEY-ASLVeCay7-3KpkKV7w

06/05/2026

I don't usually post about losses, I've had a few recently, but this girl really had my heart 💔

Rocklee Get Off Of My Cloud, my special silver girl. 🌈☁️

05/05/2026

I've had a few conversations recently around starting to breed and being NFRS (National Fancy Rat Society) registered. So let's clear a few things up, and learn how to avoid backyard breeders! 🐀

- Being NFRS registered isn't just paying £10 a year for a "label". It's not snobbery. It's access to 50 years of knowledge and information on rat breeding and husbandry, reduced entry fees at shows, and support from across the country.

- Being registered isn't a guarantee of ethical breeding, but it is an indicator that some research has been undertaken and the breeder is active in the rat fancy.

- If you're not breeding to show rats as part of your hobby, why are you breeding? If the answer is for profit, congratulations, you're a backyard breeder!

- As a pet home, I would apply the same rules around avoiding "puppy farms" to ensure you avoid backyard breeders. A good breeder should be asking you lots of questions and have a keen interest in how you are going to care for the animals they've bred.

Red Flags 🚩🚩🚩

- Rats don't live at home and are kept on business premises.
- They always have rats readily available.
- Cages are bare with little to no enrichment.
- Pregnant does/kittens are kept in unsuitable cages.
- Kittens are regularly homed before 8 weeks of age.
- No checks of your cage set up or what care you plan to give your rats i.e food and enrichment.

Sometimes it might feel like breeders are asking you to jump through hoops to get their rats, and the easy option is to go to a backyard breeder that doesn't ask questions. You're potentially compromising on the health, temperament and longevity of your pets, and supporting breeding for profit. Please think twice and support ethical breeding! 🩶🐀

04/05/2026

06/04/2026

We had another nice day at the North of England Rat Society Carlisle ⭐ show on Saturday.

I learnt a lot whilst pet show seccing, and had a couple of wins from my lovely Rocklee RB boys, but the cherry on top was Squid walking away with Best Pet!

Dumpling Squid Ink 🦑
- Best Pet 🥇
- Most Affectionate

This means Squid now has a grand total of 16 pet points/stars and qualifies for Platinum Pets Champion 🏆

It also means he's officially retired from the show bench and will now need lots of visitors to fawn over him 😂

Thank you to Jess at Dumpling Rats for giving me this very special little idiot!

04/04/2026

Happy World Rat Day! 🐀🌍

20/03/2026

Snuggly girl 🩶

17/03/2026

❗I do not currently have rats available, however if you are interested in homing rats from me in the future, please message the page for an application form❗

Steeltown Rats is an NFRS registered* Rattery based in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Breeding for Russian Blue in top ear and dumbo 🐀🩶

*The National Fancy Rat Society (NFRS) maintains a list of its members’ ratteries and stud as a convenience for the public but does not endorse any rattery or stud, whether registered or not, and accepts no responsibility for any rats bred by me nor any other breeder.

16/03/2026

On Saturday I had the pleasure of judging pets for the first time at the National Fancy Rat Society show in Rutherglen 🐀✨

It was a great day with almost 100 rats in attendance along with exhibitors, stall holders and members of the public popping by, including a reporter from the Daily Record!

There were around 60 rats in the pets section and it came down to some tough decisions. There were some really lovely rats entered and if I could have placed them all I would have ❤️

Best Pet🥇- Galactic Greig (BO buck), owned by Liz Spence
Reserve Best Pet🥈- Novella Lottie (AO doe), owned by Gillian Walker
3rd - Rocklee Power Of Three Prudence (AO doe), owned by Paul Torbet
4th - Rocklee Rachel (BO doe), owned by Liz Spence

13/03/2026

Different ears, same stink eye 😂🩶