We welcome two new residents to the rattery today, having made a long trip up from England last week. Although I have bred marked rats before, it’s normally been unintentional – this is the first foray into breeding marked for show. They’re as yet unnamed, but I am now the delighted owner of a pair of black downunders.

Many thanks to Lyn at Brammocks Rattery for giving me my new additions, and Mel of Debonayr rattery for transporting them up to Scotland for me.

From the silver agouti litter, I have kept two bucks and two does. They’re very sweet, laid back rats, and their colouring is just what I’d hoped for. I still haven’t named them, but I will get some photos and names decided soon!

The younger litters turned seven weeks old just before the SRC’s cup show in Perth, and sothey came along with me for their show bench debut. My two does won their classes (agouti and silver fawn), but it was a day for the boys. Hawthorn Funky Town, silver chocolate, won his class, the AOV section, and 4th in the Supreme Challenge – and Hawthorn Balthazar was not only best Champagne and best self, but overall Best in Show.

Anyway, plans are currently afoot for the next Hawthorn litters – I’ll be updating the blog shortly with more details, stay tuned.

Flutterby’s babies have turned into something of a surprise, with the “black” kitten actually being chocolate, and at least one of the agoutis turning out to be a chocolate agouti. Up until a few days ago, the girls were keeping their kittens very separate, in two nests in different corners of the cage – but recently they have decided to just put them all in together, so there’s one nest with all the kittens and both of the mothers on top. They both seem very happy with the arrangement, the only downside is that I’ve no idea which silver fawn or champagne kittens come from which mother!

I have a pair of does – one silver fawn, and one agouti – available, and five bucks in all different colours, so ideally they will go as one trio and one pair. They can be collected at either the April 21st SRC show in Perth, or the April 14th NERS show in Preston.

I won’t be showing as I don’t like to show when I have new babies in the house, and as of this morning we have eleven new additions courtesy of Precious. All eleven seem perfect, healthy, and full of milk, and Precious herself is in fine form. It’ll be a little while until I can tell exactly what we have so there won’t be any news on reservations until they’re three or four weeks old at least, and I can decide what I want to keep myself. More photos to follow once they’re a bit more silver and a bit less pink.

And of course I didn’t come back empty handed. The wonderful Lisa of Blairwitch Stud dropped off my two new arrivals from Rivendell – a very sweet ivory doe, and something a little bit more unusual …

Please meet Rivendell All That Glitters, who is probably best described as a golden silver agouti. I’m still trying to decide who will be best to mate her to when she’s of age, but I’m sure whoever it is we will have some beautiful kittens from her.

The first plans we have for this year are to move along with our silver agoutis – this is my absolute favourite variety, a bright and striking combination of near black on a white and grey background, completed with cranberry red eyes. Hawthorn Precious Metal and Hawthorn Erasmus will hopefully give me a litter in February of this year. Precious is the best coloured silver I have bred so far, and she knows she’s special – she’s an outgoing and social girl, who is a real favourite round here with visitors. Erasmus was originally reserved to go to Ratoon rattery when he was a baby, but I just couldn’t let him go, and thankfully Lizzi agreed on him staying here. He’s a big, solid boy with the gentle intelligence of his mother, Origami. Hopefully there’ll be news on kittens from this pair to post soon.