So, this place isn’t where we thought we would be when 2021 started. This past week has been one of the toughest yet still with one more week to go. Since finding out the results of our Rat Bite Fever test, we have had to say goodbye to over 75 rats. Yesterday, we took 16 more rats down to Evolution Rattery. Walking away from almost two years’ worth of work was surreal and heartbreaking. All that we have left are our originals.

We can’t lie. Many times, we have given thought to just throwing in the towel. Many of our breeder friends have done just that. We still feel that Oak Grove has something to offer the rat community in general. That reason is why we are partnering with Evolution Rattery to try to save the genes we both have. Over the next few weeks, we will be chronicling our efforts to take clean albino rats to foster “dirty” babies just born. If this theory works, we will be able to restock our ratteries with clean, more healthy stock.

Basically, Oak Grove is going to become a clean hub. We are receiving the clean rats and will be reproducing them at a very high rate. Evolution will be maintaining the “dirty” rats by continuing to breed the genes we both have. We will synchronize litters so that a clean mom is lactating when a dirty mom gives birth. We will sanitize the “dirty” babies and then put them with the clean mom. Hopefully, this theory works.

Several adopters reached out about specific rats they wanted to save. We admire this willingness to protect pets that could present a health risk. We decided we just couldn’t take that risk, though. However, we recently decided that we will give away our pet, heart rats that started our rattery. We will be giving these rats away to previous adopters of ours … no “new” adopters. While there will not be an adoption contract, you MUST sign a liability release to accept these rats into your home. An email about the originals will soon come out to all previous adopters.

While we have no adoptions coming in to help offset the operational costs, we are considering starting a GoFundMe page for fundraising. At full operation, we usually spend $200-250 per month on food, bedding, etc. for the rats. If you are interested in helping manage a GoFundMe page to support Oak Grove during this shutdown, please let me know.

Thank you Trisha K for the feature photo!