A Colorado Rat Breeder-Hidden Haven Rattery - H2R
A Colorado Pet Rat Breeder of Happy, Healthy Family Pets
Poor Charlotte was just the opposite of Carlos. She was scared to death of everything that moved. No matter what I did to gain her confidence, she was always skittish and freaked out easily. I have never had problems earning the trust of an animal before. And I have heard of some people's experiences with pet shop rats who started out scared but over time turned into trusting sweeties. So I finally decided it was not only how she was raised for the first 7-8 weeks of her life but also that heredity played a major part in her temperament problems. My experience with Carlos and Charlotte has inspired me to become a breeder. I am determined to improve the health, temperament and life span of these great little pets.
The Early Years:
I have always loved animals & brought home "strays" much to the dismay of my mother. Through out my life I have had many different breeds of dogs, cats, a goat, horses, turtles, hamsters, rabbits, mice, fish, guinea pigs, and of course rats. I now have 2 large mix-breed dogs, 4 cats, 8 grand kids and one lovable husband.
My first introduction to rats was when I was about 2 1/2 years old and still sleeping in a crib.
My family was poor and we lived in a very old run-down house outside of Kansas City, Mo. My mom said she was constantly trying to plug up the holes in the floor and walls to keep the weather and animals out.
One day I told my mom, "Bug in my bed, Mommy." Later my mom said I had a big smile on my face. She thought I just meant a cockroach or something small (which she said was disgusting enough.) Then on day a "huge" rat ran across our floor and I happily shouted "Bug, Mommy, Bug." My mom was horrified. Shortly after that we moved and I lost my first four-legged friends. :(
How I got started:
I have always been fascinated with the study of animal behavior. Not only the interactions within their own family group or species, but with humans as well. I try to watch all of the educational shows about it that I can. And I have always tried to see just how close a bond of mutual affection, respect and understanding I can have with my different types of pets.
About 4 years ago I watched a program about the intelligence and the emotions of rats. The You-Tube video on my home page was part of that show. After the show I told my husband that I had to get a rat. Luckily for me he's a dog lover and very tolerant of my obsession for all kinds of animals as pets.
My first rat came from the Humane Society. In fact, 
he was born there.
Carlos was just wonderful; very affectionate with lots of kisses for everyone and loved to cuddle. He was very intelligent and outgoing. Nothing seemed to scare him and he loved exploring new environments and meeting new people. He already knew his name and would always come running anytime I called him. His favorite place to be was on my shoulder or desk. He was the perfect rat, except for his poor health which ended his life at 1 1/2 years. He had the "Golden" personality that we are striving for here at H2R. I still miss him so much.
After I brought him home I knew he needed a cage buddy to be happy, so I went to a local pet shop and chose baby Chuck from a "feeder" bin. The employee assured me Chuck was a male. At that time I didn't realize that rats sexually matured so young. The next day I found a website that showed how to sex a 5 week old baby. Surprise! I changed Chuck's name to Charlotte and got her, her own cage that very day. Thank goodness they never mated.
So that's my story; the story of Karen Blatchford of H2R.
