January Rat Care Book Review

This is the first rat care book I ever bought, and, boy, did I luck out! I got it because it was chunky, had lots of pictures, and because I just couldn't resist the adorable face on the front. And maybe I'm a bit prejudiced, but most of the other rat care books I've read over the years just don't compare. To me, this book may be a bit dated, but it's still scripture!

Nick Mays started his rat career when he was 15. He joined the National Fancy Rat Society and worked his way up to president when he was only 25. He has done extensive research into the beginnings of the rat fancy in England and is a very articulate writer. The book's introduction, by the way, was written by Geoff Izzard, Co-founder and Life President of the NFRS.

The first chapters are devoted to the history of the rat and the rat fancy. Mays spends a great deal of time explaining the many myths about rats and debunking most of them. "If I received a fee every time I explained that fancy rats are nice creatures, or even that most stories about wild rats are untrue, I'd undoubtedly be a very rich man by now." The history of the rat fancy in England is a fascinating one. Mays explores rat history from the arrival of the brown rat in Britain the same year as King George I to the breeding experiments of Jack Black, Rat Catcher and Mole Destroyer to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria. And then he goes on to outline the history of the rat fancy from Miss Mary Douglas' becoming "Mother of the Rat Fancy" in the early 1900's to its later renaissance in the mid-1970's, which we are still experiencing.

Of course, Mays' book has a great deal of excellent information for modern rat owners as well. He covers everything from selection of a pet rat to housing, feeding and health care. The section on rat ailments is not quite as thorough as the other rat care chapters, but is a good overview of what to watch out for and what to expect from your vet. There is also a very good chapter on showing rats along with a listing of rat varieties and judging points. The varieties are listed according to their British names and may not be completely up to date, since they were done 7 years ago. The best part of the book, in my opinion, is the very useful section on breeding and genetics. The chapter on breeding is still the most complete one I've seen in any rat book and includes a section on hand-rearing babies, which could be handy to refer to in the awful event that one must take over mom rat's job. For budding geneticists, there is a short lesson on inheritance - he explains the genetics of common traits in a way most people will find easy to understand and includes a list of resources should you wish to study further.

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