Frequently Asked Questions...

• How do I become a member? Visit the Membership page. Both breeders and pet owners are welcomed.

• Who can register rats? Rats can only be registered by the current owner or breeder. Updates to a record (health, temperament, date of death) can only be made by the current owner or the breeder, unless submitted as research with solid factual information that can be verified with the current owner or breeder.
• What does it mean to register a rat as not for breeding? This addition to the database is designed to compliment the contracts used by many breeders. A rat registered as pet only will not have any offspring accepted for registration. A pet only rat cannot have its registration changed to breeding, except by the original breeder. This request must be made in writing and signed by that breeder to be accepted.
• Does the NARR hold shows? What standards do you use? The NARR does not maintain variety standards or hold shows - it is purely a registry. However, if you have questions as to which terms to use on your application, check the list of colors/markings, or with your rat club or a club recognized by the NARR.
• Can other members find out my personal information through this site? Your personal details (email address/address) are not made public - the database search gives details of rats, not people. Email addresses are kept on file for such situations as forgotten passwords, or queries about registration requests. Owners are listed as registered rattery names where applicable. If owner does not have a rattery name then only the first initial/last name is used.
• How can you have a registry when there are no purebred rats? The NARR does not claim any rats to be "purebred" (there are no breeds of rat, so there are no purebred rats). It also does not make any claims as to the "quality" of registered rats. All it provides is a simple, easy to use, and convenient database of pedigree and health records.
• What is the aim of the NARR? This registry simply serves as a resource available to all North American breeders, to assist "Line-chasing" for fun, and for tracing colors and health problems through the generations, and to serve as a permanent storage of said information.
• Isn't it possible for people to lie though, and say their rats are healthy when they're not? Of course it is. There are some breeders who will claim their lines to be healthy when they have problems - and although a registry can't force people to tell the truth, it will be very difficult for anyone registering their rats to "hide" problems. The fact is, most breeders keep a very small percentage of their rats, and the NARR encourages the buyers - as well as the breeders - to report on health, to give the "big picture." If your lines are healthy and well tempered, then the recorded rats owned by both you and your buyers will reflect this.
• I keep my own detailed records, and I'm willing to share them with other breeders who ask. What can this project offer me? Breadth of information to match your own depth of information. The ability to find out details about distant cousins that may prove useful. Pedigree lookups - to see if that outcross is really an outcross, or a look at how a potential stud's offspring/siblings/half siblings/etc are doing. An easy way to share knowledge with fellow fanciers, a permanent record that won't disappear when a breeder decides to quit, or become distorted through retellings and "Chinese whispers."

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Last Updated:  04/07/08

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