About Me!
	My name is Amber and i've owned rats as pets for 12 years.  My first rat was an ordinary beige berkshire girly from a small family owned Pet Store.  My mom was looking for a hampster for me, at which point the employee pointed out how great rats are as pets.  My mom instantly fell in love with Dusty, and she came home.  We knew nothing about rats then, and Dusty lived the first two or three months with us in a 10 gallon aquarium on pine bedding, all by herself!  It wasn't long before I started to want a second rat, and this is how we learned how to properly care for them.  I purchased baby from the same place, she was too young to be weaned and totally adorable! She instantly was dubbed Baby, and Dusty took her under wing, making us realize how social these animals are.  I started to research, and couldn't believe how badly we had been caring for them.  Before I knew it I was keeping a Trio of rats, and I had never had a more rewarding group of pets.  Ever since that day 12 years ago, I have only been without rats once.  This was because after Dusty's death, my mother was afraid of us becoming attached to any other rats.  After Baby and Dakota also passed on, we were ratless.  I begged and pleaded, and we finally brought Mr. Rat into our home about 6 months later.  Unfortunately Mr. Rat was kept alone for his whole life, this was because we were mis-informed that males did not get along with eachother.  Even after all these years, I would have to say he was my favorite rat.  He was there for me during my most troubling times, and he never missed a beat.  I soon started to keep more than Trio's at a time, and soon I had both sexes (seperated of course).  All throughout the rest of my life, I have never had less than 8 rats at any given time.   My decision to start breeding was a horrible one, I am not afraid to admit that.  After buying a pregnant girl from a Pet Store, I was fascinated.  Soon after the babies were weaned, I bred another pair.  I was shocked when all the babies came out black and Albino, it didn't make sense when dad was Fawn.   Thats when I realized i needed to do research, and so the Internet taught me that was i did was WRONG, and if I was serious I needed to take my time and do it right.  I started to do my homework, all the while rescuing rats in need. About a year after this mishap, I got my first Pedigree'd rat, a male Seal Point Siamese Dumbo.  Soon after that came a few females, and it evolved from there.  That is, in a nutshell, how Pymatuning Valley Rattery was born. So why "Pymatuning Valley"? Because thats the school i went to, and I lacked the creativity to come up with something on my own.  Anyway, back to me! I am fascinated by science, especially biology.  Genetics are amazing, and it seems I never know enough about them.   I am an all around animal nut! I have 3 horses, a potbelly pig, 2 dogs, a cat, 30-40 rats at any given time, and 2 gerbils.  I have owned nearly every rodent you can name, but rats are the main ones that have stuck.   My day is not worth living without hearing a soft whinney from my horse, or feeling a soft ratty nose in my ear.  My animals are my children, I treat them as such, and they reward me just as much as a (human) child would. I am a Veterinary Assistant (go figure) working on getting my Technician degree.  I am not currently active in the field, since I am focusing on my studies. I don't consider myself a Rat Expert, i'm still learning, i dont think anybody can say that they know all there is to know.  I will say I am an experienced rat owner/breeder, and I am willing to help answer any questions anybody may have.  Just drop me an email =)