If you are considering starting to breed rats probably the single most beneficial step you can take is to find an experienced breeder to mentor you. Dictionary.com defines a mentor as "a wise and trusted guide and advisor."

The biggest advantage of being mentored is having access to all the accumulated experience of the mentor (and their own 'resources' including other breeders), and also to some degree, riding on their reputation. For the mentor, the main advantage is the certainty that the new breeder is grounded in excellent practice.

Having mentored a few people through their first litters, I would say that the key to a successful mentoring relationship is trust and a shared philosophy.

Your choice of mentor will probably be determined by two things:

1. Your breeding philosophy
2. Your chosen variety

Your breeding philosophy is something that will be very close to your heart. It includes why you want to breed, what your priorities are and which breeding practices you consider to be 'excellent' (I am assuming that no-one sets out with the aim of being mediocre). Once you have formed your own philosophy look for a mentor who's own breeding priorities and practices are very close to your own. This will avoid conflict and issues of conscience in the relationship.

Once you choose a variety to breed you may want to be mentored by someone who is already breeding (or who has previously bred) the variety, as they will probably understand more fully the issues specific to the variety of your choice.

Before entering into any formal mentoring relationship, be sure that you discuss with the mentor exactly what they (and you) think mentoring means. Breeders have all sorts of different 'requirements' and it is important to clarify these before any mating is undertaken. This will help to avoid conflict of opinion later on.

Some breeders are currently working on a mentoring contract - an agreement drawn up between the two individuals which clearly states expectations and responsibilities on both sides. I have yet to work with a formal contract, but I currently try to outline what mentoring means to me. Prospective breeders are then free to accept my conditions or move on to find a mentor they are in agreement with. At the end of the day the relationship relies on trust, and I personally wouldn't agree to mentor someone unless I considered them trustworthy.

What might mentoring mean in practice?

• Help with choice of breeding pair, with all deliberations properly shared and reasons understood.
• Help to judge which rats are of 'breeding quality'. (Do not expect that every rat bought with a hope of breeding will actually end up being of breeding quality).
• Simple genetics explanations to get to grips with the basics of what varieties you will get from a particular mating, and how best to breed your chosen variety.
• A general agreement to ask the mentor for advice *in the first instance* on all matters relating to the breeding.
• A commitment to follow such advice... especially relating to choosing rats for breeding, pregnancy care, feeding, birthing and homing issues.
• Agreement to follow excellent (agreed) practice regarding homing of kittens... (e.g. the use of application forms, contracts, family tree).
• A commitment to only sell to homes approved by mentor (especially where rats are requested for breeding). A mentor may only feel it necessary to impose this sort of condition where the beginner is breeding from the mentor's own lines.
• 24 hour access to the mentor for emergencies, especially around the time of the birth.
• Help with 'advertising' and homing the babies (perhaps through a website).

This list is not exhaustive, but it gives a flavour of the kind of agreement that might be made. All breeders are different and have their own personal emphasis. This is why it is important to clearly establish expectations (on both sides) prior to entering a mentoring relationship.

The first time I mentored someone it was a loose and informal arrangement (as I had bred the father of the litter), and the outcome was good all round. Having experienced this I began to see the potential pitfalls and decided that, should I do it again I would try to have a more formal arrangement. This wasn't because there was anything negative about the first experience; simply that it had opened my eyes to the potential for things to go wrong. Any situation where our passion for our animals is concerned has the potential for conflict; I simply felt it would be better to try to prevent problems rather than pick up the pieces afterwards.

Since then I have mentored two pairs of breeders through their first litters, and am currently in mentoring relationships with two others. These relationships have been more formal (though still based on trust), and have centred around the practices outlined above. I have found the experiences to be wholly positive thus far. Indeed I was thrilled by the attitude of all concerned, and their commitment to excellence.

I still consider myself involved with (and available to) the breeders concerned, but I have no doubt that they are grounded in good breeding practice (obviously by my definition), and will swiftly move into independent breeding.