About Us
Hakuna Matata became a registered Stud name in February 2009, thanks to Hakuna Matata Puppis' BIS win at the Taunton show in September 2008.
I currently live in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire with my partner Matt. I have kept rats as pets since 2000. Before that I had kept dogs, cats, mice and hamsters (Syrian and Russian) as pets. Nowadays the 'RR' (RatRoom) contains just rats.
I have a BSc in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, and my partner is currently at university studying for a degree in Multimedia Computing. We travel a lot due to shows, and personal commitments, so are occasionally able to help transport our kittens closer to their new homes.
We are currently breeding for Siamese, Badgers and Variegateds. Our Siamese (Seal Point) line originated in 2004 - with our first litter being from Alpha Centauri Gemini, a Ruby Eyed Siamese Rex, and Milo Ferret, a Ruby Eyed Siamese. From this litter we kept 4 rats, of which three were bred from. Two of these rats (Taurus and Virgo) lived to be just short of 3 years. We are hoping to see the general lifespan of the line increase over time, so that more rats reach 3 years.
The choice to breed Siamese came about originally because of my love of the Siamese cat, I'm glad I took the variety on, as it has enabled me to dispell the thoughts that Siamese rats are aggressive. We pride ourselves on the fantastic temperament of all our Siamese rats, licky, bouncy and friendly! To this day all my Siamese line rats have been named with astrological references in mind.
Our Variegated and Badger line originated in 2009 - with our first litters being from Hellstorm Sunshine, a Topaz, and Hellstorm Deja Vu, an Agouti Variegated. And Hellstorm Honkin on Bobo, an Agouti, and Hellstorm Wham Bam, a Topaz Berkshire.
We have previously bred a Russian Sable Burmese line, Russian Sable is not currently a recognised NFRS variety. My first litter towards the Russian Sable Burmese variety was in 2006 from Alpha Centauri Fleur, a Russian Burmese Irish and Alpha Centauri Ichabod, a Russian Blue Agouti point Siamese. I originally didn't keep any rats from this litter but 2 girls (Hypnotic poison and Gucci Envy) returned to me at about 4-5 months and I decided that it was obviously meant to be! I have now decided to pass on the Russian Burmese line to a friend, who has great plans for them, and I know will do them proud. We had one more litter in 2008 before passing the line on.
As well as the rats we breed, we also take in a lot of foster rats, rats from owners who can no longer keep them, and more recently pregnant mums, or mums with babies from large rescues. We enjoy being able to find these rats loving homes, so please do drop us an email if you are looking for rescues as from time to time we have some looking for good homes.
To see all Hakuna Matatas plans and events check out our Calendar, just Click Here.
