The Blog Post I Didn't Want To Write

This is not a post I ever intended to publish.

If you’ve followed Forest City Rats for a while, you’ll know that I’ve written before about the challenges within the breeding community... about integrity, transparency, and how complicated things can become behind the scenes. I’ve talked about how small this community really is. I’ve talked about how honesty matters. I’ve talked about how digital footprints don’t disappear.

I wish those posts weren’t necessary.

But here we are.

Why I Don’t Work With Other Breeders

This is something I’ve stated before: I do not partner with other breeders.

That decision isn’t rooted in ego, competition, or secrecy. It’s rooted in experience.

Ethical breeding is not just about producing healthy animals. It’s about accountability. It’s about documentation. It’s about being transparent about who you are, what you’re doing, and what your intentions are.

I am not against selling to other breeders. What I am against is dishonesty. I don’t actually worry about “everyone suddenly becoming a breeder.” The reality is that most people don’t want the sleepless nights, vet bills, housing needs, socialization work, or the emotional weight that comes with responsibility for lives you created. It’s not a casual hobby; it’s a commitment.

If someone approaches me openly and says, “I’m a breeder, I’d like to incorporate your lines,” that’s a straightforward conversation. We can decide whether it aligns or not. Honesty is never a barrier. Deception is.

My No-Application, No-Barrier Approach

I don’t use applications. I don’t make people jump through hoops. I don’t gatekeep access to my rats. If you have an appropriate setup and you communicate clearly, the process is simple. That’s intentional.

I believe accessibility and ethical standards can coexist. I believe trust should go both ways. And I don’t believe in creating unnecessary barriers for pet homes.

Which makes what happened next all the more disheartening.

The Situation

Over the course of several weeks, I was contacted across multiple platforms: Kijiji, my website, and email, all under different names and email addresses.

The individual asked detailed questions about availability, pedigrees, record-keeping, website structure, delivery options, and breeding-related topics. An order was placed and paid for. At no point during initial outreach or the ordering process was it disclosed that this individual operates a rattery.

That connection only became clear after I pieced it together myself.

Multiple names. Multiple accounts. Multiple platforms. No disclosure.

Individually, any one of these things might not stand out. Together, they form a pattern.

When confronted, I was told nothing was being hidden; that there was no intention to deceive. But transparency isn’t something that should have to be extracted. It should be offered. The reservation was cancelled. A full refund was issued. Contact was ended. Not because I refuse to work with breeders. But because I refuse to work with dishonesty.

The Timeline of Events

1. Initial Kijiji Contact – “User A” The first message came from a Kijiji account under a generic name. They asked a simple question about which rats were female. I responded with a link to my website and did not hear back.

2. Second Kijiji Contact – “User A” About three weeks later, the same account messaged again: “How does one get approved to adopt from you guys? It's hard finding good rats these days, so I'd rather support someone who seems to really care about what they do :)” I again directed them to my website, and no further response was received.

3. Website Contact – “User B” / placeholder@email.com Around the same time, I began receiving messages via my website from someone using the initial P, under the email placeholder@email.com. They asked general questions about the rats, but also began asking detailed questions about my website structure and setup. It felt unusual, but I continued the conversation professionally.

4. Order Placement – “User C” / placeholder2@email.com This individual eventually placed an order under the name User C, using a different email address, placeholder2@email.com. I requested their full last name for transparency and confirmed which email they preferred, since multiple had been used.

5. Connecting the Dots Once I had the full name, I researched them on social media and discovered they were active in multiple rat breeding communities and own a rattery. I then realized that the original Kijiji account had also then posted about being a breeder. At this point, it became clear that multiple accounts - User A, User B, User C, and several others, all belonged to the same individual.

6. Facebook Post on Transparency I made a Facebook post about honesty and transparency in the rat breeding community. Shortly after, the original Kijiji account (User A) reached out again, expressing confusion about why anyone would hide or lie and hoping it wasn’t a “known breeder.”

7. Kijiji Conversation Continuation The conversation continued politely, and I even mentioned that if they were ever interested in purchasing rats in my area, to keep me in mind. Crucially, at this point, they had already purchased four rats under another identity. They never disclosed that connection, meaning they deliberately withheld critical information.

8. Additional Evidence Another account was discovered under a different name, selling additional rats, confirming the multiple identities.

9. Resolution Given the pattern of deception and repeated omissions, I cancelled the order, issued a full refund, and blocked them across all platforms. I made it clear that I will not be involved with their rattery in any capacity going forward.

Response After Cancellation

After I cancelled the order and issued a full refund, the individual sent multiple messages insisting that they “had not been hiding anything” and expressing confusion about why I felt otherwise. They apologized for any perceived misunderstanding and stated that they had intended to give credit for the rats regardless of a formal partnership.

While I acknowledge these messages, their overall behaviour and pattern of communication leave very little room for disagreement about the underlying issue. Multiple accounts, different names and emails, and separate social media identities, combined with detailed inquiries about my program and website while omitting that they were a breeder, clearly demonstrate a deliberate withholding of information. During our Kijiji conversation under User A, I even said:

“I don’t typically partner with other breeders but am happy to sell to them, so if you’re ever looking for new rats and come toward London, keep us in mind! I won’t have new pups until early March though.”

They responded:

“I will definitely keep track! I hope to welcome new lines soon!!”

The crucial detail is that they had already purchased four rats from me under a completely different identity. Their response shows that they knowingly withheld this information while continuing to converse as if there were no prior purchase or connection. Trust is built on transparency, and their actions, regardless of their post-hoc explanations, constituted dishonesty by omission. At that point, no further engagement was appropriate or productive, and the decision to cancel the order and block contact was necessary to maintain the standards and integrity of my rattery.

Additional Context

This isn’t just a theoretical concern - it’s become a practical one. The rattery in question has actually been around for a while, recently started back up, and now has its own Wix site with properties very similar to mine.

Their activity is the reason I had to place a VPN blocker on my website and implement content protections. While I support healthy competition and community growth, seeing someone replicate so many of the same resources and style made it necessary to protect my own work and the information I’ve spent years compiling. Especially after how they communicated with me.

Why This Matters

When someone feels the need to conceal their identity in order to purchase animals, especially in a system with no applications, no barriers, and no restrictions, it raises a larger question:

Why?

If your program stands on integrity, you don’t need to hide behind alternate names. This situation reinforced exactly why I hold the boundaries I do. It reinforced why I document everything. It reinforced why transparency is non-negotiable. The breeding community is small. Reputations matter. Integrity matters more.

Moving Forward

Forest City Rats will continue to operate the way it always has:

• No unnecessary barriers

• Clear communication

• Detailed records

• Accountability

• Zero tolerance for deception

This post is not about drama. It’s about standards. And those standards are not changing.

A Note to Rat Buyers

This situation is a reminder of why it’s so important to research where you get your rats and who you’re working with, even in a community that feels small and close-knit. Ask questions, verify identities, and look for transparency in communication. Not everyone will be forthcoming, and not everyone will have the same standards you do. Ethical breeding is about more than healthy animals; it’s about honesty, accountability, and respect for both the animals and the people in the community. Your due diligence protects your future pets, your home, and the integrity of the rat community as a whole.