Journal of the National Pouched Rat Society

NPRS LAUNCHES Un Our Society begins. Pouched Whats our plans Where are we going? Issue 1 / May 2017

WE HAVE LIFT OFF !

LAUNCH Find out more about what we plan to do at the NPRS

STORIES Members stories and exciting articles about pouchies.

APOPO CORNER The Latest news from APOPO and their famous HeroRATS STORIES

NPRS LAUNCH By Clare Varley

A massively warm welcome to everyone who wants to get on board with an exciting new venture.

We are here launching something special, something just for pouchie own- ers and fans.

As many of you may already know, many species of animals kept as pets have societies and as yet, the pouched rats have not been represented. A number of us have expressed interest in creating such a society and this is the fruits of that interest.

When we decided to welcome Arthur into our home. As first time owners we could access online information but apart from his littermates’ owners, didn’t have anyone else with a bank of experience to call on. Our years of experience with fancy rats were dead in the water; Arthur was certainly an unexpected pleasure!

Coral Smith and I found each other and she really was the catalyst in making contacts and believing that like the NFRS (National Fancy Rat Society), we could launch a Pouched Rat Society and enjoy the same benefits that other animal fanciers have in the UK. As reputable owners, breeders and keepers, we can now, just as pouchies begin to become a known exotic in the UK, put rules in place to pressure “THERE’S SO MUCH these breeders, to educate potential owners and ensure that these people TO SHARE, LEARN will never profit from a species we all hold dear. We also know that pouchies who are not raised and kept by experienced AND PROTECT owners can end up damaged by that experience and we want to be the people to help make sure this doesn’t happen. To us, this is vital. Pouchies are not an estab- lished species kept as pets. There’s so much We plan to outline annually our guidelines and ethics around how we would to share, learn and protect. This can’t be recommend pouchies are bred and kept. We want these to be taylored done without standing together and sharing directly to the voice of our membership. what we learn. Using this influence we hope to ensure that any new owners searching for There is sadly a darker reason why some- information about a pouchie finds us, they see our guidelines, our ethical thing like the NPRS should and needs to ex- standards and know that by being part of out community, by homing through ist. As we have seen with many other exotic breeders that are members means something. That there is support for you. species currently kept as pets in the UK and else where, animals which are rare, lesser We want to help educate breeders who fall below the standards we set out, known and exotic can easily be exploited to help them understand why we have these standards and what breaking for profit by less reputable breeders and them can mean for long term outlook of the specieis. individuals.

2 NPRS STORIES

So what will being a member actu- People give us the power to make The future is exciting and we hope ally mean for your typical pouchie real change, we do still have admin you join us in our venture, for the owner? costs to cover however and for this cost of a decent bottle of wine we reason the NPRS is not a free mem- want rally the troops and bring Well, we have started by putting bership society. We also believe together pouchie owners across the in place the starting points but we that by offering free membership UK and the world to a joint cause. want our members to tell us what to everyone, it dilutes down what they want. we do. We can protect the socieis for expoi- tation and bad breeder practices. Here is just a few examples of the We have several levels of member- things we have in place for mem- ship to suit different people. bers Individual Membership £10 / Year Directory of our members on our website with membership Suited to anyone keeping a pouchie numbers as a pet. To be an individual mem- ber you must own or have owned Directory, or register of all pouchies. pouchies with the ability to store health issues and family history. Affiliate Membership £5 / Year

This journal, released every 2 For anyone who maybe is thinking months of getting a pouchie and just wants more knowledge and support At least one (but hopefully more) To be an affiliate you must not cur- events for members to attend and rently keep pouchies. discuss the society. International Membership £5 / A fully democratic governance Year structure For pouchie owners abroad this A vetted advertising platform for membership type is for you, cheap- NPRS approved breeders to ad- er than individual membership as vertise their litters and for mem- you may not be able to attend any ber to help rehome pouchies. events.

Thats just the start for us, just a few Breeder Membership £15 / Year weeks of preparation. For pouchie breeders, to become With more members, we can do a breeder member you must be more. approved by the committee and this will normally involve us either So assuming you are not a member, visiting or calling you. and are reading this first edition of the journal as a free preview. How The benefits however are being does one become a member? and a recognised NPRS breeder and what does it cost? us helping you find your pouchie . babies homes with respectable owners.

(Prices all correct as of May 2017)

NPRS 3 STORIES OUR POUCHIES By UK Pouchies (courtesy of Lesley Reed)

If you keep one of these animals the chances are that you may get bitten, they could destroy your furniture if let loose without being monitored and could keep you up at night if kept in your bedroom. They will also delight and amaze you and on balance they are worth it. If carefully socialized at an early age these animals can make wonderful, if challenging, pets

To become properly socialized daily handling needs to start from birth. This is why it’s so important to support ethical breeders and choose wisely where you buy your Pouchie. Young rats should be regularly introduced to new people and new experiences until they have overcome their natural fears.

T he Gambian Pouched Rat (also called Giant Once a bond between rat and owner has been established it Pouched Rat or African Pouched Rat) comes from needs to be reinforced every day with extended periods of con- tropical Africa and is a naturally shy and docile animal. tact and play. Rats which have not become socialized or have Adults can grow up to three feet long (including tail) been neglected rapidly become fearful of human contact and and can weigh up to 2 kg. They have cheek pouches, can often become defensive and aggressive as with any animal. like hamsters, which they use to carry food and other Being large rodents they are able to inflict very serious bites and objects. a giant rat which can’t be handled is the last thing any owner needs! Even a fully socialized rat can require careful handling There are two species of Giant Pouched Rat, Criceto- and management. mys gambianus and Cricetomys emini, which are very similar to each other. The natural habitat of C gambia- They are very intelligent, willful and determined and are not nus is the wooded grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa easily distracted once they have decided to do something. One whereas C emini inhabits the dense forests of Central day they might fall asleep in your lap and the next they’ll rip up Africa and the Ivory Coast. To our knowledge no Emin’s your carpet and gnaw a hole through your floorboards if you are Pouched Rats live in the UK. not watching them properly.

Unusually Pouched Rats are best approached from behind. “They are very intelligent They like to have their rump scratched and stroked. They can be picked up by first stroking the rump and then getting a firm grip on the base of the tail with one hand. The other hand can then and wilfully determined. “ be slid underneath until all four feet are on the hand. The Rat can then be lifted up and laid along the owner’s forearm. The rat will usually rest quite happily for a couple of minutes before C emini tend to be slimmer, sleeker and longer legged it starts to struggle and wants to be let down. than C gambianus which by contrast are slightly stockier. The easiest way to tell them apart is by their A healthy Pouched Rat runs with its tail held high. The tail is markings. Both have a grey to rusty-brown back and a held almost vertically so the white tip waves about like a flag. In paler belly, the change from dark to pale is quite sharp an ill animal the tail is carried horizontally barely off the floor. in C emini and much more gradual in C gambianus. Pouched Rats can be potty trained - in fact they are naturally potty trained. If they are provided with a suitably sized dish Colour variations are beginning to be seen in captive partly filled with water they will use it as a toilet, plastic corner bred populations. These variations include very subtle toilets work well also but may need regular replacement as they stripes and patches across the shoulders and haunch- can get chewed. This makes keeping their cages clean very easy es, small white markings on the head such as a dot and if a potty is providing during their playtime while they are between the eyes or a blaze and totally black variations out they will use it there too. have also occurred. Their most distinctive marking, which is common to both species, is their bi-coloured Even well socialized Pouched Rats may need to be handled with tail. About two thirds of the tail is dark while the final care. The owner should always remember that they are dealing third is very pale or white. with a wild animal. If a Pouched Rat is startled or feels threat- ened it may bite in self-defence as with most animals. Pouched Giant Pouched Rats are not generally classed as do- Rats have a very powerful bite, which can inflict serious wounds mesticated animals. They require lots of love, attention, on people and can kill other small animals. Pouched Rats who exercise, space, time and money if they are going to be are completely relaxed and friendly towards their owners can kept as a successful pet. act aggressively towards people they don’t know.

4 NPRS STORIES

FULL OF FEATURES BABY NEWS By Clare Varley By Louis Varley On April 2 nd Louis and Clare went on their first long haul holiday. Arthur became an east end sex So when we began talks on starting our society, I began creat- ing a website for us to call home. I had no brief, no plan i just tourist in Dagenham. While we were away he stayed with Auntie headed straight in trying to make best judgement at what a Coral and had a very special budding society would need. encounter with UK Pouchies Miss Tora Bell. Tora is 5 years old So our new site NPRS.org.uk was born in just over a week of and nearing the end of her baby giving up my evenings. I had put a fair amount of thought behind what we would need, at least to get started. making years, never showing any interest in another male. She has the sweetest temperament Here is a run down of the features I’ve built for us on the site. and excellent health – it would be such a shame to let that go. So, Members Directory with both breeder’s

Our members directory lists all of our members along with permission Sylar Arthur got to work on her with his Belgian their own personal profile page. I plan to do more with this charm. in the future, for example i want to add a widget to list each members pouchies, for breeders, to have a more extensive The gestation period of the African Giant Pouched rat is approxi- profile with their details and for the option of uploading an mately 30 to 32 days. Litters avatar. may number from one to six, but the average litter is three or four. Pouchy Directory The young are born blind and

The Pouchy directory shows member added pouchies and naked as are our domestic rats, and like fancies, grow at a rapid i hope becomes a register of all pouchies owned not just by rate and can be homed at 6 our members but any relevent to their linage. weeks minimum. We got Arthur at 6 weeks and he was still such Not just to be a cute fix of pouchy pictures, the data we can a baby. collect from the register will hopefully prove very useful in the long term. We not only keep track of linage but also medical It’s now day 30, Tora is looking pleasantly plump. All we can do is issues. I can use this data to look at trends and hopefully get a wait. And wait. And wait. better idea of pet pouchies. In Other News…. Shop Tora’s Geordie cousins seem to have been busy too! In the North Clare is going to be looking at pouchy themed merchandise East of England a whopping 5 in the very near future and to be prepared for that, we have a shop.

Discounts & offers

i’ve not enabled this yet but i have been working on a lovely page for discounts and offers for members. We are in the process of talking with a few third parties to secure some juicy discounts for our members. So tis is very much a coming soon feature! MEET THE COMMITTEE

The 2017 NPRS Committee are brand new fresh and un-elected, but dont let that put you off.

Put faces to names and find out a little about them and why they wanted to become part of the NPRS Lesley Reed committee President of the NPRS

The NPRS committee will is an Full-time mum, taxi driver, cleaner, cook, dog trainer and portrait artist annually elected group in charge From Somerset (Now lives in California US) of the running of our society. The Committee will be in charge of Has kept Pouchies for 8 years, sadly not in the US. many of the general admin related tasks and keeping the society run- “The National Pouched Rat Society is just what the pouched ning. rat community needs to bring them altogether.”

There will be an annual election where by the membership will vote for those who have been put forward for each position.

Our Annual AGM will be the time when votes as cast and where the past and present committee mem- bers will discuss the future of the society and the year ahead.

The meeting itself is a closed meeting but the AGM is open to all members.

Our first AGM will not be for some time but we will be sure to invite all members when we set some dates.

For now, get to know our committe members. Coral Ann Smith Clare Varley Treasurer Comms & Membership Members can contact any commit- tee members via our main email Carer from Dagenham, East London Teacher from Langdon Hills, Essex address Coral will be running the books for I want to contribute to a place where [email protected] the NPRS keeping tracks of money in we can meet and share our love of the and money out, making sure every pouched rat both in virtual reality and penny we spend is there to benefit our in person. A safe place where we can members. support, encourage and respect one another and promote ethical care 6 NPRS Lesley Reed President of the NPRS

Louis Varley Sharon Jaycock Governance & Operations Policy & Ethics

IT Manager from Langdon Hills, Essex Bus Driver from North Shields, Newcastle

“I hope the hard work we have put into our Sharon will be developing our policy website brings a sense of community to and ethical guidelines, talking to the society and gives us a face so we can members about how they feel should achieve some great things over the com- be helping breeders and members ming year keep happy pouchies.

Volunteers

We will be soon looking for anyone who can voulunteer time to the society.

If you can give your time to help with any events we may run, for writing articles for this journal, for our website, care guides, news etc.

Even if you are happy just to help spread the word about what we do to any pouchie friends you might have or anyone with an interest in animals or rats we would love to have your help.

If you have specific ideas for what we could be doing, feel free to drop us an email at [email protected]. NPRS 7 MEMBERS STORIES COSTA RICA, GREENEST PLACE ON EARTH? YOU KNOW YOU ARE OWNED By Louis Varley BY A POUCHIE WHEN . . . Clare Varley and I recently returned from a week’s holiday in Costa Rica, I’d love to share on the amazing things this country has shown us and how behind we are in the UK. You use your pouchies nightly free range as an excuse to leave the party early We stayed just outside Liberia on the west coast of Costa Rica on Louis Varley the Pacific Ocean. The west coast has a drier climate than the east and being April and during their dry season most of their thick You fill your shopping bag with fruit and veg jungle was brown and wilting without the rains of the wet season. Sharon Jaycock Costa Ricans have a saying. “Pura Vida” which in English means You buy monkey nuts just to see how many your “Pure Life”, although this doesn’t represent what it means. Costa pouchie can fit in his pouches Ricans have a very protective and happy outlook on nature and Terri Knight their wildlife. They value the animals and their rain forests and this become apparent by how much the locals know about When theres poo in your toliet and its not human the animals that they share their country with and their green Clare Varley credentials.

When your retail therapy habits change from shoes ( We were amazed by the fact that every shop, restaurant, cafe to all sorts of goodies. etc. had recycling bins, water saving taps and toilets, no smoking Tracie King signs everywhere.

When I was getting my little Peter Pouchie I was like an We were told some amazing facts about Costa Rica, such as they expectant mother preparing the nursery. disbanded their army in 1949 and instead used to money to fund I even planned what he was having for dinner on his free education, they have planted back more rain forest than any first night other central American country. They generate huge amounts Coral Ann Smith of huge electric power and plan to be the first carbon neutral country by 2020. When your pouchie boy really doesn’t want to get the cage cleaned, and he tries to protect all his belongings We saw some amazing animals in Costa Rica, including parrots, Bonnie Mørk Aabye iguanas, crocodiles, macaws and more.

When you are woken up in the middle of the night by We were touched by this amazing country and how they are pouchie that has broken out of their cage. doing things right, protecting their animals, their rain forrests and Lesley Reed the enviroment as a whole.

When your book collection becomes bedding thanks to Channel 4 are airing a program about just this called “Escape to escaped pouchie Costa Rica” Sundays at 7pm. Would well recommend a watch, Lesley Reed even if just to see some baby sloths.

When you get up earlier just to have some extra time with your pouchie Ola Wyszyńska

When you can’t eat you dinner without joey squeaking his head off asking to eat it Toni Isden

HAVE A STORY FOR US? Great a story? have soemthing you feel strongly about? fire us off an email to

[email protected] and we can publish your stories in the next issue of unPouched APOPO CORNER

www.apopo.org

Who Are APOPO HERO FOR COLOMBIA FAREWELL HERO APOPO to start operations in Colomba APOPO is a social enterprise that HeroRAT Nisay Passes away researches, develops and imple- By Louis Varley ments detection rats technology for Sad news from APOPO that Nisay, humanitarian purposes such as Mine a well loved female HeroRAT and APOPO up to now have been known Action and Tuberculosis detection. one of the first to leave africa passed for their operations in Africa in their away due to illness in April. battle against landlines. Colombia’s landmine problem is one It was noticed that Nisay was show- Sadly its not just Africa which suffers of improvised mines, that is mines ing signs of illness during her usual with problems thank to Landmines built not by large military manufac- health checks and following special- and to address the problems outside turers but that layed by some of the ist veterinarian treatment Nisay could of their usual haunts APOPO have many non-state armed groups during not be saved. applied for an NGO in Colombia and the various conflicts in the region asked to Colombian government to over the past 5 decades. The Cambodia team at APOPO had a consider allowing APOPO’s HeroRATs private ceremony for Nisay. to help in the fight against the coun- Government statistics state there tries problem with Landmines. has been a total of 11,460 landmine Paul McCarthy, APOPO’s Cambodia casulties of which 2,226 resulting in Manager said death. This a large number when you consider Afghanistan who has seen We are all desperately sorry to lose much more recent conflict is the only Nisay who was not just an excellent other country with a highier rate of mine detection rat, but a valued casulties. colleague and a real character who will be missed.” The Capana Colombina Contra Minas or CCCM currently operate in the Our thoughts are with the team who country and APOPO will begin sup- looked after Nisay porting them to provide additional training to their current workforce of deminers.

This is exciting prospect as it just goes to show how important APO- PO’s services are in the world and that many more regions other than Africa can benefit from the important work they and their HeroRats do.

“APOPO is very excited and looking forward to our HeroRats coming to Colombia to assist in the efforts to rid the country of its landmine leg- HeroRAT Nisay Passes away acy and allow mine affected com- credit to APOPO munities to once again live without Streets of Bogota fear of these deadly weapons.” credit to Szeke Tekimiti Gilbert, APOPO Program Manager MA Colombia Un Pouched

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