Do I need to send pedigrees home with my baby rats?

I am starting to breed rats. I did not requst a pedigree from the breeder so I did not get one and it is too late to get it. So I have 1 nursing mother and 1 almost ready to mate. Is it O.K to not give pedigrees? And all my rats are in good health and good breeding quality but is it ok to not have it? I am going to try to find homes by myself if possible if not I may sell them to our local petstore and requst them to sell them as pets only. Please help me out and what day should I start to hold and socalize the babies? And I am going to have 1 wire cage for the males, 1 for females, 1-2 for nursery and 1 for weaned and ready to go home pups, is that ok? Please help me!

No responsible breeder sells their babies to a petstore. Does the store screen people? Anyone at all can go ahead and buy them, and then who knows where they'll end up.

If you are going to breed any animal, there is no reason for you to need to sell them to anyone other than their next permanant. You can advertise through pet stores, classifieds and such to attract customers. But then you have to get them to fill out a form or even just talk to them and ask questions to ensure they know what they're doing. If you are a responsible breeder, finding homes yourself is the only way to go. A much wiser thing to do is find homes before babies are even born. This way there's no chance of you ending up with a 6 month old baby still looking. If you are having doubts about doing this, don't breed at all!

You should start holding the babies as early as the mother allows it. If you have a good mother with suitable genetics for breeding, you should expect her to be okay with you nosing around her kiddies. But if she does not like it, leave her alone, and she is incredibly stressed. Give her some days to settle down. Then you can try again when she relaxes. It helps if you're petting them by the time their eyes open. Even when they are closed, feeling lifted and touched gets them used to handling. It is best to have other people handle them as well so they don't just get used to you specifically.

The cages are fine, but I would always have 2 or 3 extra onhand just in case. Like if one animal is ill and must be kept separate. Also, ensure that the cages for unweaned babies are one-leveled to prevent falls. The bars should be spaced close together to prevent rambunctious babies from escaping.

As for pedigrees, unless the owner plans on breeding, showing or bragging to their friends, there is no need. If you would like to establish yourself as a reputable breeder, than having this sort of evidence helps in case anyone asks. Some breeders keep copies of pedegrees, others don't. It's up to you. If you see value in pedigrees, than why not? If not, than don't bother unless someone makes a request.

You should read through some more articles to get a better grasp of breeding. Confidence that you're doing the right thing will make a big difference in the end. You must also have thorough knowledge on genetics in case you do not yet know.
http://www.ratfanclub.org/repro.html
http://www.ratsauce.com/breeding/index.p...
http://www.worldofrats.com/ROUSBreedingF...
http://www.80stoysale.com/ratbreeding.ht...
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/7989/...
http://www.curiosityrats.com/genetics.ht...

Good luck, and I hope it all goes well :)

It is ok not to have a pedigree. Most people really don't care.
Try to hold the babies from the second day of their lives. You must hold the EVERY DAY for about 10 minutes at a time for them to become really good pet rats. I held mine in my shirt from the second day of thier lives until they went to their new homes. I did this for about a half an hour a day. Your cage set up seems fine. You will have fun with those little guys, I know it. I had tons of fun with all my babies. I did end up keeping a lot though because I just became so attached. It's hard not to. They all have such distinct personalities. HAVE FUN!

If you sell to breeders you need a pedigree. If you sell to people who want to show you need a pedigree. If not, then it is not that important. The cage situation sounds okay except that you will need 2 cages for weaned and ready to go home ratties, one for female, one for male.
Start holding them day one. It is important for them to know your smell and feel before they open their eyes. If you hold them from the beginning they will not be frightened of people.

I don't need it, i'm just going to feed them to my Boa.