Hey, That Rat has No Hair!

So last night we had Starfire over for Sushi and she wanted to see our snake collection and how we had the mouse shed set up... Before we ate I wanted to show her the mouse shed. So I opened one of the tubs where the ratties were just starting to get the hair in and she looks in and says, "Isn't that a hairless?" and she picked him and He had no hair!

Lol I'm probably the only one excited about that but I've been wanting a hairless rattie and I figured I'd be waiting till a snake show or end up getting one at the pet store. I was so shocked at seeing the first bald baby that I almost didn't notice that there was another hairless rattie and this one was hooded! Anyway I wanted to show them off a little, they are so cute!




Oh and they maybe Dumbos since Dad is a dumbo... >^-^<

aww they are cute! I used to own rats and one of them was a dumbo. Cutest things and it seems to make their personalities even cuter, but that's just my opinion.

Cool!! I am curious if you might have the same experience as a friend though, he had been breeding rats for a long time and got a few hairless too. When he used the hairless as feeders his snakes regurged.. none of us ever knew why, so he started selling the hairless ones as pets when he got them haha.

Hmm, not sure about why the snake would have regurged, I would think hairless would be easier to digest since the stomach acid doesn't have to go through hair first...

I'll probably sell hairless ratties when i get them, I find them way to adorable... I just want one male and one female to bring inside(I have pet ratties inside) and be pets forever Lol.

Gorgeous little ones! I miss having rats...

On the dumbo ears, its a recessive trait so the babies might have it if mom was a carrier. By experience from breeding rats, it looks like they have standard ears, but they would be dumbo carriers since the father is a dumbo.

From what i've read if a dumbo is bred to a standard 25% will be Dumbo... Which was true when i bred my dumbo to a standard 5 pups, 2 dumbos.... but I don't know her genetics so I don't know if it was in her genes...

Dumbo dad is in with 3 girls, 1 dumbo and two standards whose grand-mom was a dumbo. All three girls are sisters. Dad is completely unrelated.

Awww it will be interesting to see if the hooded one keeps the fur. We recently started getting hairless rats out of our breeders also. its funny because they usually start out a bit fuzzy then by the time they are up and moving around they are loosing the fuzz.

Airidies said:

From what i've read if a dumbo is bred to a standard 25% will be Dumbo... Which was true when i bred my dumbo to a standard 5 pups, 2 dumbos.... but I don't know her genetics so I don't know if it was in her genes...

Dumbo dad is in with 3 girls, 1 dumbo and two standards whose grand-mom was a dumbo. All three girls are sisters. Dad is completely unrelated.

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Dumbo is a simple recessive (so is hairless). Like anery, or caramel in our corn snakes. You probably got dumbo in that litter because the other parent was het for it (which it sounds like if their grandmom was a dumbo). It is not a co-dom trait. I have worked with many rat breeders, and have even bred rats myself for many years. It is fun working with their genetics, just like corn snakes! Very addicting!

Little update on these guys... First off, sadly the lighter of the two didn't make it. He passed with out warning while I was on vacation in NY.

However the black hooded baby is doing great. He's the sweetest thing in the world too! He pounces out of his cage (he's inside now) when we open the door and jumps into my hand. He's such a little lover boy too, he constantly kisses my fingers and if I make kissy noises he'll run up and lick my lips LOL. He's name is Mario (his brothers was Luigi). I'm hoping to get a nice cream colored Rex female for him at some point and she'll be Peach ^-^.

Anyway, he's a few pics!

He constantly chewing this bar even though he has crew blocks in with him.


He's currently alone though he does get time with other male rats we have named Cheerio and S.F. (it's George's nephews ratties they just lives with us ). When he's bigger he'll be moved in with them.

He's so adorable!! I'd love to have a pair of rats, but I couldn't stand the short life span.