Is this a rex rat?

I am genuinely interested in why this has happened and what might be going on in my colony. I asked on another forum and am getting no response. Apparently if you're not in the clique or if your thread isn't titled "OMG!!1! why won't it eat/poop/whatever!" you're passed over.. Anywho.

Had two of these pop up in a recent rat pup crop and I noticed them last night when I was pulling pups to feed. One is a male capped, and this one is the female. The hair is definitely different and the whiskers appear curled. Yet my colony has been closed for almost a year and something like this should have popped up before even if it was recessive, yet rex is dominant isn't it?

Ideas as to what they are? They're approximately 18 days old. Dad is a dumbo variegated black/white and the two moms are a black/white hooded het dumbo and a black/white variberk het dumbo. The siblings were pretty typical of what I've been getting in a litter - hooded, variberk, variegated, capped, self, etc. in both top ear and dumbo.

I don't know anything about the genetics of rats, but when I crossed some of my hairless rats to my regular domestic rats, some of the babies would end up with fur like that.
Do you happen to have any hairless rats in your colony?

I'm not on the up and up with rat genetics either. I have a good sized colony of at least 1000 breeders and I only see those in my dumbo line even if its just het to het. I imagine it's probably a genetic trait of it's own though but again when it surfaces it seems to be with animals carrying the dumbo gene as well.

No, no hairless at all. I hadn't thought of that though, maybe back along the line somewhere? I can't wait to see what they look like once they moult out into adult coats.

The only recessive curly haired gene I was able to dig anything up on was Kinky, but all my colony (40 rats I think? Getting ready to expand and add some new blood.) are at least semi-related and this is the first I've seen these come out. Since there were two babies that look like this, I have to think it's some gene buried in there somewhere. I'll make sure I breed the same male back to the same females when it's time for their next round and see if I get more of them. They're kinda cute, and a little warmer in the hand than regular pups.

Originally Posted by kcnate

I'm not on the up and up with rat genetics either. I have a good sized colony of at least 1000 breeders and I only see those in my dumbo line even if its just het to het. I imagine it's probably a genetic trait of it's own though but again when it surfaces it seems to be with animals carrying the dumbo gene as well.

Any pictures? Interesting that it may be related to dumbo somehow.

Sorry I don't have any off hand but I will try to dig some up or even take a few when I get a chance.

I have blues come out that way too but again they also have the dumbo gene. They keep the same look as they age too but I also think some of them don't thrive as well as others....but this could just be me.

I think it's it great how new things pop up unexpectedly with rats. I just recently produced a hairless one out of the blue but it didn't come from dumbo carriers and the parents have never produce a curly fur ball either. So far it's the only one I have ever produce and I have not been able to reproduce it. All my friends and family thought I was nuts because I was so excited about a hairless rat

Very cool! And now I know there's at least one other person out there in the world who gets excited when something new pops up in the colony.

I just restarted my colony. A few years ago when I had the previous one, if memory serves, they don't get an afro or end up like a ball of fur. Mine kept a little bit of a wave; I was partial to them...they still got fed out, but it was a little harder with them!
I guess I'm going to have to read up on 'dumbo' rats; I have no clue what I have...

07-07-2009 08:33 AM
Tiger Lilly I just restarted my colony. A few years ago when I had the previous one, if memory serves, they don't get an afro or end up like a ball of fur. Mine kept a little bit of a wave; I was partial to them...they still got fed out, but it was a little harder with them!
I guess I'm going to have to read up on 'dumbo' rats; I have no clue what I have...

I wasn't saying they ended up with an afro or a ball of fur. I call them fur balls as in nickname and when they get big I think they keep a sheep fur look to them. I will try and gets some pictures when i get out to the rat building today.

Originally Posted by kcnate

I wasn't saying they ended up with an afro or a ball of fur. I call them fur balls as in nickname and when they get big I think they keep a sheep fur look to them. I will try and gets some pictures when i get out to the rat building today.

None of what I wrote was directed at anything you may have written...quite honestly, I didn't read it...I was just 'recollecting'...and in a hurry at the time.