Looking for pedigreed dalmatian breeders that ship

[Jens]

Hi guys! I live out in Idaho, and I've been hunting for dals to start my breeding program since January. We have only a few breeders out this way working with dals. Does anyone know of any breeders that are willing to ship? I figure with fall getting ready to start, and the weather getting ready to cool off, I'd start looking at options for having bubs shipped in. Thanks!

[artgecko]

I don't know of anyone (maybe check local facebook groups in your area?). But I believe here, rodents can only be shipped via airplane, so just be aware of the cost. If you are not in the US, I am not sure what your shipping regulations are... Many times people will sell feeder rodents at snake shows, but these would not be pedigreed.. You may be able to get in touch with someone that has what you want and is attending a show near you and can bring the rats with them.

Sorry I can't be of more help! There's only 1 pedigreed rat breeder in my area and they are 3 hours away and require a non-breeding contract to "adopt" from them.. I don't think breeding rats is as popular here as in other places.

[Rhasputin]

Rats can only be shipped on an airplane, not through any post service. So you're looking at well over $100 to ship a small crate of them, and more for larger crates. What gene are you looking for exactly? I think Dalmation is just a modified version of the hooded gene. And you shouldn't need to ship hooded rats, they're the most common type out there as far as I know.

[Jens]

I'm awakened the costs involved, as well as the method, which is why I didn't ask about them. Thanks though!

From what I understand it is a modification of the hooded gene, however, as per standards dalmatian rats are not to be hooded. I'm not knowledgeable enough on genetics to figure out how to get hooded rats to express dalmatian in litters, nor do I have the space to take on such an undertaking, so hence just looking for the variety itself.

[Rhasputin]

I would look for breeders with Hooded, and pick out the ones with the most broken hoods.
You can also look fro black eyed white breeders, because a lot of them are actually hooded rats bred to have no markings, so they should have some throw-a-ways that are right up your alley. It's basically just an under-marked hooded. So to produce them, you would just find some broken hooded rats and breed the ones you like together.


If you're looking for show standard though, I can understand your finickiness.

[bunnykit]

I have just gotten my first two dalmatian marked rats from my own breeding, a black and white het. dove/het mink male from one litter and one black/white poss.het mink female from another litter. I'm saving them to breed together later.

I got them from breeding capped rats together with variegated. Capped in my case is one or two copies of a high white gene + possibly hooded + variegated.

I crossed these capped rats with a male high white sided, freckled/snowflake pattern variegated, if I remember the pairing correctly. That or the male was a mink capped male. In either case I now have dalmatian rats, which I believe to be a combo of the high white gene (simple gene of this causes a white line from belly up under bottom jaw in hooded and variegated) x 2, variegated gene x2.

Just tonight I mated some of the females with my very nice black/white variegated het mink, het dove male again, so I will have some more babies coming along in a few weeks The females are variegated mink, variegated black/white, and dove capped.

Sadly I can not help you with your rats though, since I'm over in sweden :/ But the genetics are cool! Took me one year worth of breeding before I had dalmatian, so if that's what you want then you might have done the right thing to simply buy some. If you don't know the ingredients then I think it's a hard coloration to stumble across in your breeding! It was a lot of selective breeding that got them out, I tell you that.

[Lore]

Most breeders of pedigreed rats will not adopt out to people without a non-breeding contact (that in many places has to be notarized) or will only adopt out breeding rats to:
A) People of good standing in the rat community (whether adopting, breeding, showing or general contributions)
B) People they have mentored or their mentor knows.
C) Other show breeders with experience and connections to good breeders that can give legitimate references.

I am an aspiring show breeder, working under my mentor, and I am only able to get rats from her line for breeding purposes because she is my mentor and I do not cull out of that line. These rats are black self. You usually have to "graduate" to different varieties to gain trust. My mentor knows I also breed feeders but I am not allowed, nor do I want to, mix the lines.

If you cull at all or are purchasing these rats to add to feeder lines, I would recommend you go see a feeder breeder. Generally speaking, show breeders will not adopt out to feeder breeders. (Ruins their lines and/or credibility in the community 99% of the time.)

[sorraia]

Do you have variegated in your area? Dalmatian doesn't come specifically from a modified hooded gene, but rather from the variegated gene. These genes are all on the same locus, but different. If you have variegated, you can get dalmatian, it will just take some selection over a few generations. You don't even need a good variegated you can start with a "variegated" with lots of color (sometimes called "varie-berk" or mismarked "berkshire"), and just select for more white over the generations. A high color variegated bred to a berkshire (especially one with more white) or a hooded can work to get you more white in subsequent generations. You might also end up with capped out of variegated, or you can breed variegated to capped to get your dalmatians.

I'll have to get some pictures, but I've got lots of white on my rats now (variety of markings, ranging from hooded to variegated to capped and some resembling dalmatian, though not good ones because I haven't selected specifically for that pattern). I started with a couple hooded, high color variegated, and berkshire.