Rat having nursing difficulties

[Redneck_Crow]

A double rex (bald) female of mine gave birth overnight and hasn't been able to nurse her litter. I've seen what looks like a couple of very mimimal milk bands, milk "spots" really, and that is about it.

It hasn't really been a problem because my rats can't count and all but a couple of the babies have been fostered off onto other females and they have milk bands now. I'm going to leave Sis a couple and see if she can manage to nurse those, and swap them out here and there so she always has something to mother. Her cage mate is getting ready to drop in the next few days. She's a good rat for taking care of pups so she earns her keep even if she can't nurse her own.

I've heard something or the other about double rex rats having problems producing milk. Is it common?

[snakesRkewl]

I have bred a few double rex females without issues, but have heard some can't produce enough milk.
Usually it's recessive trait hairless that people describe not being able to lactate.

[Redneck_Crow]

I know this is a double rex because I bred her. But she's one of the baldest double rex rats I've ever seen--she has a few wispy whiskers and that is about it.

Anyway, she had a nice healthy first litter and they've been adopted by a couple of other rats. That's one thing I like about rats, they're almost all good mothers, even if it's not their own pups.

[snakesRkewl]

Pics of the momma?
sounds like a true hairless

[Redneck_Crow]

I'll get you a current one when she's settled down--she's still hunting for babies. This is a pic of her and 2 of her siblings at weaning--she's the one with her nose in the air.

[Michelle.C]

One thing that seems to be forgotten sometimes is that true Hairless can be produced from Rex x Rex as it's a recessive gene. Meaning the parents can be co-dominant Rex and both carry recessive hairless. My true Hairless are often Satin and or Rex.

I'd like to see an adult picture of the doe. Generally, true hairless do not have whiskers around their eyes and the whiskers on their nose are short and sparse.

[Redneck_Crow]

Here's pics of Sis taken just minutes ago. You can't really see them but she does have some whiskers. They're so short and thin they're easy to miss.

Her litter is doing just fine with their foster mom.

[MrLang]

Hairless rats... definitely something I will never understand.

[Redneck_Crow]

They're kinda cute in a gross sort of way. I didn't set out to breed them, it just happened. But they grow on you.

[Michelle.C]

You have yourself some recessive Hairless rats.

Actually, I disliked Hairless and Double Rex (I still dislike double rex) until I produced one myself. They are oddly...cute.