Rat Genetics

[Holbeird]

So I was curious, is there a good site on rat genetics?

Since I like rats and we've recently started breeding some to feed our snakes, we've also picked up some pretty ones! Yesterday we got ahold of a dumbo and a blue that was just gorgeous :-D also soon I'd like to get a hairless, as well as a siamese. I was wondering if there was a good site on rat genetics because I'm curious what I'll get when I mix this and this, and this and this, and so on Thanks

[frankykeno]

Here's a few links...

http://www.afrma.org/pdf/colorchart.pdf

http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/7.../genetics.html

http://www.afrma.org/fancyrm.htm

http://www.dapper.com.au/whatrat.htm

[Holbeird]

Wow, their genetics seem almost more dificult than snake genetics! LoL. I guess my wife and I will be doing a trial by error lol.

We got a dumbo the other day, and a BEAUTIFUL blue hehe

Since they're both recessive we wanna see if we can get a double reccessive blue dumbo hehe

I'm gonna have to find (or one day make) a visual genetics rat breeding chart like Markus Jayne :-p

[Flagg]

I've been trying to breed blue dumbos for a while now. I have a male black berkshire het for blue, dumbo and buff. The female us a buff hooded het blue and dumbo.

I've tried 2 litters so far and no blue dumbos yet, though I did get buff dumbos and blue-buff dumbos, and a couple blue top ears. I've kept them back and am going to breed the blue-buff dumbo to a blue that is hopefully het dumbo and I should finally get some blue dumbos...I hope. The blue is still het for buff so I might get unlucky again and all the dumbos will also be buff. But with that pairing I should get 1/2 dumbos (if the female blue is het for dumbo) also all blues 1/2 of which will be blue-buffs

The mistake I made was to choose a buff female as a holdback when I bred the litter of hets, Since she is homozygous for buff and all the others are het for buff, I end up with too many buffs in the litters, hence my blue-buff dumbos. Blue and Buff are both dilutes so they look almost completely white. There's a VERY faint silver hood on him.

[Holbeird]

Too bad you're not closer to charlotte, I'd take one of those blue-buff dumbos off your hand

[Flagg]

Wish I could, I'll probably have a bunch more when I try the next litter in a month or so when they get big enough.

I kind of like the platinum (blue-buff) look, but the blue dumbo is the goal right now. Once I have that, I have a hairless that I might breed into the line as well. I'm hoping he's a double rex and not a true hairless, then I can get blue rex dumbos.

[Holbeird]

what's the difference between true hairless and double rex

[Flagg]

It's a different gene entirely. There are actually 3 known hairless genes, all simple recessives, and they tend to have more health issues than normal rats.

Double rex is actually a homozygous rex and they tend to have patchy coats, or lose them entirely then grow it back. Mine though is more hairless in looks and just has a very light "peach fuzz" coat.

Rex is a dominant (or co dominant?) gene and so breeding a double rex to a normal coat will result in ALL rexes. Standard rex ( or single rex) is sort of a curly longer haired coat.