Rat genetics?

[tweets_4611]

Ok, so Kasi and I are getting ready to start breeding our own rats. We have the males, and have to pick up the females soon. When I asked where every one got the rats to start of their colony, most people said just start from pet store rats. But I have read several things about pet store rats, and certain colorings that aren't good. (blue and high white???) Both of our males look alot like Bernard in http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=51425 We just picked them up from the pet store. One of the females we were going to get was a solid brownish, but she was gone, and most of the rats they have at Petco (the only place in town we can get them) look like that....blue hooded and high white (I think that's what they would be called) Should we keep waiting and try and find solid females (they do occasionally get some) or just try to breed out the high white with the males that we have and what ever females we can find??

[SatanicIntention]

Don't breed the males.

How many snakes do you have?

I would try and find someone near you that already has a colony of rats going, so you can pick your own and raise them to the proper age. Getting rats from Pet Stores, you really don't know how old they are, what they have been fed, if they have internal/external parasites, and what genetics they are carrying.

No blues, unless they are from a proven line of blues(which I doubt anyone who breeds for snake food has), no high whites. High whites include anything that isn't Self, Hooded, Berkshire, Irish, English-Irish, VariegatedVariberk is ok if there are no headspot markings or otherwise.

Also, stick with the normal colors; Agouti, Pink-Eyed White, Black, Fawn, Beige, etc. Pink eyed whites(PEW) are very good parents generally and produce high numbers.

[MarkS]

Whats wrong with blue rats? I seem to produce a lot of them, but it's not really intentional. I do raise up a few for breeders. Whats supposed to happen to them?

Mark

[SatanicIntention]

Blues just seem to have very poor immune systems as well as being poor breeders/producers. This is just "in general" and you may have some that do better than the majority. They are a recessive gene so it takes some inbreeding to get them, which is why the blue rats you see in pet stores have such poor health. It's just not something I recommend doing unless the rats are extremely high quality from a professional breeder and have come from a proven line of healthy rats.

I only have three "blues", one of which is an american blue dwarf dumbo. I'll never breed her as she's about the size of a large mouse. My other Blues aren't even american blue. One is a Blue Agouti(which is a dominant color) and the other is a Double Blue or Silver Blue(undercoat is silver, topcoat is blue, she's pedigreed but is from a questionable breeder). I've only ever bred the Blue Agouti, as he is also pedigreed and his line comes from OFR(Odd Fellows Rattery).

[littleindiangirl]

Here is what I currently have:
Chocolate color, Irish marking: female 4-5 mo
[Lilac?] Grey, Berkshire marking: female 4-5 mo
Black hooded: female 5-6 mo Pregnant
Beige hooded: female 5-6 mo Pregnant
Beige Bareback: Male 5-6 mo
[lilac] Grey Bareback Dumbo: female 4-5 mo
[lilac] Grey bareback Dumbo with few spots down spine: female 4-5 mo
Siamese: Male 5-6 mo, chubby

I’m at work so I cant get pictures right now, just trying to get a heads up if there is something I’m missing and I shouldn’t think about breeding a certain one.

[MarkS]

I only have three "blues", one of which is an american blue dwarf dumbo. I'll never breed her as she's about the size of a large mouse. My other Blues aren't even american blue. One is a Blue Agouti(which is a dominant color) and the other is a Double Blue or Silver Blue(undercoat is silver, topcoat is blue, she's pedigreed but is from a questionable breeder). I've only ever bred the Blue Agouti, as he is also pedigreed and his line comes from OFR(Odd Fellows Rattery).

Wow, I didn't even know that rats had pedigrees much less that they came in different kinds of blues. Is there a picture site that would show me which kind of blues I have? (maybe mine aren't even 'blue'?)

Mark

[littleindiangirl]

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

[SatanicIntention]

Yes, there are ALOT of different kinds of Blues. American, Russian, Platinum(mink based or blue based), Sky, Powder, Blue Agouti(which really isn't a blue), Blue Beige, and probably a few more I've forgotten.