odd patterns! pics..

Actually according to the AFRMA, Albino's are actually just colored rats, however the albino gene just prevents the expression of that color, so I don't see how an Albino is truly a "high white" genetically.

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

Irregardless of whether it's high white, pattern, inbreeding, whatever...I know what my own experience has been and I'm now extremely cautious with certain pairings. Watching young rats I caused to be born, struggle for life, with horribly distended bellies, or unable to thrive because of genetic faults.....well I don't particularily care if they are "only" destined to be feeders....I simply will not allow that to occur in my rat colony.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Actually according to the AFRMA, Albino's are actually just colored rats, however the albino gene just prevents the expression of that color, so I don't see how an Albino is truly a "high white" genetically..

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Right...it is the same gene that gives a hooded the white belly or a capped the white sides/belly. So the "white" gene is "c" - in an Albino it would look like"cc", in a capped it is "Hc" where the "H" is the gene for the color on the head. So the Albino is really the highest white.

That is why self (all color) would be "HH"

Again this is simplistic (there are many more genes in some markings)

Pretty rats.

I have oodles of the rats that you call "weird." They're not breeders. Just feeders. In fact, I hardly even keep any rats out of litters, anymore. The two latest litters my girls had are being searched for the perfect breeder, but just one will be "lucky" enough to live. Everyone else will get fed off. I sound heartless, but it's more expensive to keep a bunch of "pet rats" than buy my own snake food!

I'm definitely aware of the risk of megacolon. Apparently my girls carry a "high white" gene, but they are not marked that way, nor are the males they have been bred with. It has got to be the genes in the girls, as I've tried different males with them, and have had same results.

I respect everyone's opinion about avoiding breeding high whites, but as Becky stated, some people breed exclusively for that. I don't, but it happens anyway. All I'm saying is, megacolon isn't too much of a concern to me because I'm not selling these rats to people, not keeping them to breed or keeping them as pets...just my opinion.

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for such an informative thread, and an enjoyable read as well. Special thanks to Becky, Sean and Jo for their great input.

Rakshasi, you should be concerned because if those rats DO get megacolon, then that means they are not absorbing their food properly and in turn your snakes are not getting the proper nutrition. Healthy prey makes for healthy snakes.

And Tim, I'm glad you found this very informative :)

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Rakshasi, you should be concerned because if those rats DO get megacolon, then that means they are not absorbing their food properly and in turn your snakes are not getting the proper nutrition. Healthy prey makes for healthy snakes.

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I agree Becky! And this is why it is just as important to consider what you are feeding your feeders. This is all your snakes eat (garbage in garbage out), so making sure your feeders eat a nutrious and balanced diet, are healthy and fit and well taken care of only goes to benefit your snakes in the end.

Bah.. I am going to just stick to breeding my himis, berks, and the like. I want strong, sturdy rats with prime genetics.. this megacolon expose' makes me wonder why I am breeding rats that are more susceptible to megacolon for my beloved snakes. I only breed for feedings I do have some snakes that prefer white-colored babies; the himis give me those every time. (like my BCI; seems like since he hunts by sight, whites are easier for him to see..)
Maybe it is just me, but adding in the rex blood seems to have made for better babies. My old stud threw good ones, but the rexes seem a tad stouter in build.. then again, maybe I am just a nut :)

So do all mostly-white rats have megacolon? Delphi is like I said, at least 5-6 generations away from my original pair. Come to think of it, her sister and fellow breeder, Minky, is also.. she's a berk.
So if I know the female's lineage back this far, and not having MC rear its ugly head, that is it safe to assume that they will not birth megacoloned babies? I know for a fact that dad, the rex, came from a colony of solely himis and slate rex.
I normally keep one female from every few litters to raise up as a breeder.
I have never had megacolon in the females that I have raised and bred from this line. most bred maybe 4-5 litters and were used as BCI food for my friend's large snake.
Delphi and litter: my research seems to point to her being bareback,not hooded? This is her third healthy litter.

http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s...arabackmom.jpg

Minky and her litter.. it does have a few hoodeds. Mom out of my original (2003?) stock, that I talked abot in my other post, was black hooded.
Minky is Berk.

http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s...cres/minky.jpg

Stud: Markheim slate (or blue?) rex dumbo male, Rupert. Not a great shot of him.

http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s...rupertstud.jpg

My original slate (or gray?) male bred well until pretty recently when he had started violently attacking the females that I was putting him with; he had my one girl bleeding all over the place and sadly I had to put her down :( She was Delph's sister.. he was old by then, and I ended up feeding him off.. got Rupert's dad from Markheim and Rupert was his son.. out of my himi girl. Rupert's dad I gave to a friend.

Edit: I have no idea why my pics are not working. I posted the same way that I always post pics.. crapola.

Nope, you're not a nut.. Ok.. Maybe ya are, but you're with friends :)

All of my rexes have been huge and just big-boned. They are known for having very large, robust litters, and if from good lines, don't have many health problems(one of my satin rexes did have congestive heart failure, but yeah, bad breeder).

Your first girl, obviously produces very high white babies(possums, the boy with beige spot on butt, etc). She is a bareback with a headspot, and the headspot makes her even more prone. If you want to breed her, just keep with self, irish or berk males, even hooded is fine. I wouldn't breed her offspring though.

Your other female is fine, being a berkshire. It's not considered high white.

I don't think I wll breed her babies ever. see, I have a need for a female friend that never gets bred. I like keeping my girls in pairs while they are either recuperating from a litter, or bred and building babies inside.. trouble is, they are all at different stages of pregnancy, nursing, and weaning! So one-two "dry girls" would be awesome companions to my girls..
Delph is not that old. I might breed her 1-2 more times, since she is such a great mom. In the meantime I am raising up more females out of my himis' and Minky's litters, as well as another berk I am raising up for eventual breeding.