Hairless babies?

[dsmalex97]

I thought they were dumbo but now there looking like there hairless. Only thing is I didn't have any hairless rats so does that mean I have two 100% het hairless?

[sassy-pants]

Do you have any rex (curly furred) rats? A double-rex (analogous to "super," rex being a "co-dom") rat is often hairless or patchy. You might have a double rex rat, those are much more common than hairless.

[dsmalex97]

i think that might be what it is. After taking a look today it doesnt look like a hairless. But in order for this guy to be produced what could have happened?

heres a pic

[sassy-pants]

i think that might be what it is. After taking a look today it doesnt look like a hairless. But in order for this guy to be produced what could have happened?

You would have had to breed two rex rats together, it's a 1 in 4 chance of hitting the double rex gene. Are his whiskers curly? If they are, then I'd put money on him being double rex, though sometimes the hairless will have curled whiskers. If he's got curly whiskers and a bit of peach fuzz (which, from the photo, it looks like he does), he's a double rex. There's nothing wrong with them (they taste the same to my snakes), they just need a little extra something to stay warm.

The double rex varies a lot too, so some may be virtually hairless, and others will be patchy and sort of scruffy looking.

[dsmalex97]

is a rex rat a visual morph? Or is that just some kind of gene they can carry? I just though I had hooded rats, albino rats, and black rats. I didnt think any were a rex...weird.

[Jt.]

Rex rats have curly hair. As they get older they can lose some of the curl and not be so obvious. Or so I've read.

[sassy-pants]

Rex rats have curly hair. As they get older they can lose some of the curl and not be so obvious. Or so I've read.

I've noticed this more in females than males, in my collection.

To answer your question, DS, rex is visual, the same way a co-dom is visual. Their fur and whiskers are curled.

[dsmalex97]

all my rats appear to be the same just different colors. I really dont understand how I got these guys...

[bokuza]

The hairless gene is RECESSIVE. The rats you bred both had copies if the gene.
I suggest you DONT breed them again or any hairless rats becuase female hairless rats have problems lactating.

[dsmalex97]

so there not double rex? there hairless?

Im sooo confused....