Rat Genetics and Breeding Questions

[PigsnPythons]

I've been breeding ASFs, but I think I want to try regular rats. Since the regular rats are a bit more complicated (rotations and such), I have some questions:

1) I understand basic genetics, but is there a site that I can go to that will break down rat genetics a little better for me...like what traits are recessive, dominant, etc. Additionally, is there a site or program or something where I can put in the phenotype of the parents and offspring and it will give me the possible genotype of the parents?

2) I'm planning to use Connie's 8 female/2 male rotation. During certain weeks, there are two or three female rats in the same male's enclosure. How do you tell the rats apart to know which week they are on? Do you just try to keep a variety of rats, like albino, hooded black, beige, etc?

3) Similarly, can you recommend two different phenotypes (for my males) that would produce different enough offspring that I should be able to make a reasonable guess about who sired them?

4) In a rat rack with medium sized concrete mixing tubs, do the just weaned rats not have a hard time reaching the water and food?

Thanks in advance!!!

[PigsnPythons]

Actually I just found this site and it was very helpful, if there are others that you recommend please post them!

FYI: http://www.boardmanweb.com/rattery/geneticbasics.htm

[SlitherinSisters]

You could get 1 hooded male and 1 caped male. The capped seems to be a very dominate trait, at least in my colony. I have a capped female that I have breed over and over again to hooded males and ALL of her babies have come out capped. You would definitely know which pop sired who if that's how the capped gene works. My hoodedxhooded pairings have always produced hooded and albino babies, nothing else.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe my hooded males carry the capped gene?

[Wh00h0069]

I remove the pregnant females from the breeding cement mixing tubs, and put them alone in a cat litter tub. Once they wean the babies, I put the female back into the breeding tubs. I do not pay attention to which rats go into which breeding tubs.

[Jay_Bunny]

As far as telling litters apart and telling individual rats apart, I try to use a variety of colors and markings to tell my rats apart. My breeders get names and are treated much like pets during their breeding career. For example, right now I only have two breeding females and one breeding male (that will change as soon as we move into a house) The females are an agouti berkshire and a black berkshire. The male is an amber self. My newest girl that will be hand-tamed and will be kept as both a breeder and a pet is a blue hooded dumbo (sweetest girl ever!).

Hooded rats are a good rat to use for identification because their markings are always different.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

In order

http://www.ratbehavior.org/

http://ratguide.com/

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

http://www.rattie-express.com/

[PigsnPythons]

Thanks all! That AFRMA site was extremely helpful because it had lots of pictures. I'm going to start looking for rats this week, so I might have identification questions later.

[sassy-pants]

Keep in mind that rat genetics aren't as clean cut as ball python genetics. Your berkshire rats could be carrying a whole slew of different coat markings. For example: I bred two black berkshires together, and out of that litter, I had 1.2 solid black females (nose to tail). I bred the male to the two females, and got two litters of mostly albinos, and one was solid blue, one was solid black. I bred the same three again, and have a litter of mostly solid blacks, one siamese point albino, and one blue.

[suzuki4life]

Keep in mind that rat genetics aren't as clean cut as ball python genetics. Your berkshire rats could be carrying a whole slew of different coat markings. For example: I bred two black berkshires together, and out of that litter, I had 1.2 solid black females (nose to tail). I bred the male to the two females, and got two litters of mostly albinos, and one was solid blue, one was solid black. I bred the same three again, and have a litter of mostly solid blacks, one siamese point albino, and one blue.

yep thanks the decades of inbreeding of recessive genes together, the idea of a truly "clean" gene pool I fear is not realistic.

[tomfromtheshade]

There's only one way to solve the clean gene pool dilemma and that is to fix it yourself. I have often thought about making that a pet project of mine.

You would have to pair up as many pairs of like animals as possible.

Example: blue x blue, black berkshire x black berkshire etc

Then you would have to keep all the babies back that look like the parents and breed them together.

I have no idea how many generations you would have to do that for in order to call it a clean gene?