Double Rex?

[Inknsteel]

I just wanted to share some pics of two rats I produced a few weeks ago. Just a bit of a backstory... When I was setting up my breeding groups, I used a couple females that were bought from a local pet store as feeders that were refused that week. These females didn't look like anything special to me, just hooded top eared rats. I believe the male I had with them at the time was just a normal brown norway, but I don't remember exactly. Anyway, from that breeding, I got two males that didn't seem to grow hair. Fast forward a couple months and I put one of the hairless sons back in with the moms, but after a few days they seemed to be attacking him and fighting constantly, so I pulled him out and set him up with another group. The moms both ended up pregnant again, and when they dropped their litters, there were 4 total that looked "hairless". I fed two of them off and kept two back, but unfortunately the brown hooded mom died a few weeks ago. So, I'm trying to figure out what genetics I have at play here so I can hopefully put together another group that will consistently produce these.

I think these guys are double-rex, but I don't know with the mom looking like a standard coat hooded. Maybe she had the gene in there but not showing?

These rats are almost hairless, with just a very tiny bit of short, thin, soft fur around the feet and faces. This one is pretty standard looking. (I think they're both female, but I'm horrible at sexing rats until I see giant danglers behind the boys)





This one is interesting to me. Same pattern of hair, but this one has black eyes and a grey hooded pattern on the skin...







Can anyone tell me what I've got here?

Also, here's another one I could use ID help on. The "hairless" was one of the original hairless babies I produced. The female is what I thought to be rex that was in the feeder bin of the local pet store a couple months ago, so I bought her and bred her with the "hairless". All the babies she produced in her last litter seemed to have her same coat at first, but it seems like it's more standard in the couple I have left in their grow-out tub. No pics of them at the moment though. We'll see what kind of fur these new babies have (litter of 17 dropped on Sunday).

[sorraia]

Those look like true hairless to me. How old are they? True hairless will sometimes have "peach fuzz” as babies, but will lose it as they mature. A few “poor quality” hairless will retain some peach fuzz. There’s a wide variety of “quality” in rex and double rex. Some rex can appear almost standard, but most will have some slight amount of wave in their fur or curl to their whiskers (even if just at the tips). Double rex typtically will have a little bit more hair than what I’m seeing in those pictures, though some can be almost completely hairless. The haired rat in the last picture is indeed a rex, and the product of her litter would indicate she is a true rex and her mate was a true hairless (rex x hairless should produce rex and standard, unless the rex carries hairless in which case some babies may also be hairless). It is not unusual for “poor quality” rex to lose any curl or wave with age, and end up appearing standard. Even some “good quality” rex will lose their curl and just end up wavy.

[Inknsteel]

These two are probably 2 months old now. I don't have the exact date, but it was somewhere around 8 weeks ago I believe.

So, if I'm hearing correctly, I should take a couple female offspring of the hairless x rex breeding and raise them up, then breed to a hairless to make more?

[sorraia]

These two are probably 2 months old now. I don't have the exact date, but it was somewhere around 8 weeks ago I believe.

So, if I'm hearing correctly, I should take a couple female offspring of the hairless x rex breeding and raise them up, then breed to a hairless to make more?

If I am remembering correctly from what I've been told (I have never personally worked with hairless, just not my cup of tea), at about 8 weeks they should be losing that peach fuzz. So they might start looking more naked soon!

Yes, if you want more hairless, take those offspring from the hairless/rex cross, breed to hairless. Each baby from that cross would have a 50% chance of being hairless.

[Sama]

I believe true hairless is a recessive trait, which sounds like what you are dealing with. Double rex is a co-dominate (super form or rex) look like rex babies until they are 4-6 weeks, then they start to lose their fur and can be completely hairless or still have a few patches of scraggly hair. I will go take a picture of my 2 patchworks babies.

[wolfy-hound]

Those look like hairless to me. I ended up with "surprise" hairless babies out of normal parents too. Now I have several hairless and I'm keeping track.

Furred hairless carrier moms are better than trying to breed hairless females. Use a hairless male. Hairless being recessive, so treat it that way.

Rex usually produces rex. Double rex is like a "lousy" hairless. The "hairless" double rex can regrow patchy hair off and on. I keep my hairless seperate from my rex lines so I always know if I have hairless or just a double rex.

[craigj1187]

those are "I AM LEGEND" rats you have there. glad i could help

[Coleslaw007]

those are "I AM LEGEND" rats you have there. glad i could help

I love you, whoever you are.