Rat ID's?

[DanaBug020]

Hey y'all! I just started getting back into rats. I bred pet rats in high school and I thought it would be nice to breed my own snake food so I know it is happy hm and healthy. Anyway I have 6 rats now, two Himalayan girls, two unknown girls (one black, one fawn) and two males (one black, one fawn). I only recently started learning about the names of the colors and patterns and was wondering what my kiddos are.

Top left is a female (Spooky Girl) is she capped? She does have a few black spots on her back and belly. Her chin and undercarriage is about 99.9% white.


Top right male (Griswold) is he considered hooded even though his color doesn't make it all the way down his back?

Bottom left male (GusGus) he's got me stumped, but he's cute! Haha! And his face coloring is a few shades lighter than the color on his back.

Bottom right female (Punkin) bareback? Hooded? She does have one small color spot on her back.


I'd also love to know what specific color my "fawn" ones are. I'm not sure of the proper term.

Thanks for your help!!


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[sorraia]

From what I can see, I'd call them fawn and black. For markings, I'd say mismarked hooded on the top row, and cap-stripe and mismarked hooded on the bottom row.

[Michelle.C]

I'm seeing Black and Beige, but could be the difference in the monitors. Top left is MM Capped (or Capped with Head spot), Right is Hooded, Bottom left is Cap/Stripe, bottom right is MM Hooded.

Be careful with the Cap/Stripe, it's is one of the only exclusive markings to SOX10 Dom (the white spotting gene that causes Megacolon).

[DanaBug020]

Thanks guys!


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[DanaBug020]

Michelle do you think I should not breed the cap/stripe? I'm keeping my males and females apart and plan to pair them only occasionally. I really don't need to breed him, I just got two males so they wouldn't be lonely


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[Michelle.C]

Michelle do you think I should not breed the cap/stripe? I'm keeping my males and females apart and plan to pair them only occasionally. I really don't need to breed him, I just got two males so they wouldn't be lonely


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In my opinion, no you shouldn't breed him. There are no MC free SOX10 Dom lines in the US. It's just a matter of time before you'd see MC. It can take one generation or ten, but it eventually happens. There are safe alternative marking lines, such as Variegated (So many white spotting genes fall under this category), Recessive Blazing, Roan, etc.

[DanaBug020]

Yes I had a MC pet baby it was horrible and traumatizing
Would you feed him off and replace him? Or just use the black one all the time? He's not particularly nice but he's nicer than the black one for sure. I'm not actually thrilled about either of my males... 😖


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[DanaBug020]

Oh and they are littermates, does that mean his brother carries the gene too?


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[Michelle.C]

Yes I had a MC pet baby it was horrible and traumatizing
Would you feed him off and replace him? Or just use the black one all the time? He's not particularly nice but he's nicer than the black one for sure. I'm not actually thrilled about either of my males... 
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I'm a pet breeder, so..I wouldn't feed him off, but I would retire him. If you aren't thrilled with your males, find new males. These guys are the building blocks of your colony. Their temperament, genetics, health, etc. will all be passed down. Search around and find rats that you want their genetics to continue through the generations.

Oh and they are littermates, does that mean his brother carries the gene too?


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Not necessarily, but very likely. One parent had to be expressing the gene, so..50% of the offspring will express. Those that don't express can possibly carry the recessive modifier that causes MC. But remember, just because it's not a dangerous looking marking, doesn't mean it's not. That's why the term "high white" is so dangerous. In a SOX10 Dom line, a seemingly Irish, Hooded, Berk can actually be SOX10 Dom. So, it doesn't take a "high white" rat to produce MC.

[DanaBug020]

Got some new critters today. I think it's an American blue dumbo Berkshire and maybe an agouti capped with a blaze? Am I close?

Thanks for the help


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