Wheres the hair?

[ydnic]

My bf just bought me a rat at the local petstore for christmas

A rat! Cool!

He picked it because it looks like it is hairless. I love it !

Okay heres the thing - Its not completely hairless there is some hair on it but not much and all the litter mates had plenty of hair. Do hairless rats have some hair or is this cutie just some type of mutant?

any ideas, any tips for her?

Thanx

hope I posted this in the right spot?!

[Tim_Cranwill]

If there is a pattern, you can usually see it. We have a few that you can tell would be black and white if they HAD normal hair. :)

[mykee]

Assuming the rat that you bought was at least weaned or bigger, it takes a naked MONTHS to lose all their hair, mine all have peach fuzz for the first 4 months. They also grow VERY SLOWLY. Good luck.

[Linds]

There's a few different mutations that involve varying degrees of hairlessness.

Hairless: Born with hair, which eventually ALL goes and stays gone.

Double Rex aka 'Mock Hairless': Before they are weaned they start thinning greatly in areas of their bodies, sometimes even losing patches. Eventually it grows back and becomes very short and velvety.

Patchwork Hairless: They begin losing patches of hair (sometimes areas of hair also become thin) before they are weaned. Throughout their whole lives they will be everchanging between varying degrees and patterns of hairlessness and full coat. Mine seem to change every couple weeks.

Regardless, congrats on the new pet. They are super fun to have in your life, when you have the time to appreciate them as companions. Make sure you socialize yours well. If they have a lot of human interaction, they are super pets. You may also want to consider getting your rat a friend. I find rats do not do very well on their own, and can even become ill-tempered, as they are highly social creatures.

Just like snakes, avoid any softwood bedding. Right now I'm using Yesterday's News and am quite pleased. Carefresh is also great, except sometimes they have a tendancy to kick it out. Shredded paper and aspen are also commonly used.

Special attention needs to be made to their diet. Seeing as yours is a pet, I would definitely strive to provide the most varied diet you can. My feeders generally have a more formulated diet with a few supplementary items added. My pets however, are fed a diet containing horse chunks, nuts, seeds, fresh and frozen veggies, dried/fresh/frozen fruits, pasta, breads, oatmeal/grain preparations, greens, cheese, eggs, beef, chicken (including cartilage and bones), holistic cat food, etc. While they do require an amount of animal protein in their diet, you also have to be careful not to include too much. Rats are pigs and will eat just about anything you offer :flick:

[annieb_mice]

I've got a VERY old male rat who is a "Patchwork Hairless" and is constantly in a state of losing or growing hair. He has been dubbed the "Ugliest rat in the world" but is the sweetest guy!
I have found that he needs a bit of extra "warmth" in the colder months due to his lack of hair, but other than that, he's pretty much like any other rattie.
If you have a true hairless though you might want to do a bit of research on them online. They need a bit more care than your standard rattie. They can get VERY dry skin and sometimes need to be rubbed down with some mineral oil. They also seem to need more protein and iron in their diets (to help them keep warm as they expend a lot more energy) It's also not wise to use shavings with them because it is too "scratchy" and uncomfortable for them. Yesterday news is considered a great bedding or some breeders also use rabbit or horse pellets, though this is probably a bit more messy.
In any case... I hope you enjoy your new pet!! I'm sure he will bring you lots of love!
Take care and all the best in this holiday season!
Annie B. <:3 )~~

[sapphire_moon]

aweseom and congrats, the best thing for your new baby would be to......go back and get another! (of the same sex) if it is JUST A PET. If you want more info on PET rats you can pm me!

[ydnic]

HEy thanx for all the info - I have been doing some research here and there but sometimes - but only sometimes you guys give good info too - :)

Seriously though - I bought some mixed commercial art food and have been feeding it veggies every night (i have to make salads for my iguana so it is nothing to do a drop by for shelly(awww))

Chicken bones? Really - thanx for the tips on food linds I had no idea they should have meat

As for a buddie - I will seriously considder that

Thanx again!