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Rats are intelligent, highly social animals and make incredibly rewarding pets to look after. They can form close bonds with their human carers – as well as cage-mates and should therefore never be kept on their own – but have complex needs and are difficult to look after well.
- Behaviour
Pets; Rodents; Rats; Behaviour; Rats. Rat behaviour. Here's...
- Diet
Pets; Rodents; Rats; Diet; Rats. What to feed rats. Here are...
- Health and Welfare
Call your vet if your rat:. Develops repetitive behaviour -...
- Keeping Rats Together
Pets; Rodents; Rats; Keeping rats together; Rats. Keeping...
- Environment
Pets; Rodents; Rats; Rehome a horse; Rats. Creating a good...
- Behaviour
Sep 10, 2024 · Rats from pet shops are usually bred in huge rodent farms (who breed rodents for snake food), and they are likely to be more anxious and slower to tame. This is something to consider, particularly if there will be children involved in the care of your rats.
- Variety Versus Breed
- Different Types of Pet Rat Breeds
- Standard
- Rex
- Hairless
- Tailless
- Satin
- Dumbo
- Bristle
- Different Types of Rat Fur Coloration
Before I jump into telling you all about the different rat varieties and how to pick the best one for you, I want to tell you a bit about how rats are classified. You see, like dogs, rats come in a variety of fur types and colors, but they all belong to the same species, Rattus norvegicus. However, unlike dogs, rats aren’t classified by breeds, the...
The American Fancy Rat and Mouse Associationofficially recognizes 7 different varieties of rats, each one with a different fur texture or tail.
What Makes...
These are your, well, standard, rats. When you think of a domesticated rat, this is probably the one you think of first. They’re known for their short, smooth fur and straight whiskers. Despite this, there are differences between male and female rats; male rats have longer, coarser fur while females have softer, finer fur.
Possible Colorations
These rats are found in only a few colorations – which will be discussed more below.
Special Considerations
Standard rats don’t have any special needs or considerations.
What Makes Them Unique
If I were to describe rex variety rats in one word, it would be this one: ‘perm’. These rats are nothing but giant balls of curly fur. These are probably my favorite variety just because they’re so cute. Their fur is extremely curly throughout their body – though the belly more closely resembled that of a standard rat. Even their whiskers are curly! Male rats tend to have better, healthier fur than the females, though. In either gender though, the density and tightness of the curl varies. One...
Possible Colorations
Like standard rats, rex rats must conform to a few certain colorations and patterns to be true rex rats.
Special Considerations
Rex rats are another fortunate variety as, like the standard rat, they don’t have any significant health issues.
What Makes Them Unique
What makes these rats unique isn’t their hair texture but rather their lack of! Just like the name says, hairless rats are completely, well, hairless! You can just go ahead and consider them the rodent version of a sphynx cat.
Possible Colorations
You may think that hairless rats would have any coloration, but they do! That’s one thing that I think makes them extremely interesting. Though, for the most part, you’ll only find them in pink with wrinkles as accessories.
Special Considerations
Hairless rats are highly susceptible to a lot of different issues. First, due to the fact that, again, they’re hairless, they don’t have any fur to help them regulate their body temperature in colder temperatures. This means that you’ll probably have to either invest money or learn to crochet them sweaters. They also will need these sweaters to help prevent any of the scratches that hairless rats tend to receive so easily and sunburn. Because it is so easy for this variety of rats to become i...
What Makes Them Unique
I bet you can’t guess what makes these rats special. That’s right, these are the manx cats of the rodent world. Rats are known for their signature ‘bald’ tails, so seeing one without a tail may be a little startling at first, but these rats are just as sweet and playful as their tailed counterparts.
Possible Colorations
Like most of the other rats on this list, tailless rats could be any color.
Special Considerations
Due to the fact that they lack a tail, these rats have a different skeletal system than other rats and have a possibility of developing pelvic issues later in life. They also have more bowel and bladder problems than other rats.
What Makes Them Unique
Satin rats are the beauty queens of pet rats. Their fur smooth and lustrous, with high shine. Some of the colors in the fur will even sparkle, and any white will appear golden. Their whiskers have a least a slight wave and can even be curly like a rex rat.
Possible Colorations
Satin rats can come in any color. With their beautiful coats, you can also expect every color to look fantastic on them, making them a good show animal.
Special Considerations
Due to a pug style nose that occurred when the first satin rats were being bred, as well as a disposition to common illness such as thrush and the sniffs, which is a type of pneumonia, satin rats suffer from a lot of respiratory problems.
What Makes Them Unique
Dumbo rats aren’t defined by their color, fur patterns, or even their tails. Instead, these lovable rodents are defined by the position of their ears! Dumbo rats, like their namesuggests, have large, round ears that are set low on their head. If you were to look at them from above, their heads form an equilateral triangle (a triangle where all three sides are equal).
Possible Colorations
Like the other rats mentioned so far, dumbo rats can come in any color.
Special Considerations
Dumbo rats are more prone to become obese than other rats, so make sure that you feed them a balanced diet.
What Makes Them Unique
So, I’ve compared nearly every rat on this list to a different animal, and I don’t see a point in stopping now! The bristle rat, like the name suggests, has a wiry coat similar to a terrier! If you don’t like that comparison, you can also relate their coarse fur to that of a wire bristle brush. They’ll start out looking a bit like rex rats with wavy or curly fur, but, as they age, it’ll straighten out to the messy, rough coat that lets you know that the rat you’re looking at is a bristle. It...
Possible Colorations
Bristle rats are available in all colorations and patterns.
Special Considerations
Bristle rats don’t pose any special considerations for the average rat owner. For those looking to breed, though, remember that the bristle gene is dominant.
Of those 7 recognized varieties, there are also 40 different fur colorations and patterns! These 40 colors are divided into 5 main categories.
May 3, 2023 · Breeding rats is not recommended for casual pet owners, as it requires a thorough understanding of their genetic background, health, and temperament. It’s also essential to consider the responsibility of caring for the offspring and finding suitable homes for them.
- Easy
- Common Rat
- Muridae
- Rattus norvegicus
Fancy rats are a brown rat subspecies bred by humans and can be kept as pets. Lab rats also descend from brown rats. Whilst brown rats living in the wild have brownish-grey fur, the spectrum ranges from white to cream, champagne, grey and brown to black with fancy rats. Even piebalds and albinos can be found amongst fancy rats.
Jun 5, 2024 · Rats have a reputation for being pests or vermin, but they are intelligent and social animals, and pet rats make wonderful companions. Pet rats are relatively easy to care for, but that doesn't mean they are low-maintenance pets.
Oct 2, 2024 · Rats make for excellent pets and come in a variety or colors and patterns. Our guide explains the different breeds and color variations you might see.
