The Pet Rats Glossary on Appearance

The Pet Rats Glossary: "For those of you new to rats, here are some much-used terms along with explanations of what they mean. I'm sure we'll be using these a lot in the future!

Appearance

Agouti - A fancy word for the wild-type rat color. A pretty combination of warm cinnamony browns with black guard hairs.

BEW - Stands for Black-Eyed White.

Berkshire - A self rat with a white tummy and legs.

Capped - White with what looks like a wig of a different color.

Dalmatian - Like the dog! White with lots of spots.

Dumbo - A type named after the elephant. A rat with ears lower down on its head, giving it a clownish appearance.

Hairless - What it says! They are usually born with fur, but lose it as they grow up. Some are not completely hairless and have neat fuzzy patches. Since they don't have fur, they are more sensitive to cold temperatures.

Himalayan - Like the cat! Creamy white or off-white darkening to brownish on nose, rump and legs. Usually with pink eyes.

Hooded - A common color pattern. White with a different-colored hood and back stripe.

Husky - A new color pattern. Their coats look just like Husky dogs!

Irish - Similar to Berkshire, but with just a triangle of white on the chest.

Odd-Eye - A rat with one pink or ruby eye and one black one.

PEW - Pink-Eyed White. An albino-type rat.

Rattus norvegicus - The Norway rat or brown rat. The majority of pet rats are of this species.

Rattus rattus - The roof rat or black rat. Rattus norvegicus' smaller, more agile cousin.

Rex - A rat with curly fur and whiskers!

Satin - Having softer fur than most rats. Unstandardized.

Self - Any solid color with no other markings.

Siamese - Also like the cat! Blue-Point Siamese is a light blue with darker slate blue patches on nose, rump and legs. Seal-Point is cream or beige with darker brown nose, rump and legs. Both can have either pink or ruby eyes.

Silvered - Any solid color with an even mixture of silver or white hairs throughout the fur.

Tailless - Again, obvious. Difficult to breed for. Serious birth defects can result from the tailless gene. Also, since the tail helps with temperature regulation, they are much more susceptible to heatstroke.

Variegated - Usually means a hooded rat with splotces of color on its sides. Can mean any spotted pattern, including Dalmatian."

wow thats 21 out of 7,000 combinations...

Rats in Movies!

Rats in Movies!: "Rats in Movies!"

Your a movie star, ohh movie star...

Rat Cam is here...

OMSI RatCam: "You can watch our rats 24 hours a day. However, if the picture looks dark, please check the time. OMSI is located in Portland, Oregon, and we are on Pacific Time, so if the picture is dark, it just means that the Life Science Lab is closed for the night. Our rats live in a large acrylic tank where they have plenty of space to play. The cage contains many toys, including two exercise wheels. Rats are intelligent animals, so it is a good idea to give them things to play with, and to change the set-up of their cages periodically. If you don't see any rats, they are probably investigating a different part of the cage. Rats are inquisitive animals who love to explore."

Smile when I say cheese

The Rat Tao of Balanced Diet

ratsrule.com - suebee's rat diet: "So many of the commercial rat diets out there are full of ingredients that are either inappropriate for rats or simply aren't liked by rats. This leads to a lot of waste, and a lot of fat, unhealthy rats. For example, most mixes contain tiny seeds and alfalfa pellets that do not get eaten. Rats have a hard time digesting alfalfa, so they rarely eat it. Peanuts and other nuts, while enjoyed by rats and fine as treats, contain too much fat and protein to be a staple part of a rat diet."

Theres nothing like home made cooking served with love.

Now thats Rat Rex appeal...

Hairless? Dumbo? Blazed? - OH MY! (Part 1): "Have you ever wondered what “type” of rat you have? Or have you ever gotten confused hearing some one say they recently adopted a rat that is a Mink Capped Blazed Odd-eyed Dumbo? Well, let me see what I can do to clear up some of that confusion!

First, you need to understand that rats are rats! There are not different breeds of rats when it comes to our loveable pets; however there are many, many different types of varieties. "

the rat is a mink, capped, blazed, odd-eyed dumbo.

Did you know that Fancy Rats come in 7,000 different combinations

Rats are 'like puppies,' claims HC breeder - PittsburghLIVE.com: "Known as 'fancy rats,' domesticated rodents like Howard come in about 7,000 different combinations. That includes six basic varieties based on different types of coats, as well as rodents which lack a tail or any hair.

Rats also are classified according to their eye pigment and pattern of colored markings on their fur."

What colour are your eyes?

Rats are 'like puppies'

Rats are 'like puppies,' claims HC breeder - PittsburghLIVE.com: "Seich's furry companions are a user-friendly bunch, bred to function as house pets. If raised properly, 'They're like puppies,' Seich said. 'They're sweet.'"

Fetch the ball, fetch, fetch the ball...

Pet Rats in queue to purchase new Harry Potter book

Potter books fly off shelves -- no wizardry involved / Bay Area fans eagerly snatch up copies: "Katie McDonell, 15, who was waiting in line with Jack, one of her 14 pet rats, on her arm, offered a somewhat calmer assessment of the Harry Potter books. 'They're just captivating,' she said. 'I like the movie versions, but the books are better. They tell a better story"

...and no wizardry involved