Where Can I Buy Hairless Rats

Both hairless rats and fancy rats require a bedding material in their cage to run around on, dig in and sleep on. Like all small animals, both types are prone to dangerous respiratory infections and other symptoms caused by the phenols in cedar and pine shaving; never use these materials for bedding. Recycled newspaper bedding or other paper bedding is acceptable, as is a soft fleece blanket. Regardless of which bedding you use, clean it at least twice a week for furred rats and three or so times a week -- at least -- for hairless rats.

Because of their suppressed immune systems, hairless rats are more susceptible to respiratory problems due to factors such as mold. To care for a hairless rat, prepare a cage with at least 2 square feet of floor space, and line it with paper bedding or newspaper. Make sure to clean the bedding 3 times a week, since hairless rats are prone to respiratory infections caused by dirty cages. Additionally, provide your rat with a lab block to eat, which will give it all the vitamins and minerals it needs to be healthy. You can also offer it fruits and vegetables, like strawberries or carrots, once a day to give it something fresh to eat.

Keeping rats as pets can come with the stigma that rats supposedly transmit dangerous diseases to their owners. Usually, rats bred as pets are tested and treated for diseases and parasites. One fear is that all rats carry plague, when in fact R. Norvegicus is not among the list of species considered a threat.

In 2004, an outbreak of salmonella in the United States was connected to people who owned pet rats. While they may appear the same at first glance, there are actually three different types of hairless rat pets with different genetic backgrounds. Aside from their unusual coat, these rats tend to be a bit smaller than other common fancy rats. Some owners consider them to be hypoallergenic because of their lack of hair, which is not the case, but people with allergies may find them more tolerable than furry rats.

Safe housing is a priority for your hairless rat's health. They have special needs, both due to their sensitivity to the cold and their delicate skin. The cage needs to be free of sharp edges and placed in a draft-free spot. A room that is comfortably room temperature will be fine for your rat, but make sure there are no drastic temperature swings from day to night.

Bedding made from shredded paper or cloth provides your pet with a soft, warm home. Wood shavings and chips, common for use with other small pets, will damage the hairless rat's skin. Hairless rats are a coat variety characterized by varying levels of hair loss.

One type of hairless rat is bred from curly-coated rexes. These range from having areas of very short fur to being completely bald. Since rex is a dominant trait, there only needs to be one rex parent to produce curly rex-coated offspring. However, when two rex parents are bred, two copies of the trait may be present in the offspring.

This causes varying levels of hairlessness, and has earned the colloquial name "double rex". The other type of hairless rat is sometimes referred to as a "true hairless". This is caused by a different gene, and is distinguishable from a hairless double rex by the absence of whiskers.

Unlike a double rex, this type of hairless rat is incapable of growing hairs on any part of the body. One additional subset of semi-hairless rats, patchwork rex, constantly lose their hair and regrow it in different "patches" several times throughout their life. Both hairless rats and fancy rats make ideal companion pets and entertain their owners with their inquisitive nature, playful attitudes and willingness to hitch a ride on a shoulder. Even though they are more susceptible to illness and other problems, a hairless rat can make an ideal, friendly pet for someone willing to take the time to keep their environment clean and healthy. Double rex rats have two rex genes which results in a hairless rat rather than one with a kinky rex coat. These rats do have eyebrows and short, kinky or curly whiskers.

You may see small patches of peach fuzz-like hair on their head or feet. These rats can also come in different colors, though the coloring will show up on their skin, much like a hairless cat's coat color. Double rex rats can come in just about every color and ear type and may have black or red eyes. It is sometimes difficult to introduce new rats to each other, so it is best to purchase them at the same time from the same cage at the pet store. Rats are extremely intelligent and enjoy being handled and exploring. Your rat will love its out of cage time to play with you.

Male rats do not often get along well together unless they are siblings and purchased at the same time; also make sure to select a cage large enough to give them separate living spaces. Do not keep males and females together as they reproduce readily. Rats are easily tamed, even if they are difficult at first. The more you handle and work with your pet, the tamer it will become. Any animal may bite in defense if it feels threatened, but domestic rats generally are not known to bite.

Remember to work with your pet after dusk, as it will be more willing to cooperate since it is a nocturnal animal. Place your pet's cage in a place in the home where it will be around the family, yet protected from direct light, drafts and excess noise during the day. Also be sure it is high enough to be out of reach of dog noses and small children's hands. Rats are prey animals and can feel threatened by large bodies above them or in their faces. Rats are social creatures, preferring the company of at least one other rat over being alone. Two females make ideal pairs, as do two males from the same litter.

Hairless rats, because of their lack of fur, do well when housed with a furry rat. When they snuggle, the hairless rat gets to cuddle into the fur of his cage mate. Rats of both types like small boxes to sleep in, as well as hammocks or pieces of soft fabric such as an old T-shirt. If you have hairless rats, one of these items is almost necessary to help keep them warm. Hairless rats are prone to small scratches from their cage mates due to the lack of protective fur.

Fancy rats were originally targets for blood sport in 18th- and 19th-century Europe. Later bred as pets, they now come in a wide variety of coat colors and patterns, and are bred and raised by several rat enthusiast groups around the world. Fancy rats are generally easy to care for provided plenty of research is done and are quite affordable, even compared to other small pets; this is one of their biggest draws. Additionally, they are quite independent, loyal and easily trained.

They are considered more intelligent than other domesticated rodents. Not the first type of animals on most people's lists for pets, frogs and toads can make great pets if you're more interested in watching than in handling. Like reptiles, amphibians lack any allergy-inducing fur and instead have a thin, delicate skin covering their bodies. From the smallest fire-bellied toads to the largest Pac-man frogs, amphibians come in all sizes and colors and are simply phenomenal to look at. With their large eyes, necks that bulge in and out as they breathe, and shiny, glistening skin, amphibians are great for people that like to study and appreciate the natural behavior of animals.

In general, amphibians are not meant to be handled for fear of damaging their sensitive skin or transmitting infectious bacteria to them from our hands. Some also secrete toxins from their skin that can be irritating or poisonous if absorbed by human skin. Many eat insects and require very specific tank set-ups to be healthy. So, if you're allergic, and you're the type that enjoys watching nature shows on TV but would prefer seeing the real thing up close, an amphibian may be just the pet for you.

Lab blocks provide all of the vitamins and nutrients that your rat needs to be healthy, so they should make up the majority of your rat's calories (about 80%). For males, find a lab block that contains 16 to 18% protein. For pregnant or nursing females, look for a lab block that contains about 22% protein. Lab blocks made with soy are also beneficial for female rats. Hairless rats have mostly bald, smooth skin, except for a few patches of hair, such as around the face or on the genitals.

Hairless rats make playful, inquisitive pets, but they may require a bit of extra attention due to their lack of hair. You can provide your hairless rat with excellent care by learning about how to feed, house, and protect your rat's health. Rats are intelligent, affectionate creatures that make great pets for people who want an exotic companion. For those who want an even more unusual pet, hairless rats are perfect.

They have many of the same personality traits and care requirements as furred rats. But hairless rats do differ from furry rats in a few distinct ways. If you want to adopt a hairless rat, check out this guide to ensure you're ready to take on the responsibility of adopting a hairless rat. Hereditarily hairless rats have been maintained by sibmatings since 1973. These animals were termed "bald rats", and examined for their characteristics on genetics, physiological, hematological and clinical chemistry values and histology. The bald rats began to lose their hair at approximately three weeks of age.

At five weeks of age, the skin was devoid of all general body hair except for the vibrissae, and the skin became wrinkled at two months of age. Histologically, follicular cysts were observed in a large number, from three months of age onward. The bald condition was a simple recessive character ; homozygous animals lost hair and heterozygous ones did not. The bald females attained sexual maturity around eight weeks of age and littered normally, but failed to nurse their young. The incapability of supplying sufficient milk supposedly resulted from the mammary glands that involuted after delivery. The bald animals consumed more food but showed lower values for body weights, plasma triglyceride, and epididymal adipose tissue amount than the haired animals.

In addition, the bald males had brown adipose tissue in the interscapulum which was histologically activated as in newborn animals. Aged bald animals showed spontaneous tumors of the thymus, pituitary, testis, uterus, mammary gland, and skin. The incidence of skin tumors was much higher than those of tumors of other origins.

Hairless rats are definitely adorable, smart pets that make amazing cuddlers. If you decide to take one home, make sure you take into consideration their special care needs compared to a "regular" rat with fur. You also will need to understand that it's best to keep at least two as a hairless rat will need a companion to snuggle with even more than a regular rat will. Otherwise, once you're ready to handle their skin and health concerns, hairless rats can be loving, engaging companions with a unique look. Similar to their larger cousins, the hairless guinea pigs, hairless rats have a few sparse patches of fuzzy fur but are, for the most part, hair-free. These little hairless wonders are generally great pets for anyone with an allergy to the dander from saliva that hangs out on long hair, causing people to sneeze.

They are as smart as and as endearing as furred rats and make great pets for people who want a low maintenance, short-lived pet. Living on average 2-3 years, hairless rats, like their haired counterparts, love to hang out on their owners' shoulders, play games, watch TV, and run through mazes and tunnels. They bury, dig, and hide things and will keep their owners endlessly amused.

They bond closely to their owners and often to other rats and are excellent for people looking for small, easily cared-for pets. While not completely hair-free, the hairless guinea pig certainly is much less allergy-inducing than its hairy counterpart. While some people think these little wrinkly rodents are funny looking, they are actually very cute. Guinea pigs make great pets with or without fur, so if you're not horribly allergic and can stand being exposed to a peach fuzz amount of hair, a guinea pig may be right for you. Hairless guinea pigs are friendly, very responsive, and generally love being with their owners. Other than not needing to be brushed and needing to keep them out of the sun so that they don't burn, hairless pigs can be cared for the same way that haired pigs are.

A heaping portion of hay, a small amount of vegetables, fresh water, and a daily vitamin C supplement, plus lots of attention, and you can keep a guinea pig happy and healthy. Unbeknownst to many people, they purr and coo when they're happy. They can make wonderful companions for nearly any family. In this story, we incorrectly say that naked mole rats don't feel pain from stinging ants. It's actually the highveld mole rat, a furry relative to the naked mole rat, that probably doesn't feel the burn of ant stings. Naked mole rats are instead immune to certain types of pain associated with injuries and inflammation.

Hairless rats are smart, inquisitive, and driven by food. While many people assume that having a rat as a pet means keeping it caged, they can spend time outside their habitat as long as they are supervised. They can learn to respond to their name, come when called, and even play fetch. Rats bond easily with their cagemates as well as their humans. If you regularly spend time with them, they will learn quickly.

Supervision is important any time your pet rat is out of their cage, but particularly so with the hairless rat, whose delicate skin can be damaged easily. Naked mole rats are rodents, but they live in communities like those of many insects. Several dozen rats live together in colonies led by one dominant rat—the queen. As in some insect species, the queen is the only naked mole rat female to breed and bear young.

Grooming is one of the areas where hairless rats need a lot more care and attention than furred rats. They need a weekly bath with shampoo designed for sensitive skin. Choose either baby shampoo or mild, non-toxic pet shampoo.

Dry your hairless rat off completely after the bath, and place your pet near a heater or a source that generates warmth. Hairless rats are prone to heat loss and expend more energy than regular rats on trying to keep warm. Their cage and bedding should be geared toward maintaining warmth and avoiding cuts and scrapes on their exposed skin. Your hairless rat's cage shouldn't have any sharp edges that they might cut themselves on.

The cage should also be in a room that won't expose your hairless rat to cold air, with an ambient temperature around degrees Fahrenheit (18-26 degrees Celsius). A rat is already an exotic pet, with different considerations than a typical cat or dog. A hairless rat is even more particular than a regular furred rat and requires some special attention and care. The care tips in this guide will cover cage and bedding, food, exercise, grooming, and health.