White Rats

[mysnakesau]

Are white rats weaker in the genes than other colours? Or perhaps mine are just too far inbred? I have had no breeding age white rats but in last couple months have had just two all-white rats turn up in litters from coloured parents. Both of these white offspring are runts. One is now breeding age and the size of maybe a 6-8 week old rat (half the size of her litter sister). She now has a litter of her own. None are white and all are healthy, normal looking size. I have a litter in another box that are just about ready to wean. All are normal except one runt that is the size of a small mouse (about half the size of the others) and s/he is all white. I know most of you would say get rid of it but I want to let him grow up. Am weaning his siblings tomorrow but will leave Runty with Mum. I can't tell if its boy or girl yet. Too little. I hope its a boy. I wonder what I'll get putting him and the runty female together? All runts, mix of colours with normal colours and runty whites? I am curious and hope he survives to help me out. I just find it fascinating.

 

[melgalea]

thats funny, cause i had the same happen. all my breaders are black and white or just cream and i have got about 6 albino rats now. weird. snow white with the brightest red eyes. i would be keen to know how they turn up like that too. cheers
mel

 

[pythons73]

I havent noticed at all,if you need some new [stock] sing out ive got some here...MARK

 

[Saz]

Albino is a recessive gene so can be carried. You need two copies for the animal to be albino. If you breed two carries, you will get a percentage of albinos in the litter (approx 25%) No idea whey they are sickly though.

 

[stuartandconnie]

Albino is a recessive gene so can be carried. You need two copies for the animal to be albino. If you breed two carries, you will get a percentage of albinos in the litter (approx 25%) No idea whey they are sickly though.

um hav u heard of wisters

 

[wokka]

99% of our rats are white and seem to perform equally as well as coloured.

 

[Crazy_Snake08]

my white rats are fine.

 

[melgalea]

yeah, all the albino rats i have had "turn" up in litters are all perfectly healthy and running around like crazy nutters.

 

[James_Scott]

no tailed mice

on the subject of mutant genes, I'm getting a lot of mice born without tails or short and curly ones. Anybody else getting this?

 

[Saz]

um hav u heard of wisters

I was under the impression that they are a lab bred strain that produce large litters. They would be albinos too.

 

[Saz]

Manx (shortening of the spine) is a recessive gene in mice. Its normal to get curly tailed/half tailed ones too if you breed two carriers together or a manx to a carrier. If you breed two manx together the shortening of the spine can be so severe that it inteferes with use of the back legs. Hope that helps

on the subject of mutant genes, I'm getting a lot of mice born without tails or short and curly ones. Anybody else getting this?

 

[James_Scott]

Thanks Saz,

This sounds exactly like whats happening. I did have to put one down due to severe shortening of the spine which played havic with its excreting process.

I also have another mouse that appears to have cancer, poor thing. Large swelling of the limph glands under her front leg. Will have to put her down once her litter is old enough to fend for itself.

It is amazing the colour variation from the hundreds bred from an original 3 mice. Must get new blood lines in there!

 

[Saz]

Its really common for them to get mammory tumours :/ Its genetic too so offspring often have the tendancy for it in adulthood. If you are only gorwing them up for feeders though it isn't so much of an issue for obvious reasons.

There are lots of genes in mice, a lot are recessive so you can start out with two black mice and get ALL sorts of colours depending on what genes they both carry. Rats don't have anywhere near as many, *shame*!

 

[caustichumor]

I have never had a problem with albino rats being weaker? However I did have one colony that produced litters with no eyes, and it was a proportion of about 50% no eyes, 25% 1 eye and the rest normal (which made me think it was a mutant recessive gene). So I culled that colony (after they bore 2 similar litters) and have never had any similar problems. I have also recently had a large proportion of solid black/dark grey rats born to light coloured het parents, I normally try to keep all my rodents albino or at least pale coloured to prevent any escapees getting a foothold in the wild.

 

[Saz]

There are 'downunder' lines that have produced offspring with no eyes, small eyes, one eye etc.

 

[snakecharma]

nah my albino's are perfectly fine, mine will drop litters of between 14-18 almost every time with a top success rate, so no differant to all my other breeders. I do keep them all seperate so that there lines dont mix as i have a few different types of rats.

But here is another interesting question i have had for awhile, why do i have multi coloured rats that have the Albino red eyes, i dont know of any other species that carries the albino trait where red eyes show up in non albino's??

 

[Saz]

Its a different gene to albino, we have a pink eye gene (pp) and a ruby eye gene (rr). They are both recessive. The genes dilute the eyes to ruby/pink and dilute the coat. Champagnes are black with the pink eye gene, silverfawns are agouti with the pink eye gene, buffs are blacks with the ruby eye gene and so on.



This is a silverfawn, pink eyed agouti (App)