# A hello & A meet my hairless gals.



## APBT Kisses (Aug 4, 2009)

Hi there I'm new.  My name is Marissa & I've just acquired 2 sphynx rat girls. (I believe that's the proper term eh?) 

I initially purchased just my Albino...and about an hour went back to grab one of her sisters. They look great together IMO. Great contrast between the 2 of them. "Luna" is the all white and "Olivia" is the grey/white (correct color terms?)

These are my first rats. Ive own dogs, a cat and currently 2 hedgehogs. So the rats should be just as fun! 

Ive taken the proper precautions to keep them warm, they have an old fleece blanket & a heating type pad under their cage. Plus they snuggle all day. I'm so glad they have each other. 

Without further ado, Olivia & Luna.


























































Olivia Sleeping. :-*









& A quick question...Luna seems to have a bit more peach fuss than Olivia, is there a term for this? She definitely isn't a haired rat, just seems like she's got more fuss. (sorry for all the dumb questions) But I appreciate all the answers. 

-Marissa


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

They don't need a heating pad. I'd remove that right away in case they overheat. 



APBT Kisses said:


>


Just monitor the porphyrin (red stuff) around her eye. An excess of it can be a sign of illness/stress. A small amount is normal, for example when a rat has woken up until they wash it off, but just keep an eye on her.


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## APBT Kisses (Aug 4, 2009)

The red stuff is no longer there. Of course, just for these pictures it comes out. She has none. 

I will remove the heating pad. A friend of mine had a hairless rat before, shortly before I got mine...toward the end of her death (due to pneumonia) the vet informed him, she really should have had a heating pad. Last thing I want is for them to over heat...so Im off to remove it....


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

APBT Kisses said:


> I will remove the heating pad. A friend of mine had a hairless rat before, shortly before I got mine...toward the end of her death (due to pneumonia) the vet informed him, she really should have had a heating pad.


That just sounds like a vet that didn't know much about rats. I'm sure you'll come across some of those . I wouldn't go to that vet if you were planning on it. How old are the girlies?


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## APBT Kisses (Aug 4, 2009)

Nah, I wont be going to that vet.

They're only around a month old. Teeny tiny. ;D


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## chiklet1503 (Jun 12, 2009)

Rats do better with cooler temps  No need for a heating pad. If they get too cold all they need is a place to snuggle up together away from any drafts- a hidey place w/ fleece should do just fine.

Your girls are adorable and I love the peach fuzz! lol  So cute! I've never heard them referred to as sphynx's either, usually just called hairless (even though they may have tufts here and there). I know sphynx is a 'hairless cat' breed though?

I also read that rats can be totally hairless and grow tufts in some areas, then lose them again. Weird. Luna looks like a hairless PEW w/ a headspot. I'm not sure if she has any other spots on her body but from the pics it looks like she has a tan spot on her forehead :-D

Olivia appears to be a black hooded hairless. I can't tell if her black stripey connects to her 'hood' or not, she may be called something else technically if it doesnt, maybe a mismarked hooded? I'm not entirely sure.


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## Corpseflower (Jun 12, 2009)

Sphynx is actually the term for hairless cats [I want one desperately, but they go for about a thousand dollars  ]. For rats, it's hairless or double rex.

They're very cute!  I love hairless. <3


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## APBT Kisses (Aug 4, 2009)

Ahh gotcha. I figured it was hairless...however when I searched "hairless rats" several engines corrected me and said "Sphynx" rats? So threw me off. ****, if yall have any canine questions, shoot em at me...I seem to know little about the rats.


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

SO cute!  my next one is going to be a hairless hopefuly


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## APBT Kisses (Aug 4, 2009)

Haha thanks. Ive always wanted a hairless. These 2 are great.

Olivia is very aware of her surroundings and alert while Luna is ready to take on the world. This picture shows that perfectly.


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

For those of you considering hairless rats, don't forget they're more prone to health problems e.g. skin and eye issues. So the likelihood of more vet bills should be taken into account. Vet bills aren't uncommon in our furred friends, never mind hairless!


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## trentrules (Aug 2, 2009)

Two things, first off, I second that. My Morticia is a true hairless and therefore has no eyelashes. Because of this, she was getting stuff in her eyes all the time. She kept scratching at them. Eventually she damaged one so bad, it was starting to pop out and she had to have surgery to get it removed. This was of course, after her picture was taken, as she has both eyes in her pic.
The second thing, do you know if Olivia is a regular hairless or a patchwork hairless? I only ask because she looks so much like my Duncan did at that age and he's a patchwork. They're both adorable by the way.


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## APBT Kisses (Aug 4, 2009)

I would never take in an animal without thinking of vet bills.  Olivia and Luna aren't exempt from this either. As mentioned, my friend just lost his rat & she was awesome, I also saw the vet bills. All my animals get yearly vet visits & they will be too! I would never hesitate to bring an animal in for an emergency either. My hedgie had an eye issue and I was at the vet within 24 hours. Maybe some people write off vet costs, but I dont. 

trentrules- I couldn't tell ya for sure, she has no hair on her body, just the little fuzz around her face. Thank you! ;D


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

APBT Kisses said:


> I would never take in an animal without thinking of vet bills.  Olivia and Luna aren't exempt from this either. As mentioned, my friend just lost his rat & she was awesome, I also saw the vet bills. All my animals get yearly vet visits & they will be too! I would never hesitate to bring an animal in for an emergency either. My hedgie had an eye issue and I was at the vet within 24 hours. Maybe some people write off vet costs, but I dont.


No no, I wasn't meaning that you wouldn't take in an animal without thinking of vet bills. I was just saying that hairless are prone to more health issues for those considering them, if they weren't already aware.


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