# Take a look at this baby! Agouti?



## Lucys_Mom (Feb 27, 2012)

She was born from one of my pregnant rescues. I assume she is an agouti, but i have had other agoutis, and they just looked grey as babies. This one reminds me of the coloring that german shepherds have...she seems to have shading in places, especially dark by her nose, and . Is she an Agouti, or am i completly off?


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## Lohosey (Apr 10, 2012)

Adorable. I'm a new rat owner, and I didn't exactly know that there were different types of rats. What is an agouti? This little guy is absolutely adorable, by the way.


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## Lucys_Mom (Feb 27, 2012)

Oh yeah there are tons of different colors, patterns, ear shapes, and fur textures. The one in my signature is a dumbo rat, as you can see by the big ears. Agouti is also called "wild coat." It is a mixture of different colored hairs, giving them a brownish color. There are great sites that explain the different variations of rats. You should take a look, it's very interesting!


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## Lohosey (Apr 10, 2012)

Lucys_Mom said:


> Oh yeah there are tons of different colors, patterns, ear shapes, and fur textures. The one in my signature is a dumbo rat, as you can see by the big ears. Agouti is also called "wild coat." It is a mixture of different colored hairs, giving them a brownish color. There are great sites that explain the different variations of rats. You should take a look, it's very interesting!


Wow, I just looked online like you suggested. This is super interesting. I own an English Mink Berkshire and a Mismarked Broken Black Hooded rattie. Being a Cell and Molecular Science major, I think it would be interesting to observe the impact of heredity on these little guys. Finding out which traits are dominant, which are recessive, etc. Cool stuff!


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## Lucys_Mom (Feb 27, 2012)

Oh yeah, I have looked at some of the genetics on a few websites, and it's really interesting. The most confusing to me is the the genetics behind the Black Eyes Whites, which is what "Mochi," the little girl in my signature is. From what I understand, depending on how the breeding is done, types of high-white rats with black eyes can carry lethal and flawed genetics. I have 2 mismarked broken black hooded rats, too. The babies' mom is a hooded agouti, so i assumed that the baby is an agouti, but we don't know who the Dad is. I got her when she was pregnant. The people think that the Dad was a dumbo, which means that they would carry the gene, but would not have dumbo ears, because the Mom isn't. I'm still hoping that the babies will somehow express the dumbo ears. That would be awesome!


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## Lohosey (Apr 10, 2012)

Super interesting! I wish I could be a rat breeder, recording the different dominant and recessive alleles expressed in rats. What I find the most interesting, however, is manx rats, or rats born without tails.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Agouti berkshire...what a cute little bub  Agouti can come in a variety from dark, to light to reddish (cinnamon agouti).


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## Flashygrrl (Feb 8, 2012)

I'm going to parrot a suggestion made to someone else not too long ago. If you wish to study genetics in breeding rats, contact some GOOD rat breeders and see if you can use their breeding rats for study. Then you wouldn't be bringing more rats into the world and still would be able to do some study on their genetics.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Flashygrrl said:


> I'm going to parrot a suggestion made to someone else not too long ago. If you wish to study genetics in breeding rats, contact some GOOD rat breeders and see if you can use their breeding rats for study. Then you wouldn't be bringing more rats into the world and still would be able to do some study on their genetics.


Did I miss something? These are rescue babies not purposely bred babies.


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## Three B's Mom (Apr 18, 2012)

Lohosey said:


> Wow, I just looked online like you suggested. This is super interesting. I own an English Mink Berkshire and a Mismarked Broken Black Hooded rattie. Being a Cell and Molecular Science major, I think it would be interesting to observe the impact of heredity on these little guys. Finding out which traits are dominant, which are recessive, etc. Cool stuff!


I have searched all over the internet for the color and pattern description of my new rattie, Blue. Now I know that she is a Mismarked Broken Black Hooded rattie, thanks to you. I also think that my Blossom is the English Mink Berkshire as she is entirely tan on top with a white belly. One more to go...


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## Rat lover (Dec 28, 2011)

My big girl Sheebah looked exactly like that when she was a baby! ( I have known my rats since the day they were born) when I went to visit her at my breeder she looked exactly like that and turned out to be an agouti cardigan girl. Adorable!


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## Lucys_Mom (Feb 27, 2012)

Agouti Cardigan? Wow, I have never even heard of that! Sounds cool! Thank you all for your help. I was starting to thing the little baby might be a burmese. She looks like one, but the Mom looks like an agouti hooded. The Mom was from a breeder who bred them for snake food, and she was pregnant from there, so i assume that the place wouldn't have anything like burmese in their lines. It would be cool, though. These babies are soo cute!! One looks like a PEW, but it's starting to show some cream coloring on it's hind quarters. I just think they are all adorable!


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## Lohosey (Apr 10, 2012)

Flashygrrl said:


> I'm going to parrot a suggestion made to someone else not too long ago. If you wish to study genetics in breeding rats, contact some GOOD rat breeders and see if you can use their breeding rats for study. Then you wouldn't be bringing more rats into the world and still would be able to do some study on their genetics.


Oh no, don't worry, I won't. I honestly don't have the time to study heredity in rats. But it was just a side thought.


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## giggles_mcbug (Sep 10, 2011)

So pretty. She'd look so pretty at my house too.


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## Flashygrrl (Feb 8, 2012)

lilspaz68 said:


> Did I miss something? These are rescue babies not purposely bred babies.


Oops, yeah I kinda failed at not quoting Lohosey's post before my other one. My response was in answer to his statement, not the thread in general.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Rat lover said:


> My big girl Sheebah looked exactly like that when she was a baby! ( I have known my rats since the day they were born) when I went to visit her at my breeder she looked exactly like that and turned out to be an agouti cardigan girl. Adorable!


Umm..what the heck is an agouti cardigan? *scratches head*


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

Adorable little babe you have there <3


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## Rat lover (Dec 28, 2011)

lilspaz68 said:


> Umm..what the heck is an agouti cardigan? *scratches head*


 it's an agouti rat with cardigan markings. Someone here on rat forum told me she was a cardigan. It is like a Berkshire but has white extended on the legs and tail with some white going up her sides. I'm not 100% sure but someone on rat forum told me that. : )


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