# How common are albino/white rats in the wild?



## Poisoned (Nov 17, 2012)

Though I do know it could have been a domestic, or cross, when I was a child I was feeding the rats who lived under my house (I was being bad! My parents almost whooped me when they found out), and a solid white one came out and snatched some food. I only just now started wondering where she came from. Thinking back on it, she had the wild body and head, but obviously white.


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## ratchet (Sep 27, 2012)

I would imagine its not too common given they're going to stick out like a site thumb.. But there are "albinos" in every species! She must have been cute. 


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## Poisoned (Nov 17, 2012)

She scared the life out of me, I remember that, but it's something that has stayed with me forever, it was very unique to see. I was terrified of them, but I wanted them to have something to eat, but whenever they came ot get some, I took off! lol
I know my parents never caught her, so maybe she was a lucky one and kept herself safe for a while.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

Probably just a feeder rat that got loose. My cat found a PEW rat in the yard when I was young and my brothers got it from the cat and the rat became my pet. She was very mean, but my pet nonetheless. She lived outside in my playhouse until my dad made me set her free because she kept biting everyone.


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## Muttlycrew (Dec 21, 2012)

I would say non existent past about 3 months of age. There is just no way a pew could hide from dogs, cats, birds, snakes, coyotes, foxes, etc. I, too, think it was just either a feeder or someone's pet that got loose. 


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## Muttlycrew (Dec 21, 2012)

"Nearly non existent" (there are always exceptions ;D) 


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Albinos happen in all species. There are numerous reports of Albino deer (that live to full maturity) and other prey animals. Wouldn't be shocked if an albino rat survived, especially in the city or up north.

in India in one of the temples if you see one of the albino rats (I think there are 7?) it's said that you have been blessed (I forgot by which one of their gods).


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

I wouldn't say albinos happen in all speices, but many spieces have albinos.


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## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

Being a rat...I would have thought an albino would have good chances...living in a colony etc. strength in numbers. But don't true albinos have major health issues? Not like our domestic PEWs.


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## Babs (Jan 26, 2012)

I personally have rarely seen anything other than agouti colours in wild rats, but I've got one in my garden at the moment that's a very light grey colour.


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## PeachPeach (Jun 22, 2012)

They definitely exist, though in much smaller percentages than in domesticated populations. And remember, not all white rats are albino, and not all albinism is caused by the same genotype. But yes, they exist spontaneously, and yes, they don't do very well in most environments.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

White is actually not a terrible handicap for a rat. Our part wild bareback lived outdoors for 5 months in a neighborhood full of wild cats and other predators and did just fine. She was mainly living with a group of 4 pitbull terriors and she had rubbed herself to pick up their odor. In fact she would rub herself on anything that smelled strongly even when she came back home. In any event when she patrolled our back yard nightly, she cleared the area of cats... Cat's absolutely won't make a point of checking out where the smell of pitbull is coming from. 

Now although she was hanging out around our home and patrolling our yard and the neighborhood and she was predominantly white she was only spotted three times, once in our yard by my wife weaving between the vegetation at dusk... Once by another rat owner about 7 blocks away and finally by the fellow that owned the pit bulls when she got brazen enough to start wandering around his second floor apartment when he brought the dogs in for the cold weather, she tagged along. And he got mauled when he tried to catch her. 

White rats can do just fine in nature at least getting old enough to reproduce. Our bareback had brown eyes so she likely had better eyesight than a PEW, but it's not like rats ever travel out in the open where they are likely to be seen anyway or need to see predators from far away. So the point likely stands.

As to how rare they are... the albino trait is recessive and not necessarily existent in all wild rat populations, moreover, rats are pretty secretive. So it's really difficult to come up with an honest answer. Likely with all of the PEW's that have escaped "captivity" it's more common than ever before, but it's fair to say you are not likely to see another one in your lifetime. If you hadn't been feeding the wild rats, you would likely never have even seen the one living right under your house.


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