# What Color Is This One?



## silverfox (Aug 29, 2013)

I was asked to take in a rat by a friend who bought two rats and one was preggers. I really don't know why my friends insist on buying animals without me there it confirm sex. I've gotten very good at it. Anyway, mama had babies. They're almost two weeks old. (based on my photo stream, the kittens were born on the 19th, making them 12 days old). The mother is an agouti hooded. Father unknown as the rat came from a mixed batch. There were ten confirmed kittens born. I could swear I saw eleven the first day but I only did a quick count while trying to look through the mama and paper towels. Either way, there are ten thriving kits now. Based on the litter, I'm assuming the dad was a berk or hooded with berk recessive (is that how it works?) I have ended up with five berks and five hooded varieties. All are agouti except for one.I'm not entirely sure on what the color is. I know it will change with molts but I'm hoping for an idea at least. I'm also going to assume at least the possibility of the other kittens carrying the same gene. I like genetics so it's always nice to ponder. At any rate, here are photos of number 7, as the rat shall be called until a personality sprouts.


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## relken0608 (Jul 11, 2013)

I love how the black markings are on the little foot too!! Unfortunately I'm not an expert so I cant answer your question...quite adorable though!

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## silverfox (Aug 29, 2013)

The black is just sharpie marker. I was having a hard time telling everyone apart and just started numbering them. It will wear off eventually. Though, with the berks, I might try to keep them numbered until I remember who is who.


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## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

Its agouti. A very light agouti. Also, tell the owner that she might want to up the mothers fat and protein intake. This pup is very thin. They are supposed to be much thicker looking at this age.


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## LeStan82 (Dec 31, 2013)

Looks like a hooded agouti, very cute!


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## silverfox (Aug 29, 2013)

I have to disagree on the agouti unless all the others are really black. Here are the pictures of the rest of the litter. And a close up of one of the berks.

Just saw your post korra after I originally posted. What would make one be so much lighter than the others? Genetic or something else? Also, the kittens are in my care so I'll up the diet. I haven't been doing anything special there, just more lab blocks. Though she did get a hefty portion of diner sausage the other day. It was greasy and gross. But that's what I've come to expect from Denny's.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

The little one is agouti based but either carrying a recessive that has paled the colour or expressing mink or blue perhaps making them cinnamon or blue agouti of some type. I would suspect probably a carried recessive like red eyed dilute as the agouti babies that I have that have carried this are a very similar different shade even though they are technically still agouti coloured.


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## silverfox (Aug 29, 2013)

Now I'm a bit confused I think. I think you're trying to say that she (I think this one was a she have to check again) is an agouti based another not a black based. This meaning the father was either agouti (unlikely in my opinion as I would probably have gotten more than one with a different color) or was a color that rides on the agouti base. Right?So then are you saying that the kitten is probably not regular ol' agouti like the other nine but has another gene mucking things up? This would make her either a cinnamon or blue agouti? But it will be easier to tell once eyes have opened to see if they are red? I now all babies had dark looking eyes when they were pink but that it's hard to tell if they are black or red at that stage. Or does it still mean she's like her siblings and is just agouti? I'm very confused. We also need a better calculator for litters than the few I have found. One like the CornCalc that is used when I bred corn snakes. Man I loved fantasy breeding with that calculator! Maybe I'll learn to make a similar one.


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## silverfox (Aug 29, 2013)

Just an update. Eyes are open and they look black to me. So, now I'm wondering if megacolon might be in play here at all. Based on my research, megacolon can cause fading out of colors. I've never seen it that I know of so I'm just assuming it's possible. They are just two weeks old now. I guess if she dies before ten weeks, then it will be a high possibility. If not, then I guess we will have to come back and decide on color.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Sorry, basically there are two options for tne lighter colour, tbe first is straightforward. All rats are either agouti or none agouti, sometimes called ticked or self. So she will be agouti, but she could be expressing another gene like blue or mink, so what youve described.

The other option is harder to explain, you know how some genes need two copies to show themselves, recessive genes, like russian blue or dumbo, well when a rat has only one copy of that gene we say they carry it. If a rat carries a lot of reccesives it can actually lighten thecolour a fair bit. One recessive gene, red eyed dilute which gives you buff or topaz rats with two copies of the gene (buff is the self version, topaz the agouti version), is particularly strong on its own, a rat who carries this will still be either agouti or black for example, but they will look significantly lighter. My last litter was all agouti carrying RED, they all look paler agouti, if I mated 2 of them together I would get half topaz, half agouti. There mum was a topaz and there dad an agouti.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

I thinkits highly unlikley she has megacolon, she has no face markings so is not particularly highly at risk, I expect she is cinnamon or agouti carrying red.


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## silverfox (Aug 29, 2013)

Ah. Ok. I think I got it then! Without knowing who the dad is, I'm being extra paranoid I guess. From my understanding, she will molt at some point (are rats related to birds? Lol). Then that will give me a better idea as to which color she is. The standard normal agouti color is easy to tell because I've seen so many. Same with pews and blacks. But right now, she looks nothing like a blue or beige or cinnamon or anything except maybe a lilac. Though I'm looking at adult rat photos mostly and I remember how much my Tawny changed from baby to adult. I think she might be a cinnamon pearl now.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Yep when they are around 4 to 5 weeks old they will start looking rough with long fluffy and sometimes patchy coats and feel lightweight (i call it the chicken phase). Shortly after they will moult into there adult coat which will be thick and short like velvet at first and be much more true to there adult colour. 

Here's a chicken phase agouti carrying RED


Take my agoutis carrying RED here, when i've had a mixed litter one has been clearly lighter than the other, then adult moult hits and the difference is much more slight.

Heres a few pics (its not as clear in the photos as it was in real life alas), first a litter of 2 topaz babies, then 4 agoutis, 1 paler than the others who we believe carried RED at 1 week old


Another one with the 4 agoutis at about 3.5 weeks old, one showing paler or brighter


finally here at 5.5 weeks old, in there new adult coats, one carrying RED, the other not, the difference is barely there any more


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## silverfox (Aug 29, 2013)

And here I thought I had gotten the basics down. Silly nature making things all complicated! I guess to truly find out what everyone carries, I'd have to breed them. I'm not opposed to it seeing as I have plenty of room and money to keep the babies but I do have a large number of rats currently and I'm not sure if I should be starting a rattery with so many unknown genetics. As fun as it may be.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

even if you did test matings and such they would still surprise you. We thought we had got rid of RED generations before and then it reappeared, that's not to mention the surprise of English Mink that has recently popped up and the family line we work with has been bred for a lot of generations now, we know more than many.


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