# What color coat is this? Never seen anything like it.



## Raturday (May 26, 2012)

My newest rattie, Polaris, has got a weird coat coloring. It's lighter gray/brown, darker gray, then lighter gray again. Just wondering why that is, as I've never seen it before!

Here's an album - http://imgur.com/a/B1Aeq

I noticed her color definitely got darker within the time span that I've had her, which is about a month or so. She started out pretty light gray and then gradually got to a darker gray and then the different colors became apparent. What kind of color is this?


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## evander (Jun 30, 2013)

She is beautiful!! I have no idea what it is called - I have never seen a rat that looked like that - and I am on CL a LOT!!! lol


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

I think the markings are Turpin? You'd then have to figure out what the shade of coloring is called for both shades.


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## Raturday (May 26, 2012)

From the information I could find, Turpin looks like one color sprinkled over white, so I don't think that's it. But it is similar to that effect on the lighter areas, definitely.

And thanks Evander! She looks pretty unique to me and she is quite pretty!


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## MinkyCleoChar (Aug 16, 2013)

Holy crap that's a beautiful rat  oh my gosh.


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

Looks like a husky pattern! Beautiful!


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

About 50% chance it's a high white, based on what I can see from the photo.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Where did you get her from. It's hard to get her colour but the dark light pattern is typical where they've had a rubbish diet low in something important like copper. With rats like that the pigment takes a bit too get normal again and then the colour comes through properly. 

I do wonder though, her colour looks like it could be agouti based but without the yellow or red tones. There is something in the states called melagnistic agouti or something like that which would be interesting. Also shadow is another similar thing


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## AJ Black-Savage (Aug 6, 2013)

I am sure I have read it about this... Tricolor or topaz? Xxxxx


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## AJ Black-Savage (Aug 6, 2013)

Sure is gorgeous tho  xxxxx


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## cassieb (Aug 6, 2013)

They are beautiful!!!!! I like your bonding pouch!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## ratclaws (Nov 11, 2012)

She looks stunning, however that kind of coat isn't natural. I'm going to guess that it's deficiency in the diet from before. You'll likely find the colour balances with more time eating a healthy diet!


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## CJMoore (Jul 30, 2013)

Our new baby is has roan coloring (Husky). We were told she will go from her current color to close to pure white. Her coloring looks much like the lighter areas on your rat. She was born Agouti and is now grey and will soon be light gray and then white. I don't know why I rat would get darker, maybe it is something similar.


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## CJMoore (Jul 30, 2013)

Here is a picture of my of our babies brothers. He is black roan and I believe he is healthy.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...809713900.7010.100000722448457&type=1&theater


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

She isn't roan, it's quite a different look, it is most likley a deficiency but if she stays that way after a couple months of Good food then it's an interesting one


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

I agree with the deficiency theory. Do you know what she was eating before? What are you feeding her?


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## Raturday (May 26, 2012)

She was fed Oxbow before I got her and currently as well. She was eating the Oxbow mice/young rat formula and I have her on the Oxbow Regal Rat Adult food now and feed her veggies and a little fruit as well, with the occasional yogurt and treats.


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## Raturday (May 26, 2012)

Hmm, I was looking through the images I took around when I first got her and noticed she only had a few darker spots, not the whole dark strip. So it seems her fur is getting darker in that middle section over time. Here are the older pictures - http://imgur.com/a/FffSq


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Adding fruits, veggies, or anything at all to a nutritionally complete rat block skews the nutrient ratios and can still create deficiencies.

Consider offering bones and bits of oyster or liver.


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## Raturday (May 26, 2012)

Alrighty, will do.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

High white is a genetic abnormality the creates lots of incidental mutations... mismatched eyes for example, strange coat textures and off colors are common... if there is anything really common for a morph of rat that is not often bred for health reasons....

But actually, in all reality high whites are becoming more popular again. They are and were always very beautiful rats, so I suppose we should expect to see more of these oddballs in the near future. As it's a rat that really shouldn't be bred and isn't going to be standardized, there's really no need to name the various permutations. Generally I believe we are all best off calling them what they are..... "high whites". This way the rats come with the appropriate warning label. I'm not saying people shouldn't buy high whites, we have one, it's just better to know it's a high white and not a tricolor striped or and such made up name.


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## Raturday (May 26, 2012)

What gives you an indication that she's a high white? I've read articles about it and don't see any high white markings on her. All of my rats have a little patch of white on their foreheads and hers is in the same spot. I may be a little ignorant, so if anyone can confirm or give me more information, that would be helpful.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

It's really hard to explain, but there are a few good links to photo articles in the sticky thread under the rat health section here.

There's no standard definition of a high white, as it's a gene mutation that tends to express itself slightly differently on each rat but with experience you sort of know one when you see one. It's sort of looking at a rat and thinking to yourself there's something off. And if you really look closely, usually you find multiple minor abnormalities... fur texture, eye color, nose shape, foot size, fur color, ear shape etc. The lightning blaze is a good place to start, as are the white flanks, but if the rat looks more off than that, odds are good it's high white. 

I looked at your photos, and your rat looks pretty much like a high white to me... it also explains the unusual color pattern you are wondering about. And keep in mind not all high whites look that off. I've seen some pretty normal looking rats in high white litters.


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## Daniel (Jun 24, 2013)

Rat Daddy said:


> It's really hard to explain, but there are a few good links to photo articles in the sticky thread under the rat health section here.
> 
> There's no standard definition of a high white, as it's a gene mutation that tends to express itself slightly differently on each rat but with experience you sort of know one when you see one. It's sort of looking at a rat and thinking to yourself there's something off. And if you really look closely, usually you find multiple minor abnormalities... fur texture, eye color, nose shape, foot size, fur color, ear shape etc. The lightning blaze is a good place to start, as are the white flanks, but if the rat looks more off than that, odds are good it's high white.
> 
> I looked at your photos, and your rat looks pretty much like a high white to me... it also explains the unusual color pattern you are wondering about. And keep in mind not all high whites look that off. I've seen some pretty normal looking rats in high white litters.


Speaking of this, I am starting to think ratforum or some guide off site should be made that better explains what is and isn't a high white. The guides that are online don't have enough photos to explain the differences between some high white-like markings, and actual high white. IMO knowing that info before buying a rat form an unknown lineage should be something all new rat owners should read before buying one.


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

I know high whites normally arn't purchased because of the health problems but honestly it makes me want one even more because of that. I have a thing about taking in the unwanted and sick and making their life as best, happy and healthy as I can, even though I know my heart can be broken sooner because of the health problems... I still feel the need to help them.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Our high white has a tumor and is exceptionally tweaky but she was adopted from a neglectful household. But she's not more screwed up than other rats I've seen and female rats and mammary tumors tend to go together.

High whites are actually super desirable, that's why they are still bred. After seeing how people react to them, I could literally sell them on a street corner to people that don't even like rats, especially the badger blazes. Once they get past the first few weeks of life they really aren't at much higher risk of megacolon than any other rat.

The big issue is that if you breed them, you are going to have many baby rats go bad. My Amelia was part of a litter of two that was dumped in a feeder bin. Makes you wonder what happened to her other siblings.

So because there's not much of a risk in owning them that some people who realize how desirable they are breed them. 

Much like the 1930's prohibition era bootlegging. For the most part people still drank responsibly but they were in fact supporting Al Capone and his like.

The warning label that high white comes with is "don't breed this rat unless you can deal with the tragedy that might befall all or most of your pups".

This is our high white Amelia:










Among her barely noticeable flaws other than the blaze and high white flanks...
Nose too long and pointy,
Feet too big
Shoulders too narrow
Black eyes that flash stop light red
ears too long
tail too long
fur is wiry with no guard hairs
Uneven fur color
Her white areas are literally bluish
Her brother had a huge lightning blaze and a dalmatian coat
and the list goes on... 

The fact is that if you see her you wouldn't notice any individual flaw, but she would just look off to you. I mean if you kept rats for a long time and you know what a high white looks like, you would immediately say she's a high white, if you have kept rats before and never saw a high white before you would get a nagging feeling in the back of your mind that there is something special or wrong with the rat. 

If you ever see a litter of high whites, where badger and lightning blazes are common and see the parents with both or either... you will have no doubts.

I understand that in the UK there is supposed to be a safe high white morph. But if you don't see a pedigree, especially in the US you should assume you have the high risk high white.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Yep here in the uk we have varieties like blazed badgers and essex that have face markings and we dont see much mc at all. I have heard there used to be trouble in the early chinchillas but that was quickly bred out before the byb and petshops got there hands on them. You should see some of the blazed essex babies in our most recent litter from my boy kazoo, and yet we know theres not going to be mc problems as the essex gene is a solid one, unless you mate up 2 essex. http://www.lovecraftrats.co.uk/htm/kazigs.htm


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Isamurat,

My local pet shop has got a batch of x breeder high whites in as nurse maids. There's someone around here really pushing high whites, Likely Amelia and her brother were from the same breeder as culls... They were three weeks old and a litter of two survivors. I suppose the breeder ditched them before they went south.

Sadly someone is always going to risk breeding high whites. There will always be a market for them. It's sad so many pups have to suffer for our human vanity. On the other hand those that survive at the cost of their sibling's premature demise might feel it was worth it. Rat's do sometimes pose an ethical quandary.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

It is sad, actually makes me angry, with proper breeding its prooved fairly straightforward to improve in the past, though not something id like to do. If someone loved the variety enough they could improve it, trouble is there too common over there now. We are lucky most of the pet shops round here only breed hooded or roan, with the odd dumbo too ( which in itself can be bad as poorly bred dumbos can have issues with skull shape and eye size) but most of the riskier varieties have been kept out of mass production. Doesnt stop bybs breeding things like hairless though. I do wonder why essex isnt bigger over there, its probably even smarter looking than high white without the hassel, though you have to avoid breeding 2 together so need to have an understanding of the gene

I wish there was a chance of people not breeding for the money, that would put folk off who didnt actually care about the rats, well some of them.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Breeders have been trying for years to make high whites work. On the rare occasions we take Amelia out with us, you should see the reaction she gets.. people that don't even like rats walk up to us and just have to fondle her... If high whites could be reliably produced I'd bet we would see more of them than any other morph.

But to be honest the high white gene or linked gene combo screws with everything from coat texture, to two color eyes to foot size and of course megacolon. I doubt you can keep the high white genes without the risks. But for sure, I doubt people are ever going to give up trying.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Just adding my recent experiences: my adopted pregnant rat Bijou is high white, and I assume the father was high white as well. I'm certain that all the babies (except maybe 1, but I still think he's HW) are all high white. 1 was dead at birth, and 2 were deformed and died as young pinkies. Out of the 8 remaining, 2 have megacolon that started shortly after 2 weeks old, they are all almost 7 weeks old now. I'm not sure what would have happened with the 3 that died or if they would have had MC as well, but it's a sad thing to deal with. I get really sad/angry/disappointed in people who breed HWs on purpose just because they're pretty. Yes, they ARE very pretty, Bijou and her babies are some of the prettiest rats I've seen, and they are such good babies too, but its not ME who has to suffer the consequences of the HW gene. It's the little babies. Not everyone notices in time or is willing to treat MC babies, and it can be a very painful death if they're left to bloat up. I just wish the US would stop breeding HW and maybe breeders could get their HW rats from the UK somehow and try starting a new line of healthy HWs. Why can't people just think of the animals that suffer and be responsible and not selfish?? 

Sorry, I guess this is getting a little off topic. Whatever color the OPs rat is, it certainly is very pretty and unique. I'm not too certain about what exactly constitutes as a High White in its very wide range of traits.


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## Raturday (May 26, 2012)

Thanks for the information, guys. Polaris' coat is actually looking normal now, strangely enough. The color is a consistent dark gray across her back.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Finnebon, 

Humans sometimes amaze me more than rats, I once met a woman with six seriously messed up children that were taken away from her, told me she was working on another. 

I was going to say that humans might be more thoughtful about the things they do if it hurt them personally, but I got sidetracked, I figure child birth has got to be uncomfortable, so now I'm thinking personal pain might not even be enough.

I'm afraid as long as American high whites are so beautiful, someone is going to try and breed them, even if only in a misguided attempt to "fix" the morph. With how strongly this genetic defect affects the entire rat, I doubt that there is any way to save the strains we have now without totally eliminating them from the gene pool. Human nature being what it is, I doubt that's ever going to happen.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Raturday said:


> Thanks for the information, guys. Polaris' coat is actually looking normal now, strangely enough. The color is a consistent dark gray across her back.


I suspect that moulting was coming into play somehow as well.


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## Raturday (May 26, 2012)

Yep, I think so. She started out super light gray and now her coat looks pretty dark gray throughout the stripe on her back, so it must have been baby molting. Here's an updated picture of her that I took! http://i.imgur.com/MPneZKM.jpg


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## Xerneas (Aug 6, 2013)

I have a blazed gal. Didn't know about the risks involved with blazes regarding high white and MC until a few months later. To make my heart attack worse she's from a store so I've got no idea of her genetics, and of course we all know how the mills that supply pet stores work... The only thing that reassured me was that I had her for a while and she had no problems and I had read that MC usually has an early onset. Also the constant reminder that not all blazes are high white and not all high whites have MC but yanno.

I actually don't know if she's a blazed because it's a kind of funky looking blaze but that's what I've always thought. If anyone wants to correct me go ahead. Her markings are a little concerning to me though because I did see a rat on a high white info page that had a back marking similar to hers. 







<-- eating crouton lol

Anyways, she's almost 2 years old and has never had any problems, so hopefully she won't have a scary late onset...  If she IS high white, and blazed for that matter but doesn't have MC, well, I got very lucky... HW rats are beautiful, but too little people understand what they're getting into.


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