# Is my rat a half dumbo??? How can I tell?



## natty (May 9, 2012)

I recently got 2 rats for my daughters. I've never owned dumbos before, and wasn't even aware they existed until recently (I haven't owned rats in many, many years). Until today, I also wasn't aware that there were half breed dumbos. How can you tell? One of my rats (Gideon) has the classic dumbo eats, and a shorter snout. Fanta, while his ears are low and set toward the sides of his head, they are pointer in shape than Gideon's and Fanta also has a narrow snout like a regular fancy. (Fanta is the white one, Gideon the hooded one)


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## natty (May 9, 2012)

I was told they were both dumbos. (not that I care, of course LOL...I'm just curious to know if maybe Fanta is half dumbo, and that may explain why he's more hyper than Gideon, as I've heard that dumbos tend to be couch potato types)


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## natty (May 9, 2012)

(his ears are a LITTLE rounder than they look in that photo...but in this pic, he looks like a standard fancy rat to me)


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## natty (May 9, 2012)

Here's a better shot of Fanta's ears.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Fanta looks top-eared or standard eared, but a lower placement than most, and Gideon is a regular dumbo. A rat is either dumbo or not, not a half-dumbo. Fanta is just a poor standard ear with lower ear placement than usual. But as pets they are both beautiful. By the way dumbo is ONLY ear placement, nothing else, they are both considered fancy rats, in fact ALL domesticated rats are really fancy rats.


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## natty (May 9, 2012)

Yeah, I knew they were all fancy rats. I was looking online, though, and saw a bunch of references to half breed dumbos. He's a lot more hyper than Gideon, and I wonder if that's partly why (that he's not actually a dumbo, which seem to have calmer dispositions). I did buy them at a pet store (I looked for breeders, but there were just none in my area, and all I could find through rescues were rats that were close to the end of their lifespans), so I'm sure they probably had no clue. And I didn't really look at their ears when I got them...I just looked in their eyes (to make sure they were clear), and checked their breathing, disposition, etc. But they were both supposed to be dumbos. LOL! Not that I care, like I said. I'd just gone looking for dumbos on purpose, since they were for my kids, and I figured that was the best chance at getting a "lap rat". And it so happens that my younger daughter picked out Fanta, and she's ADHD and super hyper herself...hehehehe. But she's a bit disappointed that he's not calmer and won't really sit with her. She adores him and just wants to cuddle him. But I assured her that he will most likely calm some as he gets older, and be more content to sit still sometimes and be petted. He's not at all aggressive. Just jumpier and more hyper than Gideon (who is SUPER laid back and loves to cuddle).


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## natty (May 9, 2012)

hoping this works with my tablet. better shot of Fanta's ear placement. here he looks like a dumbo. lol


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Ahhh those pics are better. Fanta is a cute but "poor" dumbo, so technically you got 2 dumbos LOL

Just an fyi, Dumbo is a dominant trait, so a rat is either visibly dumbo or it is standard ear, there is no half-dumbos...I have seen "breedersr" with this claim on their site and almost fell off my chair laughing


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Oops meant recessive trait...


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## natty (May 9, 2012)

what is a "poor" dumbo?


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## natty (May 9, 2012)

and thanks! he is pretty adorable lol


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## British (Apr 2, 2012)

I assume she means "poor" in relation to the standard, like with dogs. You can have a poor Doberman - it's still a Doberman, but it's not a good example of the breed, due to bad conformation, variant markings, etc. The standard has been set for all breeds to ensure that when you breed, you're breeding from good examples to produce good examples. I presume it is this way for rats, also.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

very much. A "poor" black is not jet black without any silvering...not very often you see one of those as just pets. Another example of poor black is a dark brownish black rat or a rusting black rat. 

This rescue boy is dumbo but the poorest dumbo I have ever seen...he made a fantastic pet though for his adopters


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## natty (May 9, 2012)

Ah! Thanks for the info.  Fanta is getting a little calmer already. He's still a spaz, but he seems to be totally comfortable with us. Both boys are now coming up and standing at their cage walls when we come in and say hi to them. Like they can't wait to be acknowledged and to come out and play. I think they are both going to be fantastic pets.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Ear placement is just ear placement.... a dumbo is a dumbo and a standard is a standard. There is nothing in between, although there could be low set standard ears, and high set dumbo ears. However both of those would be considered faults/undesirable traits.

Color/ear placement/marking have no relation to the rat's temperament AT ALL. It might be that their particular breeding line is more hyper/active but it has nothing to do with ear placement 

And yes, poor dumbo by show standards. Not that it matters one bit to us pet owners  Here is a little bit on the shapes of dumbo ears: http://www.nfrs.org/data/EarToday.html


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