# Tri-colored rat -very unusual looking



## Berkshire (Oct 19, 2010)

This is Twilght (She came with that name). She has 3 beautiful colors, blue that ripples into cinnamon, with a lovely white belly. Twilght's blue fur is soft and smooth, but her cinnamon fur is a little coarse. She's so odd.

This photo shows her colors best:




































Can anyone tell me about Tri-colors?
For a while I have been thinking about starting a breeding program, and then this girl came along (the people I got her from are trying to find past owner information). 

Has anyone seen this kind of color/marking before? I have looked and can't find anything like it!


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## Meep (Jun 21, 2010)

I've never seen anything like this before, she sure is gorgeous though!


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## Legends Of Rock Rattery (Oct 18, 2010)

She is not tri colored, she is heavily rusted. I have a few rats like that. Its a pain in the butt because it is a disqualification when showing. Its just discoloration of the fur pretty much. Someone told me it can be caused by diet and/or its hereditary. Anyway allot of people think it is a tri color when it is in fact rusting. 
Here are a pic of my rusted dove


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## blenderpie (Sep 10, 2009)

she sure is unusual. Very pretty, though.


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## yunafonfabre (May 31, 2010)

Well, I don't do rat shows, and I think rusting is beautiful as long as the rat's still healthy.


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## Legends Of Rock Rattery (Oct 18, 2010)

More pics of one of my rusted rats
This is Squishy. Where her rusting is, is where rusting is most common.
Now Those little areas of discoloration are that "cinnamon" or rust color


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## Legends Of Rock Rattery (Oct 18, 2010)

Theyre really pretty..just sucks when your a breeder, breeding for beautiful self babies and 2 months later rusting pops up. But I guess it doesnt really matter when they go to pet homes.


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## Berkshire (Oct 19, 2010)

Rusting, hmm
I have never heard of rusting this extreme before, I think it's very pretty. I feel privileged to have such a beautiful and sweet girl, even if she is not so unusual, she is still very special. 

I wonder what could be the cause of her "rusted" fur to by rather coarse in comparison to her "normal" fur.
It's significantly rough to the touch. I would like to know why.

Are there any other cases of rusting that striking?


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## halfmoon (Mar 29, 2010)

My fawn hooded boy, Connor, has quirky little patches of rusting. I thought he got into something that left a stain on his fur. :


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## Legends Of Rock Rattery (Oct 18, 2010)

Berkshire said:


> Rusting, hmm
> I have never heard of rusting this extreme before, I think it's very pretty. I feel privileged to have such a beautiful and sweet girl, even if she is not so unusual, she is still very special.
> 
> I wonder what could be the cause of her "rusted" fur to by rather coarse in comparison to her "normal" fur.
> ...


You should see my rusted rats in person. They look like theyre calico. over time most of her body might turn rusted. See the color Squishy is in those pics I posted. Shes kind of a silverish color(dove) well now most of her body is the rush color along with 2 of her daughters. They usually start out with that pattern on squishy and then it spreads with age. There isnt really much info in rusting though.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Wow she is VERY heavily rusted!! I think its beautiful, but yeah its not really something you would want in a breeding program esp if the rusted parts are coarse. She still looks young, usually older rats get it - the rusting could get worse and worse as she ages.
Tri color rats do exist but they are very rare, and it can not be reproduced through breeding its more of a fluke you getting it pop up in your litters.

Heres a rescue boy, who was pet store bought by his owners.. Its called a mosaic marking when its just a small part of the rat covered. But you can see the difference between a rusted rat and a real tri color.


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## Nagi (Sep 19, 2010)

They are all so beautiful! <3<3<3

My boys are blue dumbos, but the sister of their mother was thought to be a blue dumbo as well (mom is a cream colour), but she (the aunt haha) has this 'rusting' on her lower back but its the same colour as the mom. Does this 'rusting' come out with age? Or is it from the get go?


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Usually rusting isn't a concern in young rats.... its almost like people getting gray hair - something that should be associated with old age. When I say old I mean from a year onwards! I had a 10 month old boy get a very small amount of rusting and I thought that was too early.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

I actually have 4 rats all VERY rusted all under 1 year old. They started rusting at 5 months o_o

They are all from the same litter, so I assume it's from bad genetics.


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## Legends Of Rock Rattery (Oct 18, 2010)

My rats got their rusting at 4 or 5 months old...Ive been trying to breed it out(hard!) Ive never had a health problem with any rat with rusting though. The ones that are rusted in my rattery are the ones that have been alive the longest actually,with no health problems at all.


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## Nagi (Sep 19, 2010)

Is it really bad genes? I think its just pretty markings. Like Freckles or balding? haha


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## Legends Of Rock Rattery (Oct 18, 2010)

I dunno what causes it. I know its hard to breed out. In my litters of a certain line out of a litter of 10-13 maybe 2 or 3 do not have the rusting...most of the time they all do just some less than others


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## lauri2010 (Jan 11, 2010)

I think they look very unique..I have never seen any like that around here..


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Its not considered 'bad genes'... the rats can still be sweet healthy family pets. I wouldn't say its a big issues if they are popping up in breeders litters, but the breeder should be aware and be trying to improve upon that/breed it out. Just means the rat doesn't hold their color well and it would disqualify them from showing. And also they could 'spoil' the coats of other established lines that you out cross them to. No good breeder would use your lines because they will spoil their own lines, unless of course the rats themselves were especially exceptional.


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## Legends Of Rock Rattery (Oct 18, 2010)

Yeah Im adopting all of mine out on pet only contracts until I can breed the rusting out. Its prooving to be a pain in the butt.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Yeah sometimes it can be really deep rooted within a line. I only have 1 boy with very minimal rusting, but I'm choosing to leave him in my program regardless and its very minimal you can't see it unless you take him outside in bright light. I also hope to improve on it of course. 

I've also had a bit of a similar issue with my Russian Blues (although I'm not breeding for this color, so have not been making active improvements) but I'm not sure if its rusting... the Russian Blue almost turns Mink in good lighting.. but not in patches like rusting. Not sure if its a brown wash as I out crossed that blue line to a strong black one but I know for sure neither lines carry mink. Its interesting none the least.


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## Nagi (Sep 19, 2010)

How can one breed out Rusting? If one can't control it, how can it be 'bred out'?


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

With selective breeding. Either only breeding from rats with no rusting at all. Or possibly outcross the line to a line with very strong color/coats and hold back several of the offspring - select the best and do over again, when you get the rats you want make their traits strong within your line. It just takes time and very careful selections.


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## Legends Of Rock Rattery (Oct 18, 2010)

Yeah I selected my dove female with Minimal rusting and Im out crossing with a dark russian blue. Im really excited about it


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## toby (May 11, 2009)

shes beautiful.


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## Nagi (Sep 19, 2010)

I'm kind of in the mist of wanting to breed my boys with a blue female. I love blue dumbos! They're my first ratties, but I fear once I breed (should I breed) I'm going to have a house full of rats lol


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

If you are asking us that question, then your not ready to breed - esp from your first ratties! You'll need a lot more experience, I'd recommend asking an established breeder to mentor you. Breeding rats need so much more thought than just aiming for a pretty color. 

When you have a breeding program, you will need to maintain a small colony which is very time and resource consuming. Its also a lot of responsibility to keep in touch with adopters, have space available in case any of your rats are surrendered back to you. And of course making sure you are knowledgeable enough to be breeding with a purpose.

Maybe you could consider fostering several litters before you create your own. You will get a good idea of how much time, food and energy goes into raising them and see if its something you think you have a real passion for.


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## riotfox (Apr 16, 2010)

aw whats wrong with rusting? its cute!


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## Nagi (Sep 19, 2010)

Heh, I'm not planning any time yet to be honest. I have a small zoo as is, and I'm a full time Child and Youth Worker. To be honest, I just watched and 'helped' a friend of mine with his first litter (where I got my boys) and it wasn't so bad, but I can see where time and space are IMPORTANT! 
Almost all my pets are adoption/rescues, so I have the patience and love for some of the more challenging babies. I have such beautiful boys, I would love to see their children, but I also know what the responsible choice is right now. Maybe my friend that is into hobby breeding, would breed one of my boys later on; and I can take another rat or two. I'll just watch and learn until I'm ready both time and energy 

Thank you for the informed response though, its really nice to see how many people look out for each other....and the ratties<3


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

I find the rusting charming as well in some cases, its unique and the fur isn't always coarse. Not that I'd be purposely breeding for it - I think its important they hold their color well. But I don't purposely breed for 'show' standards, marking or color wise. 

You also have to think about what kind of genes you'll be putting into your babies, do you have any kind of pedigree for them? Your boys need to be beautiful on the inside as well. (health + genetic wise) I produced a gorgeous American Blue berk that will never be bred because he has dominant tendencies. (Not injuring them, but pinning/puffing up etc)
Heres a pic of him:








Lovely lovely boy, we get to enjoy him but I see no reason to pass along his genes to other rats and rat owners.


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## Nagi (Sep 19, 2010)

To be honest, their parents are fantastic rats but they're rescues...there is no background infromation on them. However, I know they're both adorable, kind rats that are snuggle butt's and curious fellows. I know Mom is a cream dumbo and dad is a black and white fancy. I know Mom is a soft hearted shy lady where as Dad loves to explore and be handled. If genes and behaviours are directly in the blood too, then I see these behaviours in my boys as well...

Cloud is shy, quiet, a snuggler...he is smaller than his brother. He is careful with who handles him, but he is a sweetheart that will snuggle into my neck and groom until he passes out.
Blue is more dom, he loves to explore, loves to groom his handlers, he runs around the entire cage with a vengence hahaha. But he takes care of his brother...and is a snuggler <3

How can you find out more about rat genes, if you don't know more than who the parents are? Or is just something you learn with a few litters? I.E make a history?


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

You know if they are rescues then its highly likely they came from a BYB or rat mill (via. pet store) That would make the likely hood for them to have bad genes pretty high. 1 generation wouldn't be enough, its not only temperament.. what about health? how long did the grandparents live for? All lines have medical issues, so it would be a gamble on your part to breed these boys. 

If one of your boys is shy or dominant... that could be passed along to the babies. Their temperaments really need to be spot on. I don't feel any exceptions are ever okay. If you want to breed them just because they are beautiful.. then look for a good breeder with the same color/type - having an extensive pedigree is crucial so you actually know what your pairing together.

You can't find out more about genes. The people who created these genes didn't care enough about them to document or improve them. Unfortunately DNA testing isn't available yet. Having a few test litters, just to see what the genetics hold color wise.... would be quite irresponsible.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

ema-leigh said:


> Yeah sometimes it can be really deep rooted within a line. I only have 1 boy with very minimal rusting, but I'm choosing to leave him in my program regardless and its very minimal you can't see it unless you take him outside in bright light. I also hope to improve on it of course.
> 
> I've also had a bit of a similar issue with my Russian Blues (although I'm not breeding for this color, so have not been making active improvements) but I'm not sure if its rusting... the Russian Blue almost turns Mink in good lighting.. but not in patches like rusting. Not sure if its a brown wash as I out crossed that blue line to a strong black one but I know for sure neither lines carry mink. Its interesting none the least.


yeah, i'm sure you've noticed luna has a little bit of rustbutt herself... haha


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Yes I did, it looks odd her color being so light... I thought it was buck grease at first glance lol. Its strange her brother Whiskey who is an American Blue berk isn't rusted at all. Although her sister Jennifer, a Russian blue is.


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