# Non rat owners thinking they know about rats.



## Ratnamedbuddy (Jan 10, 2017)

Okay so I have this friend who was trying to tell me about my very light grey hooded rat the other day.
She was telling me how my "Albion" rat was prone to lung infections because he's Albion, How he's going to die before he reaches two cause that's the life expectancy of an Albion rat and how he is actually blind

A) there's no such thing as an Albion rat, they're red eyed,pink eyed and ruby eyed.
B) he is not blind but he can't see very well 
And C) stop telling me about my rat when you don't know anything about him! 

Grrr that afternoon angered me so much! 
Sorry for the rant


----------



## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

Asuming you mean Albino. 
Technically Albino rats do exist and although they look identical to PEWs, they are genetically different. 

PEWs are selectively bred to have pure white markings all over their body. 
Albinism is genetic mutation that causes a total absence of pigment. An Albino rat may genetically be any colour but the mutation causes them to have no pigment.

But obviously your rat isn't an Albino if he is grey.


----------



## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

Fu-Inle said:


> Asuming you mean Albino.
> Technically Albino rats do exist and although they look identical to PEWs, they are genetically different.
> 
> PEWs are selectively bred to have pure white markings all over their body.
> ...


In some countries (like over here in the US) the PEW actually does include albino, not all PEWs are albinos but all albinos are PEW. Here's from AFRMA (American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association) 

"*P*ink-Eyed Whites, like Frosty, have a long history in the rat fancy. The Albino rat (officially known as the Pink-Eyed White or PEW) is most likely the very first mutation to be discovered and purposely bred." - http://www.afrma.org/pewrats.htm

But ya, obviously not all PEW are genetically albino.


----------



## Ratnamedbuddy (Jan 10, 2017)

Yeah sorry didn't realise my phone auto corrected me haha. 
I was always told here in the UK that they don't exist but the rat you've just shown me looks like my buddy


----------



## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

It looks like I can kinda see the markings you're talking about, super super faded gray? In that case the rat wouldn't be albino but wouldn't quite make it as a PEW either since the rat isn't completely white, you're right. Simply a hooded with the markings _almost _bred out enough to be PEW. 

Also I hate when people talk about albino rats like they're sickly and bad, they desperately need some love and rumors like that don't help them with getting picked up!  

You have a very sweet rattie by the way.


----------



## Ratnamedbuddy (Jan 10, 2017)

Coffeebean said:


> It looks like I can kinda see the markings you're talking about, super super faded gray? In that case the rat wouldn't be albino but wouldn't quite make it as a PEW either since the rat isn't completely white, you're right. Simply a hooded with the markings _almost _bred out enough to be PEW.
> 
> Also I hate when people talk about albino rats like they're sickly and bad, they desperately need some love and rumors like that don't help them with getting picked up!
> 
> ...


Yeah I was told he was like a pearl grey (well that's what the pet shop said) I fell in love with the fact that his grey is so light that when you look at him face on he does look all white, it isn't until oh look at him from the back that you see his markings.

Buddy is on and off ill now due to pneumonia scarring his lungs so id happily take on an albino rat  buddy also can't see very well and often goes by vibrations on the floor or sound when I'm calling him.back over.

Thank you! I know you shouldn't have favourites but he's mine.


----------



## Zindi (Jan 6, 2017)

In Hungary we generaly say albino rats, it's simpler.
What grinds my gears is a lot of people call fancy rats hooded rats. White fur with pink eyes? Hooded rat. Balck berkshire? Hooded rat. Husky? Hooded rat. God please no. (hooded rat).
But fortuanley rats are so rare here that most people don't know anything about them BUT are curious, so usually i'm bombarded with question at the vet's waiting room but it's nice because people are actually interested in them so when one of them calls them hooded rats i can explain the difference and by far everyone was like "oh, i see, ididn't know that".
Ofc there are some "experts" like "i kept my rats in a tiny tarrarium on wood shaving, alone, fed him seeds and chocolate and he lived to like 3 so obviously your method are stupid, this is how you should keep them" *reaches for shotgun* or my fav "i give them a natural diet of seeds, don't need that fancy pellet, rat-specific food, they're find on whatever they find, like in nature" do you also want them to die at 6 months of age JUST LIKE IN NATURE?
Sometimes i'm amazed these people have voting rights...


----------

