# Cool rat pattern #3



## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

.#3


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## Borntorodeo (Feb 28, 2014)

What a cutie! Is s/he yours?


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

Yes, he is mine


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## Lovingly (Jun 24, 2013)

A split cap stripe a very dangerous marking to be working with if you are in the u.s.


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## Borntorodeo (Feb 28, 2014)

Lovingly has a point. Split caps are at high risk for what is called Megacolon. That's where the rat cannot pass feces and it back up the colon and distends the belly. It causes a lot of pain and is fatal.


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

He seems to be doing fine


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## LeStan82 (Dec 31, 2013)

He is cute! Oh please tell me you named him Three! Lol. It is always cool to see markings like that.


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

Never had a case of it. High whites have a better chance of getting it I believe.


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## Borntorodeo (Feb 28, 2014)

Megacolon can be early onset, which normally happens around 2 weeks, or late onset which is most commonly 2-5 months, but can be as late as 4-10. Megacolon can also be injury related. High whites, odd eyes, blazes, badgers, baldies, essex, split caps, downunders, BEWs, husky, roans, banded are all markings that are at higher risk. English Blues, Merles and Pearls are high risk colors. Hairless and tailless, are also high risk.


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

Not sure what I will name him, but three is in the running


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

Umm so....... if split caps are among lots of other different types that are at risk, why so dangerous?


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## Borntorodeo (Feb 28, 2014)

You could name in 3 in another language. When I got my 3rd ferret, we named him Tres.


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## Borntorodeo (Feb 28, 2014)

ratnest said:


> Umm so....... if split caps are among lots of other different types that are at risk, why so dangerous?


 I think what Lovingly meant by it's a dangerous marking to work with in the states, is that Split Caps, when bred, can produce Megacolon. Even if not being bred, it would still be a good idea to watch him. I have a male rat who is high risk for Megacolon as well, and I watch him like a hawk.


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## Lovingly (Jun 24, 2013)

Even if he dosent have it his offspring are at very very high risk of haveing it


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

Thanks, i'll keep that in mind


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

So what do you guys / gals think? Oh and has anyone ever trimmed guard hairs to show off a pattern? good idea or bad?


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## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

ratnest said:


> Thanks, i'll keep that in mind


(But still continue to breed it anyway) haha.


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

I am fairly new to this forum, and yes I have gone through the rules before posting. We are not talk about planed litters. So no, I will not talk about breeding this guy  I just posted to share with everyone on here


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## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

Yeah, I was just remarking on the funny dismissive nature of your comment on their cautionary warnings.


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

I wonder if they tell everyone that with a rat that is at "high" risk. They would have a field day in the meet my rat section lol


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## Lovingly (Jun 24, 2013)

The people in the met my rat sections rats are pet only, they are very aware of the risks of breeding them so they dont


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

Neither of his parents are split caps FYI


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## Borntorodeo (Feb 28, 2014)

That does not mean that they could not be carries for MC. There is no way of testing for MC, therefore, you don't know which rat may have it or carry it. There are cases where non HW have been affected. While not a whole lot is known about the disease, it is serious. Even if you #3 boy doesn't have MC, he himself could be a carrier. So, when you breed him to another carrier, it most likely will result in some dead babies. It could be a high percentage of babies or a low. It just depends. The point is, unless you really want to take a chance, your best bet is to neuter him to make sure he doesn't produce.


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## Andyurgay (Jun 10, 2013)

Why has this thread gone into assuming this person is going to breed their rat? They never said one thing about it but now we are talking about neutering him just in case? In case of what? None of us know the situation. Just because a person has a rat that could potentially be HW does not mean we should recommend getting him fixed. Especially if the person never intended, nor even mentioned breeding him. He looked like he could be HW so some people recommended watching to be sure he did not develop megacolon, not because they intended on breeding their rat. I'd ask everyone to read through the entire thread before assuming, taking this thread way off topic and potentially making Ratnest feel attacked. There was never any mention of breeding him, just genetics that lead to HW and why Ratnest should watch for signs in his/her rat.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

It's good to put out the information about high white. It's really something everyone should understand, whether they're interested in breeding rats or not. It very well could be a recessive marking, but it's hard to say without knowing his lineage.

However, I agree that we don't need to jump to conclusions at all. Stick to the topic. He's a cutie


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## Lovingly (Jun 24, 2013)

If you read his previous posts you would see he/she does breed rats. But I guess we are getting off topic so I will drop it.


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## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

ratnest said:


> I wouldn't want anyone to chop off my balls, but that's just me



As someone that runs a rescue that does mostly dogs...I hear these comments from men all the time. Cant stand them. Ill-educated and close minded. I heard it from someone the other day that refused to neuter his ill-behaved, sexually charged pitbull.


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## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

Not that I am suggesting that all small pets need neuters. They are caged mostly. But all dogs should be spayed and neutered in my opinion.


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## Borntorodeo (Feb 28, 2014)

Andyurgay said:


> Why has this thread gone into assuming this person is going to breed their rat? They never said one thing about it but now we are talking about neutering him just in case? In case of what? None of us know the situation. Just because a person has a rat that could potentially be HW does not mean we should recommend getting him fixed. Especially if the person never intended, nor even mentioned breeding him. He looked like he could be HW so some people recommended watching to be sure he did not develop megacolon, not because they intended on breeding their rat. I'd ask everyone to read through the entire thread before assuming, taking this thread way off topic and potentially making Ratnest feel attacked. There was never any mention of breeding him, just genetics that lead to HW and why Ratnest should watch for signs in his/her rat.


 I have read the whole thread. I didn't just jump in and chime my 2 sense. Not in this post, but other post the OP has talked about genetics and them breeding rats. I'm not assuming anything.


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

Hope all are enjoying this unique pattern ;D


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

Genetics aside,.. I would just like to share this unique pattern with you Guys and Gals out there. The number three really doesn't ring to many bells in my head, unless you talk about NASCAR and then....wait a minute,... it must be NASCAR season, that's right! Who knows.... for all I know this could be some kind of unseen sign, but the number three at the least!


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

Still no signs of Megacolon, everything seems to be passing quite well


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## Ratmom83 (Apr 24, 2014)

Very cool coloring

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I've owned a high white, she was a really nice and special rat... and she was most likely one of two survivors of a litter gone south, but the odd blaze aside the subject rat here looks a lot more like a mis-marked hooded than a high white.

Even our high white, lived over two years and was taken down in part by a most ordinary mammary tumor which actually grew quite slowly until the very end. She had the tumor for over a year. If anything her genetics might have actually helped her live longer.

Owning a high white to my mind doesn't pose any more risk than any other rat after it's 5 weeks old and has proven it can properly digest food...

Now as far as the folks that breed high whites.... there's one under two hours from the feeder bin we found our high white culled in that claims to have no issues with megacolon.... who sells high whites just like ours, for a premium. Any association between a fancy rat breeder selling premium high whites and a nearby feeder bin with high white culls is most likely just a coincidence... But if it weren't you might have to wonder...


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

still kickin


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## ratnest (Dec 4, 2013)

http://youtu.be/OOhTO_qHCgY


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## Ratbag (Nov 30, 2013)

He's a handsome rat!!


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