# Hairless Rats



## kkmarie (May 27, 2012)

Hey everyone,

I will be getting hairless boys in about a month and I have some questions. Will I be able to tell them apart if they have no fur? Also I have been reading online about hairless rat care specifically, because I know they have to be kept warmer and they have certain skin issues they are more prone to. Any other advice you can give about these guys?

Thanks!


----------



## 021414 (Aug 30, 2010)

I've taken care of several hairless rats before, both males and females. I was able to tell them apart because the ones I handled had variations in skin pigmentation where it looked like they were going to be hooded rats but just didn't grow any fur. The rats I handled were at a local zoo and were not properly cared for to begin with (in an overcrowded aquarium, on cedar bedding, not fed the right food, etc.) They tended to get skin abscesses quite easily since they would box and scratch each other. Their nails were never trimmed either, so I'm not sure if its normal for them to be more susceptible to skin infections or not. It seems logical to me that not having a fur coat would result in a higher chance of skin maladies. Also, the males tend to build buck grease on their skin fairly quickly and it seems to cake on. Of course the zoo didn't do anything about that, but if they were my rats I probably would have bathed them more frequently. I'm not sure if thats the correct answer to that issue.


----------



## Lucys_Mom (Feb 27, 2012)

I just got two hairless boys. I love them. Check them out: http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?49204-My-Latest-Rescues-)-2-Handsome-boys They do need their nails to be kept short, so they are less likely to scratch eachother deeply. Yes, they do get a build-up of buck grease, and mine need to be bathed every two weeks. You can also use baby wipes to stretch it out longer. I was told by the girl who rescued them, to put olive oil on their skin after the bath, especially if it is looking kinda dry. You may want to make sure that any fabric in the cage is washed in unscented detergent, because they sometimes get rashes. I was surprised at how much higher their metabolism is, but they will eat more than a normal rat to maintain their body temp, even when the room is 75+ degrees, like our rat room is. The higher quallity their food is, the better. Also, to avoid infection of scratches, it is even more important that their bedding is changed out regularly. Don't let all of these special instructions scare you, they are awesome little pets. I'm so glad that I have my little guys  Good luck, and ask any questions along the way. I'm sure there are plenty of experienced hairless rat parents in here to help you along


----------



## ILoveMyMonsters (May 25, 2012)

Hi kkmarie:

I just lost my old hairless boy, and there are some special health concerns you should know about. First though, you can tell them apart - hairless rats still have coloration variation of the skin pigments and some varieties of hairless have "peach fuzz" - soft, sparse hair - on the body. Whiskers are usually curly or absent. All of these factors can be taken into consideration to make telling your hairless boys apart a lot easier . 

Health concerns are a big issue with hairless rats. Their body temperatures are warmer than usual due to their higher metabolism, but they are more sensitive to temperature changes and get cold easier. I housed mine with a furry rat to help with this and monitored the temperature of my room. If you take them outside, be mindful of long they are out in the elements and do not allow them to remain in direct sunlight so they don't get burned. To go with the increased metabolism, hairless rats often need higher amounts of healthy fats and protein (avacadoes, nuts, treats, etc.) to keep meat on their bones since they burn off food faster. Immune systems are also compromised, so it is not unusual for them to become ill easier. 

This last bit is hard for me, but it is true and this is a caution note: Nearly all those of the hairless rat "types" (types of hairless include: Double Rex, Patchwork, "true" hairless, "fuzzy" hairless) do not live to two years of age. I've had three - two died at 14 and 22 months respectively and almost without warning (one had sudden renal failure, the other suddenly developed pneumonia and died after a week after nearly two years of being completely healthy) and the third battled mammary cancer for the last half of her life and was euthanized by 2 years. I'm not trying to deter you from owning a hairless, but please know these things. They are sweet, soft little rats whose squishiness is beyond adorable. Just bear in mind these little tidbits on their care and that they can be fragile. Best of luck to your new boys! ;D


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

ILoveMyMonsters said:


> Hi kkmarie:
> 
> I just lost my old hairless boy, and there are some special health concerns you should know about. First though, you can tell them apart - hairless rats still have coloration variation of the skin pigments and some varieties of hairless have "peach fuzz" - soft, sparse hair - on the body. Whiskers are usually curly or absent. All of these factors can be taken into consideration to make telling your hairless boys apart a lot easier .
> 
> ...


I want to add a few more things. Hairless (or usually just double rex) also have more skin issues (sebaceous cysts, regular cysts, etc), and you will have to get used to horrible looking scratches on them and not freak out each time. And here's the big issue...they don't have fur or proper eyelashes to prevent debris from getting in their eyes so they are prone to eye issues, infections, and especially punctures of the eyeballs and debris stuck inside their 3rd eyelid which is painful and usually requires a vet visit to gas doen your rat and have the debris removed and the eye flushed. You will probably need to apply an ointment and if there's infection present use antibiotics for a minimum of 2 weeks. You may luck out and have a nakie with good eyes but you have to be prepared.

A friend of mine on a limited budget couldn't afford a second enucleation for her girl, and couldn't afford any more vet visits to have Olive's eyes cleaned out, so a bunch of us banded together and raised the money for the surgery. You may not have that support.

As for ages, nakies can and sometimes do live long lives...

My first nakies were old ladies when I got them from the shelter. They were chronically ill and were on antibiotics all their lives. One girl got in a tussle with her sister and ruptured her eyeball...at that point I was with a lousy vet so had to go through a couple of months of just ointments and watching that eye carefully...it shrunk safely with no infection and Bella and Lisbet both lived til 3 years old.

My 2nd nakie was Lilith and she was prone to getting debris under her eyelids, which meant many vet visits every few months. I had to flush her eyes with Natural Tears every day to try to keep the debris out and extend the time between vet visits. She lived until 26 months and died of a bone cancer condition on that side of her face/eye.

My 3rd, and 4th nakies were ELi and Leo...Leo had no real issues, but Eli came to me with a dead eye that had to be surgically removed, then later on he lost his other eye to a seizure. Eli arrived a much older boy and left me a very old man. Leo died early (under 2) from a huge abdominal tumour.

My 4th nakie was Linny, she is still fine, at about 18 months old. No real issues.

My 5th nakie was Rhesus and he had pretty good eyes all his life...he died of pulmonary abscesses then stroke.

My 6th, 7th and 8th and 6th nakies are Norby, Waldo, Melvin and Nara...these rats came to me with their eyes so full of debris you couldn't see their eyes...these rats are on a very special regime, lint-free as much as possible. They cannot live on fleece, cannot have many of the things normal rats use as the debris gets into their eyes. Little Mlevin had to have a eye removed that had ruptured from his conditions. They live on vet bed, and broadcloth hammocks I have made up speciallly for them. They get eye drops if their eyes look like they need it and so far not too many vet visits. They are all under a year old and doing pretty well.

My 9th nakie is Cybele who just arrived on Saturday night. She is old (well over 2) and was kept on wood chips becuase her eyes are gone. She had to have the debris removed from her sockets. She is looking at surgery to close up her eyes.

So you have to be very careful with the eyes on nakies and watch them like hawks. I am always very sad to hear they are still being deliberately bred when they are a very unhealthy animal over all and you can run into some very nasty and expensive problems. I take in rescues but wish people would stop breeding these unfortunate rats.


----------



## Lucys_Mom (Feb 27, 2012)

I agree with everything lilspaz said. Thank you you the tip on watching their eyes for debris. I have not heard of this danger before! What kind of bedding do you use? Perhaps I should switch to fabric liners for my boys? 

It is a good point that if you don't have extra money, it's best not to get a hairless rat. With any kind of pet, a "rainy day fund" is a must, but the cost of having a hairless can be a bit more. I agree that they shouldn't be intentionally bred. They are beautiful and a really unique pet, but they are also such fragile little animals, and an ethical breeder always cares about the health of the breed most of all. I would also like to see less people breeding hairless rats.


----------



## kkmarie (May 27, 2012)

Thanks everyone for the good info and input...I'm glad I can know about the problems associated with hairless and be prepared for them. I have a question though....is the difference in appearance between a hairless and double rex obvious or hard to tell? And do double rex rats have the same health problems associated with them that hairless do?


----------



## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

I have to wipe my hairless female's eye daily. I use just warm, not hot, water, and a latex cosmetic sponge (it doesnt leave behind little bits of lint like a washcloth or a paper towel would). 
I also give her a olive oil massage almost every week. I just use a little bit of olive oil on the cosmetic sponge, dab it on, then massage it into her skin with my fingertips. It moisturizes her skin (it can get very dry) but is completely edible and safe. 
I wrote an article and made a video of this for my blog (I even features a few of our other Ratforum member's little naked sweeties on there!):
http://ratwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/04/hairless-rat-skin-care.html


----------



## Lucys_Mom (Feb 27, 2012)

Shawna, do you recommend that I use fabric liners for my hairless boys? What kind of bedding do you use for them?


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Lucys_Mom said:


> Shawna, do you recommend that I use fabric liners for my hairless boys? What kind of bedding do you use for them?


For my boys and girls who have eye issues they are on Vetbed, and have broadcloth hammocks (very lint-free environment).

for regular nakies without any real eye issues they go on fleece


----------



## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

I tried the fleece liners but my rats did nothing except chew them to shreds. Now I use paper pellet litter in bottom of cage and keep the fleece scraps for inside their hanging basket bed. Avoid Carefresh whatever you do... It's soooo dusty.


----------

