Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Are any of the rat morphs(ie. dumbos, rex, hairless) dominate?
The reason I ask is I've had rexes turn up after a single generation. Were my females gene carriers, or is it not simple recessive?
Thanks!
-Derek

Rex is dominate. I had the same thing happen. I think some rex just don't show it as much as others.

The diffrence being a dominant morph simply creates more of itself.. there is no "next" step to the morph..

If you breed rex X rex.. you get some rex.. some normals and some DOUBLE REX (mock furless)..

Then if you breed a double rex X normal... you will get ALL rex babies

this demonstrates classic co-dominant behavior.

Except somehow I don't think it turns out that way. I have some dumbo rats right now that the dad is dumbo hairless (double rex)The mom was phenotypically a normal coat dumbo. That litter came out all normal coated dumbos. Now the F2....same sire bred to his daughters and I am getting dumbo hairless (mocks) and some that thus far look normal coated. Go fig.
Sonya

So I breed two normals together and got hairless. Not the hairless that go naked after they grow hair, but these stayed hairless (now weaners) with only growing fur on their face from just above the eyes down. They have full straight whiskers too. So I guess that both parents were het for rex, right? Then too... what does 'mock hairless' mean?
Thanks,
MissHisssss

So I breed two normals together and got hairless. Not the hairless that go naked after they grow hair, but these stayed hairless (now weaners) with only growing fur on their face from just above the eyes down. They have full straight whiskers too. So I guess that both parents were het for rex, right? Then too... what does 'mock hairless' mean?

Hmmm. Don't know what you have but mock hairless aka double rexes usually have fuzzy faces etc. Often the coat is noticably thinner from fuzzy stage on. Sometimes they get a coat and lose it. Or lose it in waves. But rex or double rex is indicative of curly whiskers and wavy coat or very very thin coat.
Sonya

Thanks Sonya. I checked them out again this morning and now I see some bits of hair growing on their bodies. This is now well over the time their eyes openned. So maybe they were just slow to get it... and hopefully will loose it again. I also have rex in the litters that were born after these but I don't see any hairless ones this time. I expected to see rex from these normal parents that obviously carry the gene... but I didn't think I'd get the hairless from this cross.

I've enjoyed reading all of ya alls posts. Thanks for the education.
MissHisssss

I am speaking of hairless mice, not rats. I guess they work the same though, right?

MissHisssss

Funny that this hairless mice stuff has come up lately and suddenly I have some show up. Now I am not sure if these three (two pictured) are hairless or just been barbered by someone else in the cage. But as you can see the one is as hairless as my double rex rats. I think these are really double rexes mostly because when the first got fuzzy I was seeing rexy looks. Then the one went down to nearly nothing and the other two are half there. Go figure. I probably will breed them just to see what happens.

Sonya

Mine looked like the one at the bottom in your picture, but their hair and whiskers are straight. Now the hair on the face is thinning out and they are starting to grow straight hair on their bodies. They are at weaning age. I have no idea what's going on.

MissHisssss

Thanks for all your input!
Let me see if I've got this. There are both a 'hairless' morph and a 'super rex' that is hairless?
How can I tell if the hairless I got in a pet shop is actually the hairless morph, or the super rex?
-Derek

Personally, I don't know... that's why I've been askin about these guys I have. I've never had them before because I usually feed them off before they grow very big.

MissHisssss.

applys ONLY to RATS.. not mice..

and i have the really strong suspicion that there is a "curly" gene floating around which is seperate in every way from the "rex" gene in rats..

hairless mice.. ive had them in the past.. and ive always just fed them off.. LOL

dan

Perhaps this would be a good project for someone that has more time than myself... to find out if there is more than one type of hairless gene, and if the gene(s)work the same in both mice and rats. Anyone interested?

MissHisssss