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| My double rex rat, Butters |
When I first decided to get a pair of rats, I wasn't expecting to come home with a double rex rat. But after seeing Butters in the litter, I had to take him home with me! I did some research on double rex rats when I got Butters, and I'll share that info with you today.
What is the difference between double rex and hairless?
It's fairly hard to distinguish the difference between double rex rats and hairless rats. There are double rex rats with no hair and there are hairless rats with hair.
So how do you tell the difference? True hairless rats have absolutely no hair, not even whiskers, but some rats with the hairless gene do have very short hair often called "peach fuzz". Most double rex rats have peach fuzz or some short hair that falls out and regrows in different patches (this is why some double rex rats are called patchwork hairless). Double rex rats also have curly whiskers instead of the normal long, straight whiskers.
Hairless rats are pretty rare and it's likely that a "hairless" rat found at a pet store or rattery is actually double rex. I was actually told that Butters was a hairless rat when I got him, but it seems pretty clear now that he is a double rex.
Can double rex rats be kept with a standard furry rat?
Yes! Butters is kept with his brother, Timmy. Although they are from the same litter, Timmy has fur while Butters only has very short slightly curly hair. They can absolutely be kept together and, like any other rat, double rex rats always need a friend.
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| Timmy and Butters |
Do double rex rats need any special care?
Double rex rats have pretty much the same needs as a standard rat. The only difference I would point out is their lack of fur. This causes them to be more prone to cuts and scrapes when play-fighting with their cage-mates. They can typically clean these cuts themselves and they heal fairly quickly, but just keep an eye out for infections.
Whether you're looking into getting a double rex or a standard rat, make sure to read about how to properly care for a rat. They are low cost to acquire, but can be as expensive as a dog or cat if they get sick. However, rats are amazing, intelligent animals and it's so rewarding once you create a bond with them.
Take care!
Thank you for the advice! I'm getting another pair of rats soon and one of them is double rex. They look adorable!
ReplyDeleteomg I have a double rex rat and she looks EXACTLY like yours. Just she is white too and has the same print on her head.
ReplyDeleteGetting my first double rex boy in 2 days' time. I've kept rats for many years, but Abraxas will be my first d-r.
ReplyDeleteVery nice article! Rex rat coats vary widely in tightness & thickness of curl.If you're planning on getting a Rex rat for fun and are thinking about showing in the future, it's a good idea to take a baby into your home.Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIf considering showing, when you take one into your home, you might want to limit him to only 1 cage mate, either a female (unable to reproduce of course) or a neutered male, or a very calm male such as a senior, so that your Rex is not ever involved in play fighting and definitely not any real fighting. Hairless and Double Rex are especially prone to scarring, and it doesn't take much to give them noticeable scars, even just a minor scratch will ruin him for showing. JS.
DeleteI would like to add a few things... 1) Both hairless and double Rex rats need extra heat, so be sure to provide plenty of nesting materials that can be used to "cocoon" themselves in to stay warm while they sleep. My double Rex (DR) always digs far into his surrounding insulating nest (or my rat blanket) but leaves his tail out, a tell-tale indicator of his location (see what I did there???, Lol), which he does for temperature regulation. Rats are barely able to heat and cool their body temperature, (they don't sweat, they don't pant, and they don't (or won't) go into water to cool off), and rely on conduction through snuggling up to other rats or sources of heat to keep warm, as well as cocooning to recycle the heat they give off into the nest, but cooling is another matter. Before I got AC I only had a window fan, but some days the room would become unbearable, and my rats were bordering on overheating, and lay there lethargically. The first time I saw them become slow to respond I rubbed them down with ice çubes and gave them a big platter of ice water. I dipped them under cold water and went to buy an AC. But back to my DRs habit of cocooning with his tail exposed, it is how he regulates his temp while nesting. Since his temp can easily get too high while asleep, his tail, exposed to cool room temps, will radiate away heat and cool his core body temp by cooling the blood flow through it. This radiating effect works pretty well, all things considered. If you feel their tail, it should be surprisingly cold, while the rest of their body will be very hot.
ReplyDeleteOK, and 2) a direct influencer of body temp is their calorie intake. Hairless and DR rats require a significantly higher daily calorie level. The calorie is actually a measurement of heat, so they will definitely need more than furry rats, because they have to continuously use their calories to keep their body temps up, notwithstanding their normal energy use from the high activity level they seem to also have. So don't be surprised at the amount of food they eat! LOLOL And it is a LOT!!! Noticeably more than furry ratties.
I went to get 2 baby rats so my 2 older rats could have company. They had three double rex babies. I couldnt just get the 2 and leave the other behind so I got all 3 !! They are in quarantine now for a while.They are adorable, sweet & cuddly.
ReplyDeletemy double rex is probably about 10 weeks old and still has peach fuzz all over her body and curly whiskers ^-^ she seems more sensitive than my champagne self rat but she is suuuuper sweet.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI'm getting my first pet rats ever in a 2weeks, 2 standard and 1 double rex❤️