We’ve been breeding our own rats for our smallish ball python collection, and we’ve just had a couple of very unusual pups! They’re almost… blue? Like a very saturated silvery grey color. I’m so intrigued! Does anyone here know rat color genetics? Can you tell me what these are called and how we got them? None of our breeders look like this. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a rat this color before.
Papa is an albino named Noodles. Noodles’s father passed away a few months ago (he was quite old) and I don’t think I have any photos of him. Rats are so difficult to photograph that I gave up trying! But he was a kind of black roan color with white coming up his belly. Noodles’ mother was probably Toast, and I could get photos of her if needed. She’s that classic hooded pattern with her non-white color being that sort of greyish brown. Sorry, I don’t know what it’s called. The only rat color terms I know so far are “agouti” and “hooded.”
The “blue” pups’ mother was one of these two girls:
The lighter one was purchased from a feed store, so I have no idea what her parents looked like, but the darker one was born here, and she’s the one we think was more likely the blue pups’ mother, based on their size (my daughter is fairly certain the darker one had her pups a few days before the lighter one).
The darker one, June - her father is a hooded agouti. And her mother is approximately the same color as Noodles’ mother - hooded with that brownish grey coloring.
Any ideas? I would love to learn what these are and what genetics go into making this color!! It’s so pretty.
Wow, this is wonderful!! I’ve just skimmed through it and I think you’re right. They’re some variety of blue. Powder blue, maybe? I shall have to read it thoroughly later - it’s fascinating! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
I can see why you like them - I’m a little obsessed with these guys at the minute! Wouldn’t be surprised if the three we got all end up being keepers.
The kids are pretty impressed as well. We’ve just going about our business and occasionally exclaiming “blue rat!” to one another. It’s like we found a shiny Pokémon.
Very exciting!
Here are a couple of better pics my husband helped me get of the little male:
I agree with @caron you should keep them. We breed rats as well because we have 26 snakes to feed, but we also breed as pets and I either keep them or adopt them out for free as pets. Here are a few of mine
Thanks @caron. Thankfully about 20 of them do ft. But a few of them refuse and only do live . The bf handles that because I could never do it. Id keep them all
. The bf handles that because I could never do it. Id keep them all