Hairless Rats?

Question

I just got a hairless rat and I was wondering if they needed anything special or if there is anything I can do to keep them cleaner and happier.Any help would be great thanks!

Answer 1

Hairless rats are adorable. When I bought Eve home from the pet store at 4 weeks of age she reminded me of a cross between a human baby and an alien with big dark eyes.

What kind of Hairless do you have?
The rats that we find in pet stores are known as peachfuzz hairless (having whiskers and an almost invisible coat, but feels like velvet when you pet them), patchwork hairless (hair comes and goes throughout their lives so they look patchy), hairless (they have whiskers, they also can have hair as a baby, but it can fall out and remain bald as the baby coat falls out, or they are born hairless and remain hairless), and Double Rex ( having a curly coat but it falls out and remains bald as they age). I've had all of them except a true hairless. Their lifespan can be about the same as their furred cousins.

Only breeders can breed a true hairless, a rat that has no hair what-so-ever, not even whiskers. The "true hairless" are difficult to breed because some hairless mothers have trouble lactating or producing milk for their babies. Just for this reason you will not find true hairless in a pet store.

I am assuming that you live in North America and you have a North American Hairless Rat. I have heard rumors that UK and European lines of Hairless Rats are a sturdier lot due to different genetics. I am unable to verify this rumor on any of the forums that I belong to.

From the website of an American Hairless breeder.
http://www.skyclyde.com/hairlesscare.htm...
"Hairless rats are prone to Illness. Generally, hairless rats are fragile creatures in comparison to furred rats. They may have more allergies and may be more susepticle to environmental stress causing them to become ill. This is especially true of strains of hairless deriving from laboratories and passed onto the pet stores. Diseases common to laboratory and pet store hairless rats are cancer and tumors, excessive abcessing, wasting, kidney and bladder infections, heart disease, eye disease, diabetes, excessive respiratory infections, headtilt, and skin problems.
Just in the last few years, since the first publication of this article, fancy rat breeders have made great strides in breeding out health issues that formally plagued hairless rats. Now, some lines of hairless rats from reputable breeders are just as disease resistant as furred rats and can be expected to live as long, two to three-years-old. Reputable breeders eliminate tendencies for these diseases through selective breeding. They moniter their lines over time and end lines where offspring continually have health problems that crop up before two-years-old. Good breeders choose only the healthiest rats to breed. >>>>>Hairless rats not selectively bred can be expected to live 18-24 months<<<<<. Outcrossed hairless rats to furred lines tend to be more robust and live longer than those born to hairless parents."

However, this need not be the fate of your hairless, because the majority of pet store hairless rats have one or both furred parents. One of my hairless boys, Oliver, was very robust, lived well past the age of 2 years, and died merely from the ravages of old age and not by myco or tumors as is the fate of most hairless and furred rats alike.

The biggest problem with hairless is their skin condition. Sharp claws can leave scratches on their skin as they groom. Olive oil rubs on the skin and added EFA's like a drop of olive oil on a piece of bread once a week will help to keep the skin healthy. A little more bedding then usual will keep them warm if they don't have a furred cage mate.

Being a Buck he could get "Buck Grease" as an adult. This has to do with how Macho he gets with his testosterone level. It's an orangey oil that might show up on his bare skin.
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0geu8wUQcFGlG4BtVRXNyoA?p=Buck+grease+in+rats&y=Search&fr=ks-ans
A bath with Dawn dish soap once a week to remove it if it bothers you, but otherwise don't bathe him. Some rat-keepers use baby wipes for their Hairless. There are baby wipes with aloe vera and vitamin E that work well. As an adult Oliver has the Buck Grease. You can see it in his picture.

Here are my Hairless ratties
http://spazrats.tripod.com/sugardumbogang.html
Scroll way down to the bottom
Baer - Double Rex - 2 years, 11 months
http://spazrats.tripod.com/alfabitrats.html
Oliver - Peach Fuzz - 2 years, 8 months
Punk - Patchwork - 1 year, 5 months
Quincy - Double Rex - 2 years, 6 months
Topi - Peach Fuzz - 2 years, 2 months
http://spazrats.tripod.com/alfabitratsNG.html
Eve - Hairless - 1 year, 5 months
Galen - Hairless - 1 year, 8 months
Halen - Hairless - 1 year, 4 months

No page yet
Willow - Peach Fuzz - still with me

spazrats
"my life has gone to the rats"

Answer 2

Rats lifespans can be 2-4 years depending on how healthy they are. Yes, it will be heartbreaking, but that just means they were loved and lived good lives. Hairless are going to have a shorter life because it is prone to illness, and I assume the same would apply to any hairless animal. However, rats are some of the most amazing small pets you could have, and you will love them so much, you will be happy to have had them for 2-4 years. If you do get a new pet, make sure you get it a mate. I wouldn't put your pig with the rabbit unless your rabbit is very docile. If you get the rat get at least 2. Google about pet rats and you'll find tons of reasons why you should get 2 or more. I don't see why you couldn't have a hairless in Michigan. You mean because it's cold? I guess you'd need more bedding and blankets if your house is always cold.