Apart from the ears, Dumbo rats look much the same as all other rats out there. The large ears are due to the recessive Dumbo gene. The breed inherits one from each parent, giving two copies which result in the jaw bones and ears being altered while in the womb.
We should be thankful for these genes in rats because we are not sure that there are any cuter ears than these ones. Dumbo rats are easy to spot due to their large ears. There is almost no mistaking them. They are direct descendants of fancy rats so share a lot of the same characteristics, all except for the ears.
Dumbo rats have larger ears than most other rat breeds, and the ears are round instead of being oval. They have flat and wide heads, also caused by the Dumbo gene, and that only serves to make their ears look bigger. They will have either black or red eyes.
The most common colors are black, white, brown, grey, and blue, and they often come in a mix of two or three of those colors. Your rat will need somewhere to call home. A cage needs to be big enough to give your rat room to exercise, and we always recommend going as large as you can.
Rats love to climb, so take this into account when purchasing the cage. Metal bars work best for climbing and chewing, and the bars should be close enough to keep the rat in the cage but also spaced enough for them to cling to it and climb. A cage with lots of levels will give your rat the opportunity to explore and exercise while they are in their cage. Add in a place for them to nest and rest, and you have the perfect home for your pet.
Rats are intelligent and sociable creatures, and there are a couple of things which you can do to help your rat. We would always recommend buying rats in pairs if you have the time and space. That way, you do not have to interact with them as much, though we still recommend that you do.
Besides, the size of Dumbo Rats and the size of Fancy rats are relatively small. The only exception here is the Naked Mole rats who defy the odds — they have a small body and a long lifespan of 28 years. There are many factors that can affect the lifespan of your Dumbo Rat, the main one among them being inbreeding. If the breeder is inexperienced, not only will the characteristic large ears be passed on, but also hereditary health conditions.
They must also not be overfed, and you need to be aware of what foods are toxic for them and what foods are safe to give as treats. Aside from a healthy diet, you must monitor your Dumbo Rat for illness and diseases that are common to them. Discharge from the eyes and nose, as well as sneezing, are signs that you need to get your Dumbo to the vet.
If your Dumbo develops a viral infection, a quality diet and proper cage conditions are crucial for treatment. Your environment is crucial as if your rat is stressed; they are vulnerable to developing a full-blown mite infection. Good general health and care will ensure your pet Dumbo reaches its full life expectancy, however long that may be.
Preventative measures in respect of illnesses are an important factor here as well. Keeping your rat healthy is key and creating a proper environment for them is the way to do it. You must have a cage that is big enough for them, which must be kept out of direct sunlight and away from any extremes of heat and cold as they are very sensitive to heat and light.
One of the results of keeping your Dumbo Rats in a good climate with a clean cage, plenty of toys, and perhaps a friend is a stress-free pet. If your pet is stressed and anxious, it can develop health problems that will affect its lifespan.
In contrast most rescue rats have approximated ages. The second possibility is grimmer but might explain the difference with rats from feeder origins. If rats are kept in poor conditions crowded, inadequate diet, high ammonia atmosphere, no vet treatment , then a survival of the fittest principle can start to apply.
Rats who will die young do so very young, leaving the most robust to go on to other homes. Pet shop rats generally come from rodent farms or other mass breeders with a high degree of inbreeding to make pretty colors, but no selection for health and lifespan to put that inbreeding to a positive use.
Of course, when talking about breeders, we have to remember not all breeders are equal. Some take great care about breeding for health within their lines, while others take a similar approach to pet shops. Data from the latter may be pulling the average down. Furthermore, the rats I own who do die young, do so of specific conditions — cancer or lung infections mostly. That says to me that our rats could healthily live to an older age, but that in domesticating them, breeding, and keeping them as pets, we have reduced their potential lifespan.
How do we fix this? The first step has to be good breeding. Even allowing for the numbers above, breeding does make a difference. In particular, bad breeding can cause rats to die very young in a range of distressing ways. I currently have first hand evidence for this. In March , I took in a young girl and her brother as emergency rescues. It pretty soon became clear that the girl, Lilly, was carrying 13 little hitchhikers in her belly.
I kept the whole litter. Two more are being treated for insipient heart failure at 18 months. The problem with this litter was that their parents should never have been bred.
They were not only siblings, but siblings carrying multiple recessive genes for color which is a sign they are likely to carry a lot of other recessives as well , from a pet shop line where nothing was known about the health or lifespan history. Inbreeding and outcrossing are both very useful tools for creating healthy lines, but to benefit the rats they have to be done carefully with lots of data and expert knowledge.
However, if a pet is stressed or ill, they are vulnerable to developing an infestation. Also, you should feed your pet a proper nutritious rat diet, and try to prevent them from becoming stressed. Early detection of diseases is important for treatment options and life expectancy. If you are concerned about your rat, the best thing to do is to take them to the vet. You can also look at our article on caring for a pet rat. Whether we are looking at the fancy rat lifespan, the dumbo rat lifespan, or the white rat lifespan, the factors are all the same.
The average life expectancy of 2 to 3 years. Therefore, the answer depends on how you choose a healthy baby rat and how you care for your rat over its entire lifespan. The optimal age to acquire pet rats is around 6 weeks old.
Look for a healthy rat with a shiny coat and bright eyes. Healthy young rats should also be active and curious. The rat you choose should not be sneezing, or have a runny nose or eyes.
Once you bring your new rat home, how do you give them a long and healthy life? Here are some expert tips on nutrition. Like other pets, rats that are fed too much unhealthy food can become obese. Feed your rat a diet rich in antioxidants to help increase its lifespan.
As with humans, oxidative stress caused by free radicals in the body can cause disease and accelerate the aging process. Healthy food for your rat includes quality commercial rat pellets as well as fresh vegetables like carrots, broccoli, and peas.
Be sure to feed your pet pellets designed for rats and no other small rodents, as every animal has different nutritional needs. You can also feed your rat fresh fruit as an occasional treat. Rats enjoy people food like bread, nuts, and cooked eggs. However, save these foods for special treats as too many treats contribute to unhealthy weight gain.
Additionally, diets high in sugar and fat are unhealthy for your rat and can lead to health issues, similar to that in humans. Dumbo rats are a variety of fancy rat. They are distinguished by their large round ears, set low on the head. Dumbo is a recessive genetic trait, meaning that if both parents are dumbos, all the babies will be dumbos.
One dumbo parent mated with a regular rat could produce litters with either some dumbos or no dumbos. How long is a dumbo rat lifespan? A healthy dumbo rat should have a normal Pet Rat life expectancy of 2 to 3 years or more.
The main factor that could contribute to poor health or a shortened lifespan is inbreeding. Inbreeding of dumbo litters can pass down other, unwanted characteristics besides the desired large ears. Therefore, reputable breeders will outcross their rats to remove negative traits and add positive ones.
Good rat breeders will breed not only for physical characteristics but for overall health. You should get your pet from a responsible breeder to help ensure that you get a rat with a normal dumbo rat lifespan.
Like the dumbo, the hairless pet rat lifespan is also a variety of the domestic fancy rat. Hairless rats can have any color of skin, but the skin should be smooth and blemish-free. Many hairless rats will have short, curly whiskers, or none at all. Hairless rats are not just missing their hair, they are also missing their thymus gland.
A gland integral to the development of the immune system. So, in short, how long is a hairless rat lifespan? Hairless rats tend to have a shorter life span than the average fancy rat, of about 6 to 12 months.
Therefore, think carefully before bringing a hairless pet rat home, and make sure you check out our guide for more information.
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