This article is from the WSSF 2017 AFRMA Rat & Mouse Tales news-magazine.

By Karen Robbins

Hamiis Mukose, Uganda, Africa, Facebook
Q I introduced a new local male rat—it’s black in colour from Uganda to rat house and there are 2 female rats and so far now are two. Do I have chances of getting mixed colour born rats because the female rats are all white in colour and a male rat is fully black.

A The way the P.E. White/albino color works is it just covers up the color/marking that the rat is so you can’t see it, so it depends on what the white rats are underneath the white coat as to what you will get. It also depends on what the Black male is carrying as to whether you will get something unexpected combined with these females. If they don’t carry extra color genes and the Black does not carry albino, then you will either get all Agouti, all Black, or some of each color.

Breeding a Black rat to a white rat will not make marked rats unless they carry a marking gene or your white rats are actually marked like Irish/Berkshire or Hooded. If that is the case and your male is solid Black with no white markings on his body, then you would get some or all the babies with white markings on them.

In pet rats there are two basic colors—agouti and black. Then there are the add-ons that will change the basic agouti and black to other colors such as Mink added to Agouti makes Cinnamon and Mink added to Black (non-agouti/self) makes plain Mink. We have several genetics articles on the web site on our Breeding & Showing page you can read. We also have our Rat Genetics book available to purchase that has all the articles and topics related to rat genetics.

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