Although I have only a few colors I am focusing on, I have had many other colors pop up in my breedings. This page is just a reference so people can see what each variety looks like. This is not an extensive list of all colors in existance - only the colors I have owned or bred! My descriptions may not match other websites exactly, but there can be a large difference in shades of certain colors, and on this page I am going by what I've experienced in my lines!
I'm not going to go into the genetics of each color - but at the bottom of the page I'll list links to websites that do.
This page is a work in progress; I will gradually be adding photos of each variety at different ages to help give an idea of what a certain variety will look like any given age.
Colors I've produced:
Black
Black Rex Dumbo at 4 weeks
Adult Black Hooded Dumbo Rex
Adult Black Dumbo
One of the most common colors available in rats. Often a black rat will not appear truly black; they may look more brownish or grayish, but that is normal if you don't breed specifically for black - these rats can be referred to as "bad blacks." Black and agouti are the "base" of all other colors - every other color is either black or agouti plus other modifiers.
Agouti
Agouti dumbo baby
Agouti Variegated Rex Dumbo at 4 weeks
Adult Agouti
Another common color, agouti is an attractive mix of brown hairs ticked with black. Their bellies are a very pretty silvery color, and they have black eyes. Black and agouti are the "base" of all other colors - every other color is either black or agouti plus other modifiers.
Russian Blue
~14 Day Old Russian Blue
Russian Blue Rex dumbo at about 4 weeks
Adult Russian Blue
A beautiful, dark blue with heathering or ticking of the fur. This color is NOT the same gene as American blue - they are very different colors, and if you breed a russian blue to an american blue, you'd get a litter of blacks (unless other colors are carried). Russian blues have dark bellies and dark undercoats.
Russian Blue Agouti
2-3 Week Old Russian Blue Agouti
4 week old Russian Blue Agouti Dumbo
Russian Blue Agouti Blazed Dumbo
I've found that this color can come in many different shades. I think this depends on what other colors the rat carries. One shade is very similar to "regular" agouti. Another looks just like russian blue, but with more brownish ticking. I also have had a russian blue agouti who is a very light gray, almost white. It's not always easy to identify from american blue agouti, because of how much variety there is.
Chocolate
Chocolate at 10 Days Old
Chocolate at 4-5 Weeks
Young Adult Chocolate
Chocolate is most likely the hardest color to find in the USA. It is a very dark brown, not to be confused with mink or rusted black. It is a very hard color to find, and I was lucky enough to have it pop up in one of my litters after being carried for nearly a dozen generations!
Fawn
Adult Fawn
A very pretty bright orange color. These rats have ruby eyes, although they may appear black unless they are in direct light. A beige rat is an agouti rat effected by the RED (red-eye dilute) gene.
Beige
4 Week Old Beige Dumbo
A different 4 week old beige dumbo
A light, golden beige color with red or ruby eyes. There can be a lot of variety in the shade, some look darker and some look lighter. A beige rat is a black rat effected by the RED (red-eye dilute) gene.
Russian Fawn
Rsussian fawn at about 4 weeks
Adult Russian Fawn
Very similar to fawn, but less orange with a slight icy blue cast to it. Eyes are ruby. A russian fawn is NOT the same color as a regular fawn! A russian fawn rat is a russian blue agouti rat effected by the RED (red-eye dilute) gene. They may look similar, but calling a russian fawn a fawn is incorrect (and vice versa). Russian fawn has recently been accepted as a standardized color in some rat clubs.
Russian Beige
Young Russian Beige
Adult Russian Beige
A light, almost iridescent silver color with ruby eyes. Also known as russian platinum or blue-beige. This color is the same as russian fawn, but on a non-agouti base - a russian blue rat affected by the RED gene.
Champagne
Young adult champagne rex dumbo
A champagne is a black rat diluted by the PED (pink-eye dilute) gene. They are a very light beige color. Eyes are red or pink.
American Blue
Baby blue dumbo rex hooded
Young adult blue dumbo
Adult blue dumbo
This color is often just called "blue," but to show that it's not the same gene as russian blue often it will be called American Blue - either one is correct. There are a few different shades of blue, but my rats generally are powder or sky blue, which are the two lightest shades. Powder blue has a whitish undercoat, and sky blue is slightly darker and the color goes all the way down to the skin.
Mink
Adult Mink Variegated Rex Dumbo
Mink is a very pretty brownish color. There are many different shades of mink, and a mink rat may change drastically throughout its lifetime. Often minks are effected more strongly than other colors by the recessives they carry - for example, a mink rat carrying RED (red-eye dilute) will be a havana, which is a lighter shade.
Cinnamon
Young Cinnamon
Adult Cinnamon Rex
This color is a little like agouti, but has a reddish tone to it. A cinnamon is an agouti-based mink rat. As they get older, they lighten up and become a pretty blue-ish gold color.
Russian Cinnamon
Young Russian Cinnamon Dumbo Rex
Young Russian Cinnamon Dumbo Rex
Russian cinnamon is a combination of russian blue and mink on an agouti-based rat. This is not a color I have frequently, but it is one I'm hoping to reproduce. It is still very uncommon in the USA. It is a very pretty golden color with a blue-ish cast. Rats can have either black or ruby eyes although the ones I've bred so far have had black eyes.
Russian Dove
Young Russian Dove Harley Dumbo
Young Russian Dove Harley Dumbo
Russian cinnamon is a combination of russian blue and mink on a non-agouti based rat. This is not a color I have frequently, but it is one I'm hoping to reproduce and specialize in. It is still very uncommon in the USA. It is a very pretty silver color. Rats can have either black or ruby eyes although the ones I've bred so far have had black eyes.
Sable Burmese
Adult Sable Burmese
A very rich, dark chocolate color, with subtle darker points. Ideally these rats should have no white markings. A sable burmese is a siamese rat with 2 copies of the burmese gene, and when bred to a siamese they will produce a litter of all burmese.
Burmese
~2 week old burmese
4-5 week old burmese
Adult Burmese
A medium brown color, with darker points. Ideally these rats should have no white markings. A burmese is a siamese rat with one copy of the burmese gene.
Wheaten Burmese
4-5 Week Old Wheaten Burmese
Young Adult Wheaten Burmese
Adult Wheaten Burmese Dwarf
A medium sandy brown color, with darker points of the same shade. This is the agouti-based version of burmese, and ideally these rats should have no white markings.
Russian Blue Burmese
Russian Blue Burmese at about 10 days old
4 Week Old Russian Blue Burmese Dumbo
Adult Russian Blue Burmese Dumbo
A shimmery, silvery gray color, with darker points on the nose, feet, and tail.
Seal Point Siamese
4 Week Old Seal Point Black-eyed Siamese
Black-eyed Siamese Dumbo
Body color can range from white to medium beige, with dark brown points at the tail, ears, nose, and feet. Ideally there should be no white markings. Baby siamese are born looking very different from their adult colors, but develop their adult points and shading starting at about 6-7 weeks. Siamese can have either black or red eyes.
Chocolate-Point Siamese
Chocolate-Point siamese baby
Chocolate-point Siamese at about 5 weeks old (before points)
Chocolate-Point Siamese at about 8 weeks of age.
Chocolate-point siamese is difficult to distunguish from seal-point siamese until the points come in. Their points will be slightly lighter than seal points. This is most likely not a color I'll have frequently, but I wanted to post it to show the difference.
Russian Blue Point Siamese
~5-6 week old female Black-Eyed Russian Blue Point Siamese Dumbo
Adult male Russian Blue Point Black-Eyed Siamese Dumbo
Another one of my favorite shades, these rats are ivory with a slight grayish cast. They have darker gray (russian blue) shading on their tail, feet, ears and nose. Siamese can have either black or red eyes. Russian blue point siamese start out much like seal point, but with a grey-ish cast to them. It's hard to explain, but in person it's not hard to see the difference.
Blue Burmese
~2 week old Blue Burmese
Young Adult Blue Burmese Berkshire
A blue burmese looks different than you might expect. Rather than being blue, their bodies are a light tan color. The best way to identify them is by their nose point, which is blue, although it may not be obviously blue.
Color Comparisons
To help other breeders (as well as pet owners) identify colors, here are some comparisons of colors. As opportunities present themselves I'll add more!
Blue Agouti, Russian Blue Agouti, Russian Silver Agouti
Russian Beige (Rex) vs. Beige
Black, a Mink Harley-Rex, and a Mink
Cinnamon vs. Russian Cinnamon
Mink vs. Cinnamon
Russian Dove Harley vs. Two Russian Cinnamon Rexes
Markings I've Produced or Owned
A rats' markings are not related to its color. Any of the colors pictured above can come in any of the markings pictured below.
Self
Chocolate Self Dumbo
Russian Blue Self Rex Dumbo
Cinnamon Pearl Self
One color with NO white markings anywhere on the body. A mismarked self will have some white on the feet.
Masked
Masked rats are white, with a mask of any color covering the face around the eye area and above the nose. The color is not to extend to the rats' ears.
Dalmatian
A dalmatian is a rat with random splashes of color. They shouldn't be in any specific pattern. A good dalmatian is very difficult to achieve, and the rats pictured are as close as I've gotten.
Variegated
Young Black Variegated
Black Variegated Rex
Colored hood with spots of color running down the back. Will have a headspot or blaze.
Berkshire
Burmese Berkshire Dumbo
Black Berkshire
Russian Blue Berkshire
Ideally, a rat with a white belly that ideally doesn't extend down the legs. White feet, and a tail that is 1/2 white. A well marked berkshire is difficult to achieve, but the term berkshire can be used to describe a wide variety of belly markings.
Patched
Black Patched
Black Patched
Russian Blue Patched
These rats are all white with small patches of color, usually on the face. This is not a standardized color but is used for rats that don't fit into other categories such as masked or black-eyed white.
Irish
Black Irish
An irish rat is solid-colored, with a small spot of color on the belly. The spot should ideally be an even shape. The rats' feet should be white, and up to 1/4 of the tail may be white.
Hooded
Agouti hooded dumbo
American Blue Hooded Dumbo Rex
A hooded rat has a black "hood" covering to just behind its front legs, and a stripe running down its back. Some hoodeds have very even stripes, and others' stripes may be uneven or broken, which would be known as a mismarked hooded.
Bareback
Young Russian Blue Bareback
Young Fawn Bareback
Black Bareback Dumbo Rex
Marked similarly to hooded, but without the stripe down the back. Barebacks often have small headspots.
Capped
Color on top of the the head that doesn't extend past the ears.
Possum
Black Possum
Black Possum
Baby Russian Blue Agouti Possum
Possum is sort of a slang term for a rat that has a wide blaze that runs between the eyes and ears. The color is not supposed to touch the rats' eyes. I have not had any perfectly marked possums, but these photos will give you an idea of what they look like.
Blazed
A rat with a blaze on its face. This blaze can come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. There are two types of blazes - dominant and recessive. Dominant blazes are associated with a devastating condition called megacolon, where the rats' colon is not fully formed. Recessive blazes are caused by the same gene that causes dalmatian markings and they are SAFE. I do breed blazed rats but ONLY recessive blazes. This makes reproducing them a longer process, but I'd much prefer to do it this way than to risk losing babies to megacolon.
There are certain things that help to identify both safe and dangerous blazes - read High White and High Risk. I would advise steering clear of any breeder who breeds "high white" rats - rats with dominant blazes, odd-eyed, and markings such as cap-stripe or banded.
Downunder
Black Berkshire Downunder Dumbo
Black Variegated Downunder Dumbo Rex
Black Patched/Masked Downunder Dumbo Rex
Downunders are rats which have belly markings that mirror the markings along their backs. These rats can come in any color or pattern. Downunder is a fairly new gene from Australia and it's becoming very popular!
Coat Types I've Produced
Standard
Black Variegated Male
Sable Burmese Male
Russian Blue Female
The typical rat coat - the hair is short, smooth and shiny. Males usually have longer "guard hairs" than females, especially as they age, and males' coats are usually coarser than females'.
Rex
Agouti rex at about 4 weeks old
Rex Baby Fur
Adult Cinnamon Rex
Rexes are curly-coated rats. Rexes can come in a wide range of "curliness." Some rats show little to no wave to their fur and others are very curly...some are harsh and some are very soft. Males will generally have curlier coats than females in the same litter. Baby rexes go a little bald at about 5-7 weeks old, when they grow their adult coats. I have varying qualities of rex in my rattery - I am working to improve this but it's a slow process to breed out the "bad" rex and breed in the "good!" Rex is dominant, so if a rex rat has a litter about half the litter should be rex.
Double Rex
4-5 week old double rex; same rat is pictured in both photos
Adult Russian Blue Double Rex
Double rex is when a rat gets two copies of the rex gene - one from each parent. They start to go bald at around 3-4 weeks old and after that they continue to shed their fur in very interesting patterns! Others will keep a fine coat of fuzz throughout their lives and sometimes double rexes are virtually indistinguishable from true hairless; it's always a surprise how they turn out! Sometimes these rats may be referred to as "patchwork" because they will have patches of fur in some spots and bald spots in others. I have double rexes very infrequently but always enjoy watching the changes they go through as they grow!
Harley
Cinnamon harley at about 10 days
Agouti harley at about 4 weeks
Adult cinnamon harley
Harley is still a fairly new variety. It is very cute! Harleys are essentially longhaired rats. Their hair is very soft and whispy. Harley is recessive, and since it came from one rat and is a recessive gene, the line was heavily inbred to keep this trait alive! Now the goal with harleys is to outcross to improve their size and type. It will be a slow process but they're well worth it! I would eventually like to bring harley into all of my lines, but this will take many generations!
As babies harley rats have very "greasy" looking fur. As they get a bit older the hair gets long and whispy. They seem to go a bit bald at about 6-8 weeks, simliar to rexes, and then grow back hair that's over an inch long.
I have put together a separate page with information and photos of harleys! Click here to go to that page!
Hairless
2.5 Week Old Hairless Dumbo
Fawn Hairless Dumbo at 4 weeks
Adult Hairless Dumbo
Hairless rats develop a very fine coat of fur as babies; at about 3 weeks old this fur is lost almost completely. They may grow a few hairs here and there as they grow up, and their faces may have some peach fuzz on them, but soon they lose just about all of that! There are some health issues associated with hairless - they are more prone to eye problems since they have no eyelashes to keep their eyes clean, and they are more sensitive to cold than rats with fur. They need a little extra protein in their diets since their metabolisms are faster - their little bodies have to work harder to keep warm. There have been reports that their lifespans may be shorter than furred rats because of this, but I don't think that this has been confirmed. Their skin does tend to get scratched and develops blemishes (and occasionally cysts which require vet care) more easily. As always, keep an eye out for any signs of infection, but most of the time they heal without a problem.
Hairless females may have lactation problems; this appears to be genetic. Some hairless girls from my lines have been bred, and have had no problems nursing their litter.
Hairless is recessive, so both parents need to carry the gene. I do occasionally have hairless rats pop up. It is carried in two families of my rats. It is not something I have commonly, nor it is something I am intentionally breeding for at this time.
