Coat Type

Genetics terms:      Allele      Gene      Genotype       Phenotype       Dominant Genes- can not be carried, but can be masked. [ex. the dominant Pearl gene will only express itself on a mink rat, therefore a black rat carrying the recessive mink gene could genetically be pearl, while phenetically being black]      Recessive Genes- can be carried from generation to generation and will only express itself when paired with an identical recessive gene making them homozygous recessive. [ex. a/a (black) x a/a (black) will produce all black babies unless other recessivce genes are carried by the parents]      Homozygous -  Having identical alleles for a single trait.                                  ~ homozygous recessive carries two copies of the allele that codes for the recessive trait. [ex. a/a is a rat expressing the recessive trait of black (non-banded) hair]                                  ~ homozygous dominant carries two copies of the allele that codes for the dominant trait. [ex. A/A is a rat expressing the dominant trait of agouti (banded or ticked) hair]      Heterozygous - A rat is heterozygous for a particular gene when two different alleles occupy the gene's position on the homologous chromosomes. Heterozygous genotypes are represented by a capital letter (representing the dominant allele) and a lowercase letter (representing the recessive allele) [ex. A/a is an agouti rat carrying the black gene]  COAT TYPE Recessive  Heterozygous  Homozygous Dominant Standard standard coat recessive to Rex and Velveteen Standard coat standards- RatsPacNW: Smooth shorter coat but may have longer guard hairs AFRMA: The coat to be short, smooth, and glossy with the males having somewhat longer and coarser hair. It should show a natural high shine and densely cover the body. Color to conform to a recognized color or pattern.  standard coat may carry satin, harley and/or hairless dominant to satin, harley and hairless Standard coat standards- RatsPacNW: Smooth shorter coat but may have longer guard hairs AFRMA:  The coat to be short, smooth, and glossy with the males having somewhat longer and coarser hair. It should show a natural high shine and densely cover the body. Color to conform to a recognized color or pattern.  standard coat dominant to satin, harley and hairless Standard coat standards- RatsPacNW: Smooth shorter coat but may have longer guard hairs AFRMA:  The coat to be short, smooth, and glossy with the males having somewhat longer and coarser hair. It should show a natural high shine and densely cover the body. Color to conform to a recognized color or pattern.  Rex and Double Rex  re/re standard coat  Re/re [rex] curly full coat - should have no balding spots - Kinky or curly whiskers Rex coat standards- RatsPacNW: Curly coat & whiskers.  Coat should be even and dense but may thin with age.  Texture will feel rougher than a velveteen. AFRMA: The coat to be evenly dense and not excessively harsh, with as few guard hairs as possible. Coat to be evenly curled and also to a lesser extent on the belly. Curly vibrissae (whiskers) are normal for Rex. Color to conform to a recognized color or pattern.  Re/Re [double rex] causes the hair to break off - the result is anything from a patchy rex look to fuzzy to a nearly hairless rat.  Double Rex coat standards- RatsPacNW: Mock hairless or patchwork hair.  Must be a standardized color and marking.   Patches should be random, whiskers curled.   Velveteen and Double Velveteen  standard coat possibly Re/re or Cu/cu wavy, fluffy, soft coat. There are different genes that cause this coat type. In my experience they are from the same gene as rex, but selected for less curl.  Velveteen coat standards- RatsPacNW: Wavy coat & softly curled/wavy whiskers.  Coat should be even and preferably dense.  Older rats coats may thin with age and this is a fault for show.  Texture to be soft. possibly Re/Re or Cu/Cu causes the hair to break off - the result is anything from a patchy rex look to fuzzy to a nearly hairless rat.   Satin hair is finer and silkier than standard hair giving the appearance of a longer coat, there may be several seperate genes that can give this effect. Satin coat standards- RatsPacNW: Longer silky coat, fine hairs, satiny sheen, white on body may tend to yellow. AFRMA: Satin rats may be shown in any recognized color or markings. The ideal coat has a unique and distinct appearance with its lustrous sheen. The coat is thinner and longer looking. The hair should be fine to the touch. The coat has a sparkling look on some colors; white on the animals will have a yellow cast.  standard coat - carrying satin  standard coat - does not carry satin  Harley  another gene causing longer hair. harleys appear to have a longer messier look than satins, however breeders are still working to find out if these are actually from the same gene Harley coat standards- RatsPacNW: 1.  Undercoat and guard hairs should be ultra soft, wispy and stand away from the body giving the rat a ruffled appearance from the face to a tail base.    2.  Head and underside of the rat should match top    3.  Over all coat should appear longer   Two types of harley coats:        Curly coated - curl should be uniform       Straight coated - generally denser and straighter but will still conform to stardard of harley. Faults:  lack of coat length, coat too thin DQ:  Not Harley coat standard coat - carrying harley  standard coat - does not carry harley  Hairless  hr/hr Hairless rat Hairless standards- RatsPacNW: No hair on body but may have slight fuzz around eyes & whiskers.  Rats may have curled or slight whiskers.  Skin should be healthy, not dull or flakey.  Body should conform to basic type, good length, nice eyes, etc. AFRMA: Hairless rats should have a thin, bright, rather translucent skin, free of scars or pimples, and be as hairless as possible. The skin may be of any color or recognized marking, and wrinkling should not be penalized. The eyes may be of any color, but should be bright and free from any problems. The ears should be very large and wrinkle free. The whiskers may be very short or missing.  Hr/hr standard coat rat - carries the hairless gene  Hr/Hr standard coat rat - doees not carry the hairless gene