[secretshrew]

One of my rats is kinda hairless. One parent was hairless other wasn't so all he has are curly wiskers and a bit of fuzz. I have some questions about him though.

1. It's kinda hard to pet him in a way he likes. Is it because he has no fur and its a bit abrassive on his skin?

2. Should I add ALOT of nesting material in case he gets cold?

3. Do they have any problems? Like dry skin?

I got him with the other two rats not really thinking he may have diffrent needs. So I just need a little help here haha
thank you!

 

[Isamurat]

1, it might irritate him against the direction of fur but most hairless and part furred rats are fine with being petted, it may be he has irritated skin or he just isn't a sit still and be petted rat

2, no he has ratty friends, they are the best warmth for him, in this situation he shouldn't need any more than a normal rat

3, they can be prone to eye issues especially if they have no eye lashes (in which case you may need to clean out his eyes regularly, they are also prone to cysts and abcesses as well as getting worse injuries. They can get dry skin issues too though the right diet should fix that

 

[raindear]

Are your hands cold when you pet him? Maybe he just needs to get used to you.

 

[secretshrew]

Okay gotcha
thaks a bunch for the info
No my hands were not cold, probably does need to get used to me. He is the shyest of all of them

 

[Guzzi]

Your little fellow is a Double Rex (see this for info: http://www.paperheartrats.com/coattypes.html ) and he's probably just a little shy since they tend to get a little ignored when it comes to petting/play time as they aren't as cute as their litter mates. (At least that was what we found) A little bit extra love and affection should do the trick. 😉

 

[Grotesque]

Another thing I can suggest is rubbing him with a light coat of olive oil if his skin gets dry. Take special care of his eyes. Be extra careful that you do not use anything dusty in or around the cage as he is likely to be more sensitive to it.

Olive, my hairless, didn't really like being touched at first. She still is happier to observe than be pet, but she does love attention and especially loves head rubs.

 

[JustAGirlAndHerRats]

They get scratches more easily when playing with other ratties, but not really bad. Just make sure their clean everyday and if you'd like you can file your ratties' nails down. Just not too much!