[CaptainFlow]

I have recently come to the decision that my Lola has a different coat type than either Belgie or Sevilla. Her hair is a little longer, and a little wispier feeling.

But I don't think she's quite a satin; she doesn't have the distinctive sheen or any particular softness that satins are supposed to have. Also, she's mostly white, and satin's are supposed to tend towards yellow or ivory in the white areas, and she doesn't. So my question is, is she a:
a) Long haired standard
b) short haired satin
c) or just some kind of semi-satin?
Do any of those even exist, or am I just making stuff up?
She's not pedigreed, just pet store stock, but her coat is very different from my other girls.

Also, on her ear it looks like some rat took a little bite out of the edge when she was little. There are two little notches just like a rat's teeth pattern taken out of her left ear, it's kind of cute.

 

[A1APassion]

the variations on rexing of coats is endless

On another group I use to be on we discussed my oldest boy Nubbers... it was there that one member come up with the "bedhead" rex term & it had staying power.

I have a blue girl like you described. Her hair is longer & whispy but not to the extent of what I have seen described as satin or even harley. Upon research I have seen many terms which included velveteen... but they were all just varieties of the rex gene.

 

[twitch]

she sounds adorable but i can't help you with type. i do have a rat like yours that falls into the no man land of type. i call her a satin because that's what her fur feels like but she's a black berkshire and still has short hair just like everyone else. its just really really soft and shiney. but she is just pet store stock too. in fact she's tiny pet store stock. her and her sister have not grown larger then the size of a 5 month old rat and they are 2 now. but you've got to love that fur. i think there are times when tween doesn't like it quite so much because she gets woken up from a nice nap everytime someone comes over because i HAVE to show them how soft her fur is... haha, mind you she puts up with it in stride.

in any case, i figure what we have is poor satins. there can be poor rexes that don't quite fit the standard so why can't there be satins that don't quite fit the standard. and in either case we get extra soft ratties to cuddle!

 

[A1APassion]

that whole "poor rex" thing is what prompted the "bedhead" name to come up in conversation. Several of us who have that 'not quite this/that' type of rat didn't care to call our precious babies poor anything

This is Nubbers, my Bedhead Rex... lol (this pic shows all his wild crazy hairs shooting off in all directions even though you don't see his face. His whiskers go all over too.)

he is very soft to the touch, his coat is very shiny & he has wild hair all over
(the lil naked fellow is my baby boy Jinx)

 

[CaptainFlow]

Hmm, that makes sense, coat types just not coming up to show standards... I've already realized and accepted that none of my girls' markings are show, why not Lola's coat?

ps. Bedhead rex, how cute! That's such an appropriate name!

 

[lilspaz68]

I like bedhead rex much better than the oft used teddy bear rex

satins actually look greasy. My friend has a satin girl from a good breeder and they are really really different. They do have a wispier look but they are very distinctive. True satins aren't mainstream in petstores yet, so its unlikely your lovely girl is a satin.

Can you post a pic of her and we can play the Guess My Coat Game?

 

[A1APassion]

please do... I love looking at all the varieties that step outside of the box of show standards. I find the mutts to be significantly more interesting to look at.

 

[CaptainFlow]

Alright, it's a little hard to get in person... I'm starting to think she's more of a longish standard... but it's just so wispy! Sevilla's coat is super soft, but really dense and short to her body, she's definitely just a standard coat. And Belgie's isn't quite so soft, but still dense and short. Lola's is thinner and almost silky, and longer....

Butt shot.

Me trying to rough up her fur for the camera. She was sooo annoyed with me for this!

I can actually pull her fur out a little, which I cant' do on my other girls.

Compared to Belgie. I tried to rough up both their fur to get a comparison and then take the picture, but neither of them wanted much to do with that!

So, there are the photos... See if you can get something from them!

 

[A1APassion]

how old?

if 4 to 6 months it could be mid-shed

their appearance tends to firm up at around 8 months... up until then changes can be noted on a continuous basis.

 

[lostbutnotforgot]

She looks just like my Hammie (that's his name, he is a rat)! I always thought my thinking his hair was longer than normal was just my imagination because he lives with a hairless and his brother is a rex. But his hair is long like Lola's. Do you mind if I post pictures of my boy for comparison?

 

[lilspaz68]

Longish haired standard. very sweet too

See the old gal on the right...her longer coat on her back goes over her cagemate...hehe. She's a standard coat as well.

 

[CaptainFlow]

Lilspaz, that is exactly what Lola looks like! Except, her hair is actually a little bit shorter than your girl's. Okay, longish standard it is, then! I wondered about the possibility of satin, since that's a specialty even in the breeding world, and I know she's a PetCo gal. But wasn't the first Harley found in a pet store? Crazy thing happen sometimes...

And I think she's about 9 or 10 months now... I got her about a month and a half ago, and the lady I got her from said she was about 8 months... So I don't think she'd be in the middle of a shed, but who really knows? She is much more petite than my other two, but I figured that was just genetics and poor nutrition in her early years. Plus Belgie's a chubster, it's hard to compare a Lola to her and not think of the trim rat as being petite!