Fancy rat



The fancy rat is a domesticated brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), which is the most common type of pet rat.[1] The name fancy rat derives from the idea of animal fancy or the phrase "to fancy" (to like, or appreciate).[2]

Pet rats have their origins as the targets for blood sport in 18th and 19th century Europe. Specially bred as pets since then, fancy rats now come in a wide variety of colours and coat types and there exists several rat fancy groups worldwide. Fancy rats are commonly sold as pets in stores and by breeders. In fiction, pet brown rats tend to be depicted as tamed rather than domesticated, akin to when a character befriends a wolf. As tamed pets, they have been portrayed in roles that vary from evil, to ambiguous to lovable.[3]

Domesticated rats are physiologically and psychologically different from their wild relatives, and—when acquired from reliable sources (such as a breeder)—they pose no more of a health risk than other common pets.[4] For example, domesticated brown rats are not considered a plague threat,[5] though exposure to wild rat populations could introduce pathogens like Salmonella into the home.[6] Fancy rats experience different health risks from their wild counterparts, and as such, are less likely to succumb to the same illnesses as wild rats.

History
The blood sport of rat-baiting is an unlikely antecedent for the practice of keeping rats as pets.Jack Black made his living not only from catching rats, but also from selling them for use in baiting.The origin of the modern fancy rat begins with the rat-catchers of the 18th and 19th centuries who trapped rats throughout Europe.[1] These rat-catchers would then either kill the rats, or, more likely, sell the rats to be used in bloodsport.[7] Rat-baiting was a popular sport until the beginning of the 20th century; it involved filling a pit with several rats and then placing bets on how long it would take a terrier to kill them all. It is believed that both rat-catchers and sportsmen began to keep certain, odd-colored rats during the height of the sport—eventually breeding them, and then selling them as pets.[1] [8] The two men thought to have formed the basis of rat fancy are Jack Black, rat-catcher to Queen Victoria, and Jimmy Shaw, manager of one of the largest sporting public houses in London. These two men are responsible for beginning many of the color varieties present today.[1] [9] Black, specifically, was known for taming the “prettier” rats of unusual color, decorating them with ribbons, and selling them as pets. It was not uncommon in upper circles of Victorian England to see a lady with her pet rat on a short monkey leash, sitting on her lap, grandly festooned with ribbons.[citation needed]

Rat fancy as a formal, organized hobby began when a woman named Mary Douglas asked for permission to bring her pet rats to an exhibition of the National Mouse Club at the Aylesbury Town Show in England on October 24, 1901. Her black and white hooded rat won "Best in Show," and ignited interest in the area. After Douglas's death in 1921, rat fancy soon began to fall back out of fashion. The original hobby formally lasted from 1912 to 1929 or 1931, as part of the National Mouse and Rat Club, at which point Rat was dropped from the name returning it to the original National Mouse Club. The hobby was revived in 1976 with the formation of the English National Fancy Rat Society (NFRS).[1] [9] Pet rats are now commonly available in stores and from breeders, and there exist several rat fancy groups worldwide.

Social behavior
Contrary to general belief, rats are social animals, gaining much enjoyment and stimulation from each other's company. They live in large family groups in the wild, so in captivity they live a more natural life if kept in pairs or more.[17] This applies to both groups of males and females. However, rats are territorial animals, meaning that they usually act aggressively or scared of strange rats. Rats will fluff up their hair, hiss, squeal, and move their tails around when defending their territory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-National_Fancy_Rat_Society_17-0">[18] Particularly with males, there can be some fighting in the beginning, but once an alpha male rat has been determined, the rats should get along well.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[19] By a week or two, the rats will most likely have adjusted and become friendlier with each other. Therefore, it is recommended to potential owners to buy pet rats in pairs and small groups of 3 or 4. A group of rats can develop more complex social relationships with multiple rats<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-fancy-rats.co.uk_16-1">[17]. Rats will chase each other, groom each other, sleep in group nests, wrestle with each other, have dominance squabbles, communicate, and play in various other ways with each other.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-National_Fancy_Rat_Society_17-1">[18] While humans can offer some social contact, owners are no replacement for contact with members of their own species. In groups, rats can experience more full and varied lives that single rats cannot enjoy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-fancy-rats.co.uk_16-2">[17]

Varieties
The American Blue is one of several standardized coat colours.As in other pet species, a variety of colours, coat types, and other features that do not appear in the wild have either been developed, or have appeared spontaneously. Any individual rat may be defined one or more ways by its colour, coat, marking, and non-standard body type. This allows for very specific classifications such as a ruby-eyed cinnamon berkshire rex dumbo.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-MMratdoc_1-1">[2]

Colouring
While some pet rats retain the "agouti" colouring of the wild brown rat (three tones on the same hair), others may be black based colours (a single colour on each hair). Agouti based colours include agouti, cinnamon, and fawn. Black based colours include black, beige, and chocolate.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ratgen_19-0">[20] Additionally, eye-colour is considered a subset of colouring, and coat-colour definitions often include standards for the eyes as many genes which control eye colour will also affect the coat colour. The American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association (AFRMA), a United States-based club, lists black, pink, ruby, and odd-eyed (two different coloured eyes) as possible eye-colours depending on the variety of rat shown.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-afrma-std_20-0">[21] Ruby refers to eyes which at a glance appear black; but which are on closer observation, a deep, dark red. Colour names can vary for more vague varieties, like lilac and fawn,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ratgen_19-1">[20] while the interpretations of standards can fluctuate between (and even within) different countries or clubs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-afrma-std_20-1">[21] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-carol_21-0">[22] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nfrs-std_22-0">[23]

Markings
Himalayan rats have a unique color and marking variation.Further dividing the varieties of fancy rats are the many different markings. Pet rats can appear in any combination of colour and marking. The markings are typically in reference to the patterns and ratios of coloured hair versus white hair. Two extremes would be a self (completely solid, non-white colour) and a Himalayan (completely white with a gradual blend of colouring toward its nose and feet—called "points", as in a Siamese cat's markings).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rsa-standards_23-0">[24]

Markings have a strict standard for showing in fancy pet rat shows. For example, in the case of hooded rats, the stripe or "saddle" should be a single, unbroken line that runs down the spine and possibly partly down the tail.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nfrs-std_22-1">[23] However, many domestic rats are not bred to a color standard such as those found in pet shops, and as such, will have "mismarkings", which are defined as variations in markings that are not recognized as "standard" by rat fancy clubs.

Commonly recognized standards include: Other marking varieties include Dalmatian-like spotting, blazes, masks, and Siamese (typically a gradient of colour along the body, darkest at the base of the tail and nose as in Siamese cats), and "downunders" (an Australian variety which has a solid colour stripe on the belly or a colour marking that corresponds to markings on top).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rmfe_25-0">[26]
 * Berkshire – coloured top, white belly
 * Hooded – colour runs from full head down spine
 * Capped – colour on full head only
 * Variegated – a blaze, or short white strip on the forehead, with a fully coloured head and splotches or flecks of colour run down the back only
 * Irish or English Irish – In England the Irish is standardized by the NFRS as an equilateral triangle of white with a side that begins at the chest, or between the front legs, and where the point ends mid length.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nfrs-std_22-2">[23] In the United States and elsewhere, clubs like the AFRMA distinguish this marking as the English Irish and allow for another standard Irish in which the rat may have white of an even or symmetrical nature anywhere along its underside.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-afrma-std_20-2">[21] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-fox_24-0">[25]

Body types
A male "Dumbo" rat, a variety with ears placed lower on the head. Named for resemblance to Dumbo the elephant.Two of the most prominent (and thus standardized) physical changes applied to rats through selective breeding are the development of the Manx and Dumbo. The Dumbo, whose origins are in the United States, is characterized by having large, low, round ears on the sides of its head, while the Manx rat shares both its name and mutation with tailless Manx cats.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-afrma-std_20-3">[21]

Coat types
There is a relatively small variety of coats in relation to the number of colours and markings, and not all are internationally standardized. The most common type is the Normal or "Standard," which is allowed variance in coarseness between the sexes; males have a coarse, thick, rough coat, while females' coats are softer and finer.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-afrma-std_20-4">[21] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nfrs-std_22-3">[23] Other standardized coats include: Rex, in which all the hairs are curly, even the whiskers; Velveteen, a softer variation on the Rex; Satin or Silky coats, which are extra soft and fine with a sheen; and Harley, characterized by whispy long straight hairs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-afrma-std_20-5">[21] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nfrs-std_22-4">[23] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ratspacnw-std_26-0">[27] Remaining coat types are not defined by the hair itself, but rather by the lack of it, such as hairless rats.

Hairless rats
Even though this rat is hairless, pigmentation indicates that it is a hooded rat.See also: Hairless laboratory ratsHairless rats are a coat variety characterized by varying levels of hair loss. Hairless rats, bred from curly-coated Rexes, range from having areas of very short fur to being completely bare. Hairless rats are genetically produced by breeding different combinations of the genes that cause Rex coats. Since Rex is a dominant trait, there only needs to be one Rex parent to produce curly Rex-coated offspring. However, when two copies of the trait are present, by breeding two Rexes together, the coat is affected differently—causing hairlessness, and earning the colloquial name, "Double-rex". One subset of semi-hairless rats, Patchwork rats, constantly lose hair and regrow it in different "patches" several times throughout their life.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-afrma-std_20-6">[21] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nfrs-std_22-5">[23]