Albino rats – white with red eyes: features, lifespan (photo)

Most often, rats have a dark coat color, ranging from silver to brown or black, but there is an artificially bred line of albino rats. They, with pleasure, are started by families hoping to get a peaceful and docile pet of an unusual color. Where did these rodents come from and what features do they have, we will consider further.

How albino rats appeared

In fact, the albino white rat is a kind of pasyuk – an ordinary gray rat. It was bred in the laboratory at the beginning of the last century in order to conduct various scientific experiments. It was from these albino rats that the decorative rats known today were bred. They were obtained by crossing albinos with gray relatives. The first line of white rodents also made it possible to develop new laboratory lines of rats with black, silver, cream, brown, blue and other coat colors.

White laboratory rats have different behavioral characteristics and types of coats:

• capuchins (with tuft);
• long-haired;
• with curly hair.

Many people do not understand why rats have red eyes, and do not like such animals. Indeed, the animals sometimes look somewhat frightening. In albinos, the eyes can be either the usual color for gray foxes or red. This coloration is due to the lack of pigmentation of the eye. In fact, it is transparent, and the blood vessels that shine through it give the eye a red tint. The notorious white coat color in such rodents also occurs due to a lack of melanin in the blood.

Today, active breeding of white rats for laboratory purposes continues. Since they have a genotype similar to humans and the same set of chromosomes, rodents are used to conduct scientific experiments in the field of:

• virology;
• genetics;
• radiobiological;
• microbiology;
• toxicology.

In normal offspring, the appearance of an albino is a rare case. These genes are recessive and are suppressed by dominant black or gray genes.

Important! Due to the uniqueness and spontaneity of the formation of a set of chromosomes responsible for the white coat color, it is extremely difficult to breed an albino rat at home.

Features of albino rats

Albino rats have a number of features that distinguish them from ordinary gray rodents. Such rats live no more than 1,5 years. Due to health problems against the background of adverse environmental conditions, they have weak immunity. This distinguishes them from dark-haired relatives. For comparison, representatives of their genus with dark hair live up to 3 years.

 They are practically incapable of adapting and surviving in the wild, so it is not worth releasing them into the wild – this will lead to the inevitable death of the animals.

Sometimes you can find a semi-albino rat with dark eyes and white with a grayish tint coat color. Such animals have stronger immunity than their white relatives. Semi-albinos are less likely to get sick and adapt much better to the environment. As a result of crossing them with albinos or gray pasyuki, in almost 100% of cases, offspring appear with dark hair.

Albinos are quite prolific, tolerate captivity well, and are light in weight. And these are the main qualities for which they are so valued in laboratories. As a result of research, scientists have identified a fairly high level of intelligence in white rats. In addition, rodents have the ability to empathize and sympathize with their relatives. There are cases when albinos showed altruism.

Attitude towards a person

White rodents lend themselves well to training, they are quite cunning and smart, although they cannot be compared with wild relatives fighting for survival. Albinos easily remember their nickname, as well as the nicknames of other pets living with them on the same territory.

It is worth properly locking the lock on the cage door, as these animals are able to learn how to open simple valves.

They have a good-natured and gentle disposition towards humans, unlike their wild ancestor. Such rats are very sociable and like to spin around people, begging for affection and treats. They are easily given in the hands and allow you to stroke yourself on the back.

Important! With regular communication with a pet, you can quickly tame it. But we must remember that these rodents have an excellent memory and remember well those who hurt them.

Rodent care

The main rule for caring for an albino is the regularity of cleaning in a rodent cage. This will ensure the cleanliness of the pet’s fur and the absence of an unpleasant specific smell in the room. For ease of cleaning, purchase a cage with a retractable tray. Then your task will be to timely replace the old pallet filler with a fresh one.

Due to the fact that this genus of rodents is collective and sociable animals, they need daily attention. Or, in order to avoid the appearance of boredom from loneliness in one pet, you can get several same-sex domestic albino rats.

Care of hair

White fur needs regular combing, and the pet also needs wet procedures. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to brush. If the animal is worried about the brush, you can cut off the long handle to the base of the head. When combing a pet, you will have to hold the brush with your index and thumb.

If a previously unusual yellowness appeared on the fur, this is a cause for concern. There is a possibility that the rat is not able to take good care of itself due to illness. To clean wool, you should not risk your pet’s mental health by arranging full-fledged bath procedures in a basin. Use a damp cotton pad to wipe the fur. Don’t forget to dry the coat after cleaning!

Place the cage with the animal away from direct sunlight, as white rats are afraid of bright sunlight.

Features of vision

The vision of these representatives of rodents is weak, they see the world very blurry. For comparison, human visual acuity is about 30 times greater than that of a normal gray rat. And white rats with red eyes have eyesight half as sharp as that of their gray relatives. The owner of the animal should make the cage space for the pet as safe as possible. The same applies to the premises where the rodent will walk. During the walk, control the movements of the animal, because its vision will not always allow you to avoid danger in the form of a fall from a height, a sharp object or a cat lurking nearby.

Albino Diet

The daily amount of feed is about 40 grams. Despite the well-known omnivorousness of rats, pay attention to the list of foods prohibited for feeding the animal: sweets, seasonings and spices, salted and pickled vegetables, carbonated drinks. Do not give your pet raw meat and excessively fatty foods. It is allowed to periodically allow an albino to sharpen his teeth on chicken bones. Do not forget about vitamin supplements in the autumn-winter period!

Nail care

Sometimes you need to help the rat grind off its claws if it is post-op, sick or too old. The animal will not be able to do it on its own. The nails should not be long, otherwise they tend to bend and damage the pads on the paws. It is better to trim the claws with a nail clipper for rodents or cats. In extreme cases, you can use nail clippers.

The cost of white rats differs little from the price of rodents with dark hair.

Important! Many breeders refuse to keep these decorative rats due to their short lifespan. They have a weak immune system, so they often get sick.

White rats are docile and peaceful animals. They are able to become favorites in the family, thanks to their sociability and easy learning. Animals can remember the names of all pets in the family, including their own. But you need to be careful when caring for albinos with red eyes. They have poor eyesight, fear of direct sunlight and susceptibility to various diseases.

Video: white rats – albinos

Read also our articles about such unusual breeds of rats as “Bald sphinx rats – an amazing variety of decorative rats” and “Husky rats”.