Pet Care for a Hairless Rat

Hairless rats are the result of a genetic mutation and they are bred specifically for rat fanciers. Unlike their common kin, hairless rats have some special health concerns. Hairless rat owners can address these special conditions and have rewarding experiences with their pets.

  1. Temperature

    • Hairless rats need to be monitored closely in cold weather because of their lack of fur. Hair serves as a major insulator for rats, and hairless rats can lose heat up to 300 percent faster compared to their hairy kin. Check the internal temperature of hairless rats regularly to ensure that it does not drop to dangerous levels. Wrapping your hairless rat in cloth or pet clothes, which can be purchased from most pet stores, can be invaluable during colder months.

    Infection

    • Hairless rats have a much greater chance of catching serious diseases or infections because their hairless bodies are unable to deal with the massive amount of pathogens that a rat's fur would normally block. Cuts and scrapes on a hairless rat are a serious issue because the sudden opening in the hairless rat's skin will be overwhelmed by pathogens. Apply pet bandages to act as artificial blockers in place of fur.

    Deformities

    • The hairless rat mutation is human-engineered and one that would have naturally died out long ago due to the unfavorable conditions of not having a fur coat. Hairless rats are much more likely to have genetic anomalies or mutations due to the entire breed's stemming from a limited gene pool. Take your hairless pet rat to the vet regularly to be checked for genetic diseases or other aliments.

    Food

    • Hairless rats need to be fed much more food compared to their hairy kin because they lose heat at a much quicker rate. Maintaining the appropriate body temperature requires a greater expenditure of calories. Feed hairless rats approximately twice as much food as you would feed a normal-haired rat.