All Posts in Roof

|In: Animal Rescue|Last Updated:
Roof Rat born with split tail: is it genetic?

She is otherwise normal, friendly and healthy

Roof Rat with split tail birth defect or mutation
Roof Rat with split tail birth defect or mutation

She was one of a litter of 5 babies. The rest were apparently normal.

Roof Rat with two tail tips. Possible birth defect or mutation.
Roof Rat with two tail tips. Possible birth defect or mutation.

Her mother also had a normal tail.

Roof Rat with abnormal tail. Is it a genetic defect or a reabsorbed twin?
Roof Rat with abnormal tail. Is it a genetic defect or a reabsorbed twin?

However, her father’s tail was groomed off by his mother sometime after birth, so we cannot confirm it was normal.

As you can see from the video, her and her mother both appear to be perfectly healthy, tame and friendly.

Close-up of rat's tail tip showing possible birth defect or genetic mutation
Close-up of rat’s split tail tip showing possible birth defect or genetic mutation

Anyone that is interested in her or knows what caused this, please contact us: petroofrats@gmail.com

Close-up of possible rat tail birth defect. Anyone know what could cause this?
Close-up of possible rat tail birth defect. Anyone know what could cause this?

Want to see our rats and maybe

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|In: Animal Rescue|Last Updated:
The Domestication of the Roof Rat

There’s a new kind of pet rat: here’s how it happened

Until recently, nearly all pet rats were Norway Rats (Rattus Norvegicus.) Also known as “Fancy Rats”, these were sold in pet stores, bred by breeders and even used in research. The domestication of these fosserial (burrowing) animals was a fascinating and somewhat shocking story: National Rat Fancy Society: The Domestication of the Rat.

The blood sport of rat-baiting was an antecedent for the practice of keeping rats as pets.

The blood sport of rat-baiting was an antecedent for keeping Norway rats as pets.

Norway Rats are not the only kind of “true rat species”, but for many years they were the only one that you could get as a tame, domesticated pet. The other common rat species, arboreal Roof Rats (Rattus rattus or Black Rats), are often found near people, but were not being bred as pets. A rescued or captured Roof Rat might learn to be tame, but their offspring would not inherit

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