The Nakies - Introducing Hairless Rats!

When deciding on what rat may be right for you, many people look past the hairless thinking they are not like our original fuzzy fancy rats. The truth is other then small differences they are just as playful, intelligent, snuggly and fun as our furr babies! Hairless rats are created from breeding to rex's(curly haird rats) Their are different types of hairless rats including patch work hairless. They can be hairless all over or they can have hair just on their face or random parts of their body. They usually have few whiskers or none at all. The whiskers they do have tend to always be short and curly. Their skin can be from very light pink to a dark brown/ light black or even a blu-ish tinge.

While not everyones immediate reaction to a hairless rat is how adorable they are their personality just like all our fuzz babies will hook you right in. The main concern with hairless rats is their inability to handle temperature change as well as our other ratties. Hairless rats are very sensitive to hot and cold weather, imagine not wearing any clothes and then you get a chill, you'd be freezing! Provide them with comfy warm bedding to snuggle into if they get cold and keep their cages away from places that they may catch a draft as this might lead to them eventually catching an illness.
Because they dont have fur they are much more prone to dry skin so lotioning them up will help protect them from cracking skin. Use olive oil or a hypo-allergenic baby lotion for their sensitive skin. Black heads can be very common among them aswell. You may often see scratch marks on your fuzzless baby from time to time, this is normal. It is inevitable they will end up with scratches not having their fur to protect them but most scratches will only be minor, superficial and will heal quickly. Use animal or human polysporn for this. Another way to keep the scratches to a minimal is to cut his/her nails as well as all the other rats nails that are in the same cage and check their cage over to make sure their is nothing sharp for them to run into.

Unlike our furred friends, hairless rats have a much faster metabolism, being able to break down foods faster and burning calories faster then other rats. Because of this, hairless rats also require more amounts of food and water, without the extra amounts they may loose energy that is required for them and this could lead to illness or even death. They have this higher metabolism because they lack the insulating effects of a fur coat. They require more food because this keeps them warm the way a rats fur would. When feeding hairless rats, be careful you do not over feed or give too many fattening foods as all rats tend to be prone to obesity and diabeties. The majority of the rats extra food should still be their blocks as they are not overly fattening and are healthy. Feeding the blocks is also benificial because then they can not pick and choose from the tasty food to the not so tasty food. Make sure not to give too much protein as protein is hard on a rats kidneys and can lead to serious internal issues and skin conditions.

One of the biggest issues with hairless rats are their eyes. They tent to be very prone to eye complications because they do not have the protection of eyelashes. Dirt and particles can find their way in and behind the eyes causing serious permanent eye damage. Cysts can also develop behind the eyes resulting in having to have the eye surgically removed. Some people use arifical tears or special eye ointment to help but remember to speak to your vet first! Having your rat a buddy is a must. With the already stress of no fur and the need to burn energy, being alone can make them more prone to developing respiratory infections from anxiety.

Remember that hairless rats can easily live with our furry rats just remember to keep everyones nails trimmed.

Think about saving a hairless baby today! Look for your next family member through rescues and free adds online. Save a rat that truly needs a home! Dont buy or breed, Adopt a rat thats really in need!