Dumbo Rats: All You Need to Know

dumbo rats

Dumbo rats are among the cutest rats that you will ever see.

While all of us rat owners love any type of rat, we all hold a special spot for the teddy bear rat; the dumbo eared rat!

The low set, rounded ears give them adorable, innocent, sweet, angelic little faces that even the most terrified person would melt over.

Let’s learn a little bit about our precious dumbos!


Where Did Dumbo Rats Come From? Is It a Genetic Defect or Deformity?

This wall clock on Amazon features an adorable dumbo rat; showing just how popular these guys are, even in the gifting market!


As a matter of fact, the dumbo gene is considered to be a defect or deformity. The first dumbo rats began showing up in the pet trade, and the scientific community was completely unaware of these adorable animals. After receiving word of them, they began studies and ultimately found that there were two genes that had a role in this mutation: Msx1 and Dlx1 genes. While the animals do not truly suffer from their differences in appearance, they do have other physical traits that differ from standard eared fancy rats.

Breeding Dumbo Rats to Top Eared Rats: What Babies Will I Get?

Dumbo Eared Hooded Male Rat!

Dumbo Eared Hooded Male Rat!

What happens when you breed a dumbo with a standard eared rat? Well, it all depends on the genetics of both rats, and their parents! Here are a few scenarios that will give you a good idea of what may happen in your upcoming litter:

  • If the top eared parent has a dumbo eared parent, then you have about a 75% chance of dumbo or higher. The dumbo gene is recessive, but quite strong when it is mixed with a standard who has the dumbo genotype.
  • If the top eared rat happens to have a dumbo eared GRANDPARENT, then you have about a 25% chance of dumbos.
  • If the dumbo eared rat has a top eared parent, the chance of dumbo will decrease in the litter.

Dumbo Rats Bred with Rex Rats

With the proper glass water bottle, your rat can remain healthy while saving you money in the long run.

These are two different genes, and unlike ears, they do not clash directly. However, dumbo is either hit or miss; while rexing is a diluted or concentrated gene. Therefore, dumbo rats can be rexed and rexed rats can be dumbo eared. Apply the dumbo X standard ear rules above to determine whether or not the babies are dumbo. Here are some scenarios:

  • Dumbo rat is standard furred, while the mate is a simple rex (full coat, only 1 rexed parent). You could have standard furred rats, poor rexes, or even kinked rexes. It depends on the rexing lineage.
  • Dumbo rat is standard furred, while mate is double rexed. You will have fully rexed babies!
  • Dumbo rat is rexed, while mate is rexed. You may have tight rexes, double rexes, or patchwork hairless. Chances are, they will be patchworks.
  • Dumbo is double rexed, and mate is double rexed. You will probably have patchwork hairless rats with very, very little fur.





Where Can I Buy Dumbo Rats?

7 day week old rat pups babies

As rats are bred, genetic material is passed down. Those rattie genetics determine how healthy a rat will be and how susceptible they will be to disorders and diseases later in life.

Firstly, you do NOT want to buy your dumbo rats from a pet store. You are going to want to find a well reputed rattery who has them, apply for adoption, then adopt your babies! This is how you will get healthy babies with wonderful, docile attitudes.

Most pet stores get babies who are sickly, that have come from bad parents. They could be inbred, have severe health issues, and a high risk of cancer. This is not a good scenario for the future owner. Honestly, feeder breeders MIGHT be a step up from pet shops, to be honest! Even so, that is still a place you DO NOT want to go to for your rats.

Commercial rat farms are alarming for rat owners, and the people who “care for” the rats are generally not equipped to do so. They tend to be ill educated and do not care for the animals properly. Those places raise rats on a massive scale, and they exist solely for profit. Bacterial and viral infections run rampant, and any losses are quickly replaced with new litters. Rats are not respected creatures in these places- they are simply merchandise. Below, you’ll see what we consider a feeder breeder; just imagine how bad the commercial farms are!

 

Dumbo Rat Size

rat menstrual bleeding miscarriage pregnancy

Baby Dumbo Rats: Potential blue husky, and dalmatian faced baby!

These rats will get as big in size as standard rats, but every rat is different. It depends on genetics, diet, and environment; but, males are almost always bigger than females. There are also dwarfed rats as well. Therefore, you can expect your rat to reach anywhere from 8 ounces to 24 ounces in weight (0.5 to 2.0 lbs) and approximately 16 to 20 inches long (more or less).