I heard 2 once, but mine is already that age and seems extremely healthy. I don't want to seem morbid. I just want to be prepared when it is his time. I love the little guy.
Answers:
The rats that we find in pet stores are known as peachfuzz hairless (having whiskers and an almost invisible coat, but feels like velvet when you pet them), patchwork hairless (hair comes and goes throughout their lives so they look patchy), hairless (they have whiskers, they also can have hair as a baby, but it can fall out and remain bald as the baby coat falls out, or they are born hairless and remain hairless), and Double Rex ( having a curly coat but it falls out and remains bald as they age). I've had all of them except a true hairless and experienced an older then 2 years life-span with 3 out of 7.
Only breeders can breed a true hairless, a rat that has no hair what-so-ever, not even whiskers. The "true hairless" are difficult to breed because some hairless mothers have trouble lactating or producing milk for their babies. Just for this reason you will not find true hairless in a pet store.
From the website
http://www.skyclyde.com/hairlesscare.htm...
"Hairless rats are prone to Illness. Generally, hairless rats are fragile creatures in comparison to furred rats. They may have more allergies and may be more susepticle to environmental stress causing them to become ill. This is especially true of strains of hairless deriving from laboratories and passed onto the pet stores. Diseases common to laboratory and pet store hairless rats are cancer and tumors, excessive abcessing, wasting, kidney and bladder infections, heart disease, eye disease, diabetes, excessive respiratory infections, headtilt, and skin problems.
Just in the last few years, since the first publication of this article, fancy rat breeders have made great strides in breeding out health issues that formally plagued hairless rats. Now, some lines of hairless rats from reputable breeders are just as disease resistant as furred rats and can be expected to live as long, two to three-years-old. Reputable breeders eliminate tendencies for these diseases through selective breeding. They moniter their lines over time and end lines where offspring continually have health problems that crop up before two-years-old. Good breeders choose only the healthiest rats to breed. >>>>>Hairless rats not selectively bred can be expected to live 18-24 months%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;. Outcrossed hairless rats to furred lines tend to be more robust and live longer than those born to hairless parents."
However, this need not be the fate of your hairless. One of my hairless boys, Oliver, was very robust, lived well past the age of 2 years, and died mearly from the ravages of old age and not by myco or tumors as is the fate of most hairless and furred rats alike.
If your boy is healthy at 2 years of age, you can expect him to live to the ripe old age of nearly 3. In otherwords he has the same robustness as any furred rat :)
http://spazrats.tripod.com/alfabitrats.h...
Oliver - Peach Fuzz - 2 years, 8 months
Punk - Patchwork - 1 year, 5 months
Quincy - Double Rex - 2 years, 6 months
Topi - Peach Fuzz - 2 years, 2 months
http://spazrats.tripod.com/alfabitratsng...
Eve - Hairless - 1 year, 5 months
Galen - Hairless - 1 year, 8 months
Halen - Hairless - 1 year, 4 months
spazrats
"my life has gone to the rats"
A true hairless rat lives 9-18 months.
im pretty sure its the same as regular pet rats (2-3 years) as long as you keep it in room temperature. (not next to the sun, and next to a vent) she should be fine
id say 3 years with good care but two know for shere go to goggle and type in petco hamstere care sheet try a hairless guinea pig im sure they live longer
Hairless rats live as long as normal haired rats. Luckily you have a male. Males are less likely to succumb earlier. Females usually get mammary gland tumors. I'm guessing you have a box for the rat to stay in or a little towel in the cage, so the rat stays warm. That is one of the most important items for keeping hairless rats healthy. Rats are very social too.
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