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My rats2007-11-24 22:12:59

about a year ago i got two beautiful girl ratties from a local shelter, with little information given about them, one is black and white with dumbo ears, the other is blonde/white with regular ears, is it possible they are from the same litter? or do you think they were bought separate and put together?

Answers:

In answering your question I am starting out with the assumption that your girls began as pet store rats.

It is very possible that you have sisters..or not. It's not unusual for pet stores to put their litters together, or even not to know which babies belong to what mother, because they could care less.

Since your two girls came from a shelter the staff were confident in keeping them together, which means the girls had to at least have been living together their entire lives regardless of their relationship as sisters, or just good cage-mates from a young age.

Regardless of color and what ear-set the parents have (because genetics can be complicated), here's how you get Dumbo and Top-eared in the same litter. I have frequently gotten both Dumbos and Top-eared in the same litter with many of my breedings.

http://members.aol.com/ristorat/dumbo.ht...

http://www.ci.manhattan.ks.us/documentvi...

http://www.curiosityrats.com/genetics.ht...

http://www.boardmanweb.com/rattery/genet...

http://www.angelfire.com/me5/lilfootprin...

When rats are born in communual-style it is not unusual for rat mothers to suckle the babies of another mother.