Hairless rats?

Question
QUESTION: I recently saw a hairless rat in the local PetSmart, which I thought was the most adorable and amazing creature I have ever seen, and was thinking about going back to buy him in a few days.  I have two others (they live separately, different genders) so I'm used to the required care, and I can afford to get the additional supplies and such to take on a third and keep him in his own home.  I'd also been looking into rat socialization techniques so that if I got a third and either had him and my other neutered (I've read it makes males less aggressive to each other) or had a girl, I could introduce it to my others over time so one of them had a friend to live with.

Anyway, I was trying to do some research on if they have any special health circumstances I should be ready and aware for, special needs, and other things.  I can't really find one set site that has a lot of information on them.  I found a few, but they're kind of contradicting of each other, so I'm unsure which to go by.  I tried looking up info on Wikipedia, and it was saying how most hairless variations live under a year--which sounds heart breaking.

I was wondering, if you have any experience with the kind, if you would know a general life span (if it is really always that short) or any big health issues or preparations I should be aware of in considering adopting it.  Any information you could give would be great, thanks!

ANSWER: Hi Kira

I love hairless rats!!  THey are so cute!  I have had some over the years too and can tell you about them. Basically they are rats minus the fur of course.  Without fur, they show scratches easier and they may get dry skin easy as well.  You can help soothe the skin by rubbing him with olive oil every few days. If you notice, he will feel like warm leather. His body temp is higher due to a higher metabolic rate than the other rats and rats by nature have a high metabolism (one reason they have a shorter life span) Hairless rats also lack a thymus gland and in turn this can cause their immune system to be a bit weak so a good healthy diet and keeping his cage as clean as possible is a must.
This doesnt mean he necessarily has a shorter life span than furred rats, since its impossible to tell how long any rat will live. I have lost rats at 5 months old and others have lived well over 3 years old.
Hairless rats can and have lived way past 2 and 2.5 years of age.

ALso, it would be best to try to litter train him and use soft litter such as care fresh or hemp by lifemate. Hairless rats do not have eyelashes so debris can easily get in their eyes and cause problems. Beware of that issue, too.

Other than that, go for it, but dont wait too long...someone else may fall head over heels in love and snatch him up before you do!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much for the quick and informative answer!  It was very helpful.  I went down and picked him up yesterday.  They were actually selling two, they were brothers.  I've been trying to do my homework and have read that they get along better in pairs, and it helps them stay warm, so I brought home the second too (I ended up getting a bigger cage anyway, so there was room for both.)  They've been very playful since I brought them home.

I've actually noticed small brownish patches that seem to match what I've read about, just excess oil that can be cleaned off?  At least I don't have to worry about them drying out just yet, but I'll keep it in mind.  As far as weaker immune systems, I have a multivitamin supplement to add to their food so that should be helpful too.  I have their cage lined in soft towels for now, I'm going to pick up a softer bedding for them when I get home from work.  I'll start looking up some litter training techniques, that would definitely help keeping their cage cleaner.

As far as them living together, I just wanted to check to make sure it was a safe idea.  As brothers and cage mates, they're pretty much used to each other.  I just wanted to make sure they're not fighting.  They've for the most part just been bowling each other over, which seems like innocent play, or just trying to mount each other for dominance.  Luckily the lack of fur will help me make sure there's no scratches, and I think the occasional squeaking may simply be a "Hey, you're stepping on me!" call.  Vash tends to be the one to bowl his brother over the most, and then starts licking or sniffing at his stomach, I'm not entirely sure which...  But it should be fine, yes?

Vash continues to be an odd one, but I'm loving him already for it.  Both have been sniffing everything very bravely, but as Vash sniffs he also sways his head back and forth, like he's hypnotized or one of those snakes being charmed by a flutist.  I'm not sure if that's an odd behavior thing or maybe something having to do with his eyesight.  Looking online has said that red-eyed rodents will do this to see shadows, but I don't think he's red-eyed, not nearly as much as my friends albino rat anyway.  Do hairless rats have any vision problems not related to debris in their eyes?

Thank you for your time, again! =D

-Kira

Answer
Hi Kira

OH that is SO GOOD you got him and his brother!  PERFECT!
Yes yes rats get along well together....2, 3, even 5 rats live in harmony for their entire life.  I dont suggest having more than say, 4 intact males in the same cage IF the cage isnt really roomy or they may fight a bit over who is alpha male which is normal.
Speaking of which you asked if its normal for them to scrap and yes, this is the way baby rats and teenage rats play. They wrestle, chase each other, even mount each other to show dominence. Totally normal behavior. If they are angry you will know it. They stand on their hind feet, circle each other, shove each other, their tails will even wag. They show their teeth and even make this odd hissing sound. They also walk "sideways" and bump into the other rat as if to say "move out of the way the boss is coming through!"   
If this occurs (and it shouldnt, but if it does, it wont even occur until they are much older) a squirter bottle is what you need to stop them from fighting but never ever reach in to break it up. I did that more than once (OUCH STUPID ME!) but again, dont worry, I dont expect this to happen at all, but wanted to at least let you know the signs of aggression and angry rats.
As for Vash swaying his head: this is seen in rats not because they have light eyes and are doing this due to shadows. This is an inaccurate statement (I know you said you found it online so whatever source you found it on, I wouldnt use that info too much as it is totally inaccurate)
I like how you described head swaying: Like a snake charmer. Thats a perfect example!

Here is what it is all about and why they do it:

All rats have poor depth perception and have trouble judging distance. They sway their head back and forth to focus and judge the distance from their position to an object in the distance, often doing this before making a jump or perhaps if they hear a voice or see a movement in the distance and they are trying to focus in on it, they start to sway back and forth. Its adorable as heck when they do that, too!

It is called parallax motion and it is used to determine relative and absolute distance in objects.

To better explain it, motion parallax is simply a depth cue that results from the way the rat moves, which in this case, swaying his head from side to side.  As the rat moves, objects that are closer to the animal will move farther across his field of view than do objects that are in the distance. This in turn tells the rat how far an object is in the distance. Sometimes a rat will jump a great distance, but how often to they accurately hit their mark and fall instead? I would say that without the rat using motion parallax, he will miss his target which is why I do not suggest allowing any rat to remain on high tables or counters unattended. They just dont realize how high they are and I cant tell you how many accidents I have seen over the years when a rat is allowed to play on someones table or kitchen counter top etc...
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I copied this from my website for you but there are also some videos of rats doing it. I think its adorable and can only imagine how cute it would be to see Vash doing it. Like I said, I melt over little naked ratties!  LOL!


Here is the url to my website:

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/gettingstarted.htm

Not sure if you have checked it out but there is some good info on proper diet and even how to construct a fun play area that is safe for the rats to run around and play in rather than have to keep them on the bed or end up losing one in the room. I once had a shy boy jump out of my hands, ran through the rooms to my sons room and hid under the bed. There was so much JUNK under there we were scared to move things around for fear something would fall on him. Carefully, for TWO HOURS we took stuff out from under the bed and I kept calling his name but he was still so new and shy he did not trust me from Adam and would not come. I found him 3 hours later hiding in an empty video game box, that is how little the bRAT was.
After that I bought a playpen for them but they kept climbing it. Finally I found a sight that showed how to make a great cardboard "wall" to spread around as big as you want. They cant climb it and its too high for them to jump it. I made it 3 foot and of course I am there with them during playtime so if they tried to chew it I discourage them from doing it. You can read about that all on my site, too, under GETTING STARTED.

Hope this helps! I am excited for you!