Keeping track of your rats’ weight accurately is an excellent preventive step to alert you to any sudden weight gain or loss, which could be a sign of anything from pregnancy to pneumonia! Today, I’ll share how I do the weight check my ratkids receive every two weeks. When Titania is pregnant, she’ll get to do this every day!
Our model for today is SGR Fortissimo, a handsome Russian Fawn gentleman, and my largest rat in both length and weight.
To weigh your rats regularly, all you need is a kitchen scale. One that uses grams is most accurate. I bought mine at the grocery store for under $15! Check the baking supplies aisle, as gram scales are most often used to weigh ingredients for baking.
Of course, most rats won’t just sit still on the little scale. That’s what a big Tupperware container is for. Set it on top of the scale and make sure to zero the scale before adding a rat- wouldn’t want Fortissimo to get a complex because of those extra few grams added to his weight!
Now, it’s time to add one rat.
Fortissimo, at the tender age of seven months, weighs in at 586 grams! Time for some enthusiastic belly kisses and a chocolate chip before returning him to his cage and weighing the next rat.
Fortissimo is very cute, but he’s definitely not a Russian fawn. Russian fawns have red eyes, not ruby and they are lighter in color. He’s a nice looking fawn though.
By: Diane on March 27, 2008
at 2:25 am
Hi, Diane!
What rat club are you involved with? I’d be curious to see the standard you’re referring to for Russian Fawn. In the club where I serve on the BOD, the Northern Illinois Rat Organization, not too many of them have popped up in members’ ratteries yet, though a few Blue-Beige (aka Russian Beige) individuals have come along recently.
The genotype for Russian Fawn is the same as the genotype for Fawn, with the addition of two copies of the recessive gene for Russian Blue. In other words, one or two copies of Agouti, two copies of Red Eye Dilute, and two copies of Russian Blue make a Russian Fawn. From Fortissimo’s pedigree, it is clear that his genotype matches this profile: A/a r/r d/d.
Have you seen a different genotype identified as Russian Fawn, or are you just remembering other rats identified as Russian Fawn as being phenotypically different?
Thanks for your concern
I am always interested in hearing from the rat community, but I am fully aware what genetics are involved in my program, no need to worry.
By: rizzlemom on March 27, 2008
at 10:45 am