Hairless rats might just have more names than any other variety of rat! They are also referred to as Sphynx, baldies, naked rats or more affectionately, “chicken cutlets”.
As the name suggests, they either don’t have any fur, or very little of it. Most hairless rats actually do start growing some fur as kittens, but lose it again by the time they reach a month old. Some are more smooth, while others develop lots of wrinkles!
Hairlessness in rats can be caused by a few different gene mutations. It sometimes randomly pops up from two parents who have fur.
Hairless rats are a bit more finicky to take care of than standard rats, so we’ll look at their care needs in this article.
Types of hairless rats
There are three types of hairless rats: patchwork, double rex and true hairless. Patchwork and double rex rats are both the result of breeding two rex (curly fur) rats together.
As the name suggests, patchwork hairless rats do grow some fur in patches around their their body. Throughout their lives, they lose what little hair they have and grow it back again multiple times! Patchwork rats are sometimes called Rorschach rats, for their changing fur patterns. Typically, you can only get them from certain breeders. They’re usually more expensive than standard rats because they’re more rare and difficult to breed.
Double rex rats tend to be totally hairless, except most of them do have eyelashes and short, often curly whiskers.
True hairless rats completely lack eyelashes and whiskers, and have thicker skin compared to rats with fur. True hairless rats are born with a poor immune system, so have a shortened average lifespan of only around 1 year. They are found more in laboratories than sold as pets.
Caring for hairless rats
Hairless rats do need a little bit more care than standard rats. You’ll need to keep them warm, feed them a little more, and make special considerations in cage design to protect their skin from scratches and eyes from debris.
Staying warm
Most rats are quite sensitive to temperature changes, but hairless rats especially so. Keep your ambient rat room temperature around 69 – 79°F (21 – 26°C). A little humidity is also good for rats in general.
Giving them lots of hiding houses, hammocks and soft, warm fleece to snuggle up in can also help hairless rats regulate their temperature.
Choosing a substrate for their cage that wont scratch them or bother their eyes is particularly important for hairless rats. Anything rough, like wood chips, or dusty, like CareFresh paper bedding, can especially irritate hairless rats’ skin and get into their eyes.
Compressed paper pellets are one of the best substrates for hairless rats if you can find them, because they don’t have extra particles to get into their eyes.
Diet
A hairless rat’s dietary needs are more or less the same as with standard rats, except they tend to eat and drink a little more to help keep their temperature up.
Just make sure they always have water available by giving them more than one water bottle or bowl in their cage.
Oils with omega 3’s are great supplements for hairless rats to help keep their skin supple, and will help keep your other rats’ fur nice and sleek too!
Companionship
Like all rats, hairless rats need company. They can live with other hairless rats, or rats with fur.
I’ve seen recommendations before that you should only keep hairless rats with other hairless rats, but I’m not sure what the logic is behind it. All rats have nails they could scratch them with! Giving your ratties lots of things inside their cage they can wear their nails down on seems like the best solution, as long as your hairless rat isn’t getting bullied.
Hairless rats even seem to appreciate having furred companions that they can cuddle up to for warmth!
Health issues in hairless rats
Hairless rats do tend to suffer from certain health problems more so than standard rats. This is in addition to the common health problems that regular rats have.
- Some hairless rats lack eyelashes and whiskers. In this case, they can have trouble keeping things out of their eyes. You may need to take them to the vet to flush out their eyes if they get irritated. Your vet may be able to recommend eye drops you can use at home too. You can help your rat clean around their eyes with a wet Q-tip, but never touch or rub the eyeball itself.
- Some female hairless rats have trouble lactating, so they may not be able to nurse their young.
- Skin irritation is quite common in hairless rats, and can become dangerous for them if it gets infected and develops an abscess. You may see little clogged hair follicles on your hairless rat’s skin, similar to blackheads in humans. These usually aren’t dangerous, just a bit unsightly.
- Because they can scratch their skin so easily, it helps to give hairless rats, and their cage mates, a brick, pumice stone or lava ledges inside their cage to wear down their nails. If you’re really careful, and your rat is calm enough, you can also cut just the tiniest bit of the tip of each nail off with a pair of human nail clippers. You’ll have to be more cautious about putting anything in their cage that could scratch them, like wooden toys.
- Hairless rats’ skin can get dry easily. They benefit from adding a little oil to their diet with omega-3’s in it, like olive or flax seed oil, to keep their skin supple. You can also rub coconut oil directly on their skin as a little hairless rat skin care routine. You may have to keep them separate from their cage mates until it sinks in so they don’t dogpile on and lick it all off!
- Some people create little sweaters for their hairless rats out of socks to keep them warm and protect their skin! I think it’s a great idea, if your rat doesn’t mind wearing it.
- Male hairless rats still produce buck grease like standard rats do, which can get caked onto their naked skin. If they seem to be itchy or it bothers you, you can wipe it off with a warm, damp wash cloth.
- Hairless rats have a harder time regulating their temperature, so cold temperatures are even more dangerous to them than standard rats.
FAQ
These are some frequently asked questions that people have about hairless rats! If you have any more, leave them in the comments!
Are hairless rats good for allergies?
Some people find that hairless rats don’t bother their allergies as much, because they don’t have any fur for allergens like dust, dander, little particles of bedding, and urine to get stuck to. You may still find that the scratches they leave on your skin get irritated, but helping them keep their nails worn down can improve that too.
Do hairless rats stink?
Hairless rats don’t have much body odor, unless you really put them up to your nose! They may even smell a little less than other types of rat, without any fur for things to get stuck to. You’ll probably only notice a smell of pee if you go too long between cage cleanings.
You may notice a little extra buck grease on male hairless rats, because it’s not hiding underneath their fur. This is an oily orange substance that only male rats get.
Hairless rats don’t need baths, and soap and water can actually dry out their skin. If they need a little extra help with hygiene, try wiping them down with a damp wash cloth, and following up with some coconut oil for moisturizer.
Are hairless rats blind?
Hairless rats are not necessarily blind, unlike the naked mole rat – a totally different species of rodent! Like other fancy rats, the hairless ones do tend to have poor eyesight though and rely more on their other senses, like hearing, touch and smell to get around.
What do hairless rats feel like?
Hairless rats’ skin is actually quite soft and smooth, even a bit velvety! Some are very smooth, and others more wrinkly. Hairless rats are often warmer to the touch than you’d expect them to be, because their little metabolisms have to work extra hard to keep their body warm.
Do hairless rats get pimples?
Hairless rats are prone to getting pimples when their hair follicles get clogged. It’s also much easier for hairless rats to scratch themselves when grooming or interacting with other rats, because they don’t have any fur protecting them. (Still, you should always keep them with other rats.)
Gross as it may be, you can actually squeeze these little “blackheads” to get the gunk out if it’s bothering your rat. Just make sure it isn’t a different type of lump first. You definitely don’t want to squeeze bigger things like abscesses if they aren’t ready to pop, or tumors at all!
Can hairless rats swim?
Like other rats, hairless rats are actually very good swimmers – if they have to. In my experience, most domestic rats don’t love water and will avoid putting their whole face and body in it if they can.
Conclusion
Hairless rats are a very unique variety of fancy rat that either totally lack fur, or have very little of it. They do have some extra care needs, but are just as sweet, lovable and affectionate as any other rattie! Have you kept any hairless rats? If so, what was your experience? Are you thinking of getting some, or do they seem like too much work? Let me know in the comments!
