Basic
Information on Roan AKA Husky Rats
By Emily of EaglesEye Rattery
Basic information to help those curious about the roan / UK Husky gene in rats. I get a lot of questions on roans and their genetics so I decided to put a little bit of info up about them. I will be adding more photos and updates as I continue learning about, and breeding these beautiful unique rats.
EAGL Tucker
Hill
Agouti patched roan
Roan AKA UK Husky is a recessive marking, and fading gene in rats. Roan rats start off solid colored as babies, as 'roan' (or 'silver') out with each moult through their lives. A quality roan will fade slowly, keeping color and not roaning entirely out well into adulthood. Roans have white bellies, but their markings can be berkshire, or hooded-like ('striped roan'). It seems so far that self, and berkshire roans look "blazed berkshire", while hooded roans have a hood-like stripe (band) down their backs.
There seems to be currently no set name for this variety. Most UK breeders simply call them Husky, but in the US, due to the dominant 'S' marked 'Husky' rats, many breeders are calling this imported variety 'roan' to distinguish them from the mega colon prown dominant high white marked rats.
I'm also told that with combined with the piebald h' genes (AKA Dalmatian, and Varigated), you can produce piebald marked roan rats- but that these rats seem prown to MC (As told to me on the ratgenetics yahoo forum by UK breeders) This marking can be any color currently existing in rats, including colorpoints (siamese, and himalyan). It shows best in unsilvered dark colored rats, like black, mink, chocolate, and russian blue as examples.
This recessive marking gene is not known for producing megacolon, unless bred into other spotted lines so it's reccemonded to only breed roans to roan, and non piebald, or spotted lines.
Click on the thumbnails below to view a larger pic!
This is EAGL You Raise Me Up, a charcoal roan. Josh was the first roan born in the NW. He is out of Squeek of CAVE kids.
 Josh 7/31 with a black sibling |
 Josh in a pile-o-siblings! |
 5 week old Josh |
 Taken 9/4 |
 Taken 9/4 |
 Taken 9/13 |
 Taken 9/13 |
 Taken Oct 3 |
 Taken 10/3 |
 A completelty faded Josh. He faded MUCH too quick! |
 These were taken 4/26 |
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This is EAGL Tucker Hill, an agouti eye patched roan
 Tucker is on the left. Taken 3/21 |
 Taken 3/21 |
 Tucker nose. Taken 3/21 |
 Taken 4/26, showing off his roan fading |
 Taken 4/26 |
Cute Tucker face! Taken 4/26 |
This is an odd eyed blue roan girl, GGR/EAGL You're Still You
 These were taken 4/26/07 |
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