Rats have caused some fear over time because they are often associated with animals that carry diseases and are somewhat aggressive. However, this does not happen with any type of rat, as some are fully adapted to living with other animals and humans, making them excellent life companions due to their character and sociability. Rats classified as "domestic" have arisen from the species Rattus norvegicus, which is commonly known as the brown rat.
There are several varieties of these small mammals, which in some cases have a very peculiar feature that distinguishes them from others. This is the case of the dumbo rat, which is easily identifiable by its particular ears. In this page of our site we talk about the characteristics of the dumbo rat, its size, life expectancy, care and much more. Keep reading and know all the information about this variety of rat.
Origin of the dumbo rat
The origin of the dumbo rat is in the United States, specifically in California, and dates back to 1991, although it was not until 1998 that it was recognized as an official variety. Mutations occur more frequently than we think, only they are not always expressed in the phenotype of individuals and many are spontaneous. Apparently, this was what happened with the dumbo rat, since within a group of domesticated rodents an individual was born with enlarged ears due to a non-induced mutation With such a notorious characteristic, a directed reproduction was then made from the first individual with these particular ears, so that descendants were having the gene that determined this aspect of the animal's phenotype.
Once the dumbo rat became popular in the United States, it was introduced to other countries, however, in some of They showed that this gene not only modified the size and arrangement of the ears, but also caused certain complications in the neck, the ability to hear and orientation. This has caused it to be considered in some cases as a breed that is tortured, which is why it has been questioned, but, on the other hand, these aspects were not made official, so the reproduction of this type of rat continued.
As for the name "dumbo", it was associated with the fictional character from the Disney animated feature film that tells the story of an elephant that could fly thanks to its enormous ears.
Dumbo Rat Characteristics
The main characteristic of this variety is its larger ears positioned atypically to the sides In addition, they are generally not folded, as it happens in the other types of rats. This arrangement and size of the ears mean that, together with the nose, a kind of triangle is formed between the three structures of the face.
With the ears displaced to the side, the neck muscles are more pronounced, making the head appear wider than normal. On the other hand, the ears are described as more fleshy. In relation to the opening of the ears, these are located in the same position of the skull as the rest of the rat breeds.
As for the size of the dumbo rat, the dimensions are around 30 cm and the weight around 500 g The rest of characteristics of the dumbo rat does not differ from the brown or common rat, since it also has a long tail and short limbs.
Dumbo Rat Colors
The dumbo rat can be a variety of colors, including black, white, gray, slate gray, or combinations of these shades. As for the coat, it can also be varied in relation to short or long.
Dumbo Rat Character
Unlike a wild rat, the dumbo rat is an animal sweet, playful, does not show aggressiveness and even learns the behaviors that his caregiver teaches him. In this sense, it is a sociable animal that can be calm with another rat. That yes, in case of adopting male and female, it will be essential to sterilize them to prevent them from reproducing.
Some people mention that the dumbo rat is much calmer than other breeds of domestic rats, however, there are not enough studies to support that this is a typical behavior of the variety.
Care and feeding of the dumbo rat
The care of the dumbo rat is not special nor does it differ from that common in other domestic rodents. It is important to take into account constant cleaning in the cage, availability of a certain type of material to gnaw and a suitable location inside the home that guarantees a comfortable temperature for the animal.
Dumbo rat cage
The original habitat of the species was forests and grasslands in Asia, but after its expansion it spread through a diversity of ecosystems globally. Now, the dumbo rat is a domesticated animal, therefore, it already depends on the space offered to it in our homes.
In this sense, when we have rodents, the ideal is to have a cage so that they have a safe place to take refuge or restLikewise, it is convenient to allocate a room for them, especially for when we are not at home because they are very curious animals and due to their small size they can easily escape and take some risk. However, it should not be just any cage, as all varieties of rats require a spacious cage, ideally on two levels and with places to take refuge. The incorporation of certain special games for rodents are also a good aspect to consider, although they do not necessarily have to be inside the cage if the rat has a room just for it. Finally, it is important that the floor of the cage is covered by a suitable substrate to prevent the animal from harming itself. This substrate can be corn chips or wood chips, but not pine or cat litter.
On the other hand, it is important to emphasize that the dumbo rat, nor any animal, must not remain confined in the cage for 24 hours of the day If we cannot offer you a room, you should only stay locked in it when we are not at home. When we are at home, it is convenient to allow the rat to go out, walk, run, explore and play, always under our supervision. Unfortunately, many people decide to adopt rodents such as rats because they consider that they are "easy to care for", but the truth is that they need to receive attention from us, care and affection.
Feeding the dumbo rat
Rats are omnivorous and it is often suggested that they be fed more with special feed for them and a small proportion of fruit, vegetables and some meat. However, with the help of a specialist, a diet based entirely on natural foods can be established that offers adequate nutrition for our little companion. We also remember that you must have clean water available to drink inside the cage.
Discover in this other post What rats eat
Environmental enrichment
As we mentioned, dumbo rats need to be properly stimulated, and for this it is necessary to place wheels, structures with different heights so that they can climb, tunnels and various toys specifically designed for rats. They are very intelligent animals, so we can even play with them if they allow us.
Dumbo Rat He alth
The dumbo rat is not susceptible to particular diseases or different from those of other varieties, so if the conditions are managed mentioned above, this strain should be in good he alth throughout its life. But an eventual review with a veterinarian specialized in exotic animals or a direct consultation for any anomaly in our animal, are always important to properly care for these rodents.
With proper care, the dumbo rat's life expectancy is between 3 and 5 years.
Dumbo rat trivia
The gene responsible for this modification of the dumbo rat's ears has been identified as “dmbo” and is known to be a recessive gene. That is, for it to be expressed in an individual, both parents must be carriers of it, since if only one has it, it will not have an expression or presence in the phenotype of the offspring.
Tell us, did you know all this information about the dumbo rat? Do you live with one? Leave us your comment!
