Genetics is of interest to anyone who likes rats whether they are new-to-rats through to those more established. One of the things that takes people by surprise when they first come to rat shows is the number of distinctive varieties and how they come about. A little later, when owners consider breeding their rats, especially for the first time, it is natural to wonder what might result (and plan accordingly). Then after a while, it will be necessary to prevent inbreeding and an outcross will be needed. It is also fair to say that anyone who has bred a few litters is likely to have had something unexpected pop up. Genetics can help to explain all of these.

The following pages are based on a series I wrote for Ratitude, the NERS newsletter. There is a common misconception that rat genetics is difficult and so interested fanciers try to muddle along without it needlessly. This series aims to bridge the gap between interested novice and the wealth of rat-specific genetic information posted on the internet in six parts. I draw on our breeding experiences, but I will leave an explicit review of husky genetics for another series.

Page 1: What is a gene?

Page 2: Genotypes

Page 3: Punnet diagrams

Page 4: Predicting a cross and what being wrong means

Page 5: Effects of more than one gene

Page 6: More unusal cases

Page 7: Quiz