Rats come in so many shapes and colours, from black and white to Russian Blue! Males normally have longer and coarser hairs than females, and the tail of a rat is the same length as their body.

Two standard type, black hooded rats. Photo and rats owned by Viia (Twinky & Picasso)

:: Rex: Short curly coat and whiskers. The coat texture feels rougher than Velveteen.
:: Velveteen: Wavy, dense, soft coat and curly whiskers.
:: Double rex: A rat with a rex coat which fall out in patches giving a rather moth eaten appearance.
:: Satin: A smooth, soft, shiny coat with thinner hairs which are slightly longer than in standard rats.
:: Harley: A longhaired rat. This is a new variety discovered in September 2002. This variety is named after the original rat owned by Odd Fellows Rattery in Washington, USA. This variety requires special care of it's coat. Not recommended for first-time rat owners.
:: Hairless: No hair at all on body, except some fuzz around the eyes and whiskers in some individuals. Whiskers can be straight or curly. This variety also requires special care for it's skin.

:: Dumbo eared: Larger, round ears set lower on the head.
:: Tailless: A rat without a tail. The body tend to be more rounded and stocky.
:: Dwarf: A rat which is about one third the size of a normal rat in adulthood. Feet and legs are smaller in proportion to body size compared to standard rats plus tails are also shorter in proportion to body size.

A Siamese Dumbo. Rat and photo owned by Settican (Zahra)