Development

Rats are born deaf, blind and hairless, weighing around 6 to 8 grams each. The first sign that they have been born is usually the 'eeping' sound of babies calling to be fed. Their whiskers are already growing, making it possible to identify rex coated rats by their curly whiskers, and the colour of their eyes is sometimes distinguishable through the skin. The skin of the belly is thin enough in the first few days to see a band of milk in the stomach when the kittens have been fed.

At one day old the kittens have been cleaned and fed. It is possible to sex the kittens, as the gap between the urethra and the anus is smaller in females than the gap between the penis and anus in males.

At two days the beginning of markings can be seen on the marked kittens. When placed apart from the rest of the litter they will instinctively crawl back to join their siblings.

At three days old it is possible to begin to distinguish colours. The beginnings of tiny claws are visible on their feet.

At four days old the kittens' ears are beginning to 'unstick' from their heads, although there is no sign yet of ear holes.

The babies have a slight fuzz of fur, giving them a velvet appearance.

The ears are becoming more detatched from the head, and the claws are recognisable now.

At six or seven days old the tails suddenly lengthen.

The babies have more control over their movements now. They still spend most of the day sleeping in the nest.

The coat colour is more obvious now, and rex coated babies have a more fuzzy and less shiny look to the coat.

The babies are spending much of their time feeding, and mum is eating much more food than normal. She is being supplemented with high protein food and puppy milk to support her milk production. The babies weigh approximately 25 grams each.

The rex coat is even more obvious now. This is the time when sexing is easiest for a few weeks, as females have visible nipples whereas males have none.

The teeth are becoming visible, and some kittens have a small glimmer of an eye beginning to open.

All of the babies are opening their eyes, and instantly begin to leave the nest more often to explore their environment, much to mum's consternation.

The babies now weigh around 30 grams each, making the average litter of 12 weigh more than their mother.

The babies' ears have been unfurling over the past few days. When they're born the ears seem to be moulded flat to the sides of the head and there's no sign of a hole. As they grow the ears detach slightly, but still look 'pinned back'. Then at around fourteen or fifteen days old they begin to get ear holes, and as soon as the hole appears the ears unfurl and curl around the hole, making them ear shaped. There is already a light down of fur on the back of their ears.

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