Siamese

Shop with us on Ebay
Fins us on Amazon
Advertise with us
The Rat Shack Forum

Help Support The Rat Shack Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Bronwyn

Bronwyn

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2007
Messages
2,957
Location
Guelph, ON
One of Tara's Siamese girls became available so I'm adopting her as well. I was just browsing the internet and was reading about how the siamese rat was overbred in the 90's and thus came with behavioural issues as can be expected with an improperly bred animal. Then I started reading posts on how they're fine as youngsters but develop into nasty adults. Does this info have any merit? I thought siamese would just be a coat colour but as I expressed in another thread, I'm not familiar with rat genetics.
 
Pearl is a siamese, she likes to be on the go playing with Lily all the time. It could be that she likes to play all the time and Lily likes it as well (she doesn't run and hide but squeeks a lot though I think she's just noisy). But Pearl is about 9 months old now and she has such a sweet personality. Gives me tons of kisses and always there for attention. Likes to kiss my nose :D . I don't have any problems with her.
 
I honestly don't think so. The Siamese are still being overbred IMO [many chain stores have started carrying them to supply demand] but the way rats and their genetics work are sort of different from how other species of animals work. Unless you're in a certain area where you know that Breeder A, B, and C have been breeding their lines separately and together to the point of genetic aggression, I highly doubt it. This would also mean that any other coat colors from outcrosses that came from that litter would have the same chance of being just as aggressive. So unless you've read about a rash of aggressive Black and Agouti selfs and PEWs as well, I really wouldn't have any concern over it.

Rats live such short lives, and if this was done in the 90's, unless someone's been keeping it up since then those rats have long gone as well as been bred with other rats who don't have the same problems. You may find a few here or there or even several in a given area, but I honestly don't think you can be so general as to say All of a certain type would be this way.
 
Our 3 Siamese boys (Monroe, Adam, & Noah) were very laid back and sweet. The two adult rescues (Joy - Siamese, Hope - Himi) I took in about 2 months ago are also very good tempered.
 
I don't think there's any merit to that article. Yes Siamese are over bred but if they most had behavioral issues, we'd hear a lot more about it.
We did have one siamese that was aggressive but it was typical of Sudbury breeding. One breeder in my area keeps pumping out aggressive males.
My Bijou started out a nipper and bossy until she was spayed and became the most loving girl ever.
 
Thank goodness. :) It wasn't going to make me ditch the baby but I wanted to go in with my eyes open and perhaps spend extra socializing time on her. It looks like I have nothing to worry about! Thanks for everyone's input!
 
Extra socialization time never hurt anyone :wink: and who can resist such a sweet face as that of a Siamese?!

I wish that we had known more about rats when we got Magnus, Mariusz and Moosh. The boys aren't good about handleing but Magnus, the Siamese, is one of the best about being picked up while in his cage and the wirst about being picked up outside of his cage. I agree though, I think that it's patially about socialization and partly about genetics, I wouldn't think that it's a coat color issue. ^_^
 
So true! Hopefully my girl has some friendly genes. ;) It's interesting seeing how rats respond to the same methods of socialization. Brie and Elphie are as friendly as can be, but Phoe freaks out when I first pick her up. It takes her a good fives minutes to stop trembling and then she'll start washing her face and just snooze on my lap. It's a little odd!
 
Every rat has their own personality is all. Just like humans, some are one way and others another way.
 
Treat, my little black mismarked bareback likes to bite gently when playing with me. I need to teach him to stop that. But... he's so adorable when doing it. I stop playing with him when he does.
 
Hahaha...thats funny about smeezes being all aggressive. :)

The only colour related thing I have noticed (and I could be completely wrong) is that every pearl merle I pick up has had some psychological issues, mostly timid and/or aggressive tendencies. Pearl merles are the IT thing in Ontario petstores since they stopped pumping out blazed high-whites.

Moth - aggressive with others, finally sweet with me in the last year, before that she was waay too distracted by other rat smells to care.
Dolci - woah! This girl was really wired wrong, could barely be touched until the very very end...she would have extreme panic attacks.
Lottie- nervous/aggressive with other rats, whines when they are near :sad-p: we are going to work on her confidence before attempting any more intro's.

Bradley - huffs and puffs at the smell of other rats, a bit of a bully, but Rennie can handle him :D
 
Wow! Man, I'll cross off that coat colour on my wish list, hehe. Blues were big at some point, right?

I'm thrilled you all have positive experiences with the siamese - Tara just emailed me some photos of the two girls I'm adopting and I'm beside myself with excitement. :)
 
I love siamese. I currently have 4 siamese (2 siamese and 2 hymalayan) and they are all sweet. Captain Jack Sparrow and Barbossa are the sons of another siamese Voldemort who died when he was 23 months old. Voldemort was very sweet too. His parents MeKong and Thaleigh were nice rats too.

I am still in contact with Captain Jack Sparrow and Barbossa's brother Si. He is a very nice boy too.

I have been in contact with many siamese rats too who didn't belong to me. None of the siamese that I met were nasty and aggressive.
 
The only colour related thing I have noticed (and I could be completely wrong) is that every pearl merle I pick up has had some psychological issues, mostly timid and/or aggressive tendencies. Pearl merles are the IT thing in Ontario petstores since they stopped pumping out blazed high-whites.
Click to expand...

I have a lot of experience with dogs and i find dogs that are blue merle often have mild to serious anxiety issues which can lead to aggression. I think it has to do with lack of pigment and melatonin in their bodies.

Bronwyn, as for the litter your babies are coming from: they are ultra friendly! I don't think you will have anything to worry about!
 
I find that giving medication to Pearl since I have been the one doing it all the time she has become my sweetie. It our little thing. She will cuddle with me and kiss my nose. It's really sweet.
 
Of the two, the black and the siamese, the siamese is adapting much more quickly, lol. I have to do an intro thread but they're pretty freaked out right now so I'll hold off the camera. ;)

Edit: Intro meaning to the forum, lol.
 
HCongratsRat.gif

Whoo-hoo to you and the lucky kid too!
I never heard indications from any siamese kid's parents that they've found that type especially problematic? Some of my best-loved other people's kids have been siamese, so I know they can be especially special :D
 
After only two days with them I can't choose a favourite, lol, but the siamese gets points for being the first to fall asleep on me! I posted photos of a terrible quality so I'll have to update that with my camera's versions.

I think the article was saying they develop the aggression but I'm well aware of how much info on the web is utterly useless.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top