Agouti Behaviour Observation or just coincidence?

[OldsGal]

I have two agouti berk boys in the rescue right now who don't bite but they are not friendly either. They don't want to be held and they leap out of your hands and are fast as heck. They are very nervous and skitty.

Hubby was working with them last night and he made a comment which has stuck in my head ever since then. "I have never met an agouti that isn't like this. I think it has something to do with their color. They are all mean"

I can understand why he would make this association. Every single Agouti self or berk that has come through these doors in the past several years has been either like the above boys or down right evil and ripping your fingers off. We truly have not had a nice agouti around her. Agouti hoodeds yes super sweet. But a self or berk. No.

So is this just coincidence or could there truly be something genetic to this? No all of the wild has bred out of them? Similar to hybrid wolves?

What do you all think. My gut says it is just all stupid dumb luck coincidence but hubby sure did get my brain to thinking!

Staci

 

[Dahlas]

I have never had an agouti self or berk....I have had two very sweet agouti hooded.....
I know there are people on here that have them so it will be interesting to see what they have to say.....

 

[KristyR]

I have been wondering this myself.

Six of my boys are from the same litter. Three are agoutis, three are black. Until they were about four months old, there was no difference in their temperaments. In the last four months though, the three agoutis have become far more aggressive, pushy, rude, and sometimes just plain nasty. Mostly just to the other rats, but occasionally to me, too. The black ones though, have stayed just as sweet as can be, and sometimes even jump in the middle and break up fights their brothers have started or tried to start.

I'd sure be interested to hear what others have to say about this too!

 

[MumsyRat]

I used to have an agouti boy who was the sweetest old guy in the world. I remember at one point I had him in a cage with a bunch of babies and he suffered everything and anything they did to him. I can still picture him at the bottom of a pile of babies with a strained but accepting look on his face. I called him Papa.

I currently have an agouti girl named Gloria who would prefer that you not hold her but she loves to have her head scratched and will close her eyes and relax when you do it. She has never made any kind of aggressive move but will struggle if you hold her for too long.

My :heart: rat J.J. is an agouti hooded. He loves to be with me, loves to be held and will spend every single minute of his life in or near my hands if he could. He is also very docile with the other boys I have. I see him get pinned on a regular basis and has had his tail and toes nipped on several occasions.

Maybe your guys have some wild strain crossed into them. Shelagh could tell you about the lovely temperament of the wildings.

 

[Melissa's ZOO]

Flower is my Agouti self and she is so incredibly sweet loves to give kisses and loves to be held, she is also my BIGGEST and OBESE girl she is well over 550 grams.

I also have Pumpkin she is an Agouti berk and super sweet loves to give kisses is OK with me holding her but not for to long as she is young and loves to run and play.

 

[Willow Bean]

hmm... Mariusz has NEVER liked being held... he will dig into you with his claws to get away sometimes and he always runs when you try to pick him up but Magnus (a Siamese or Himi) is the same way, so I kind of chalk Mar and mag up to low levels of socialization. Before I got Willow I didn't know much about rats and didn't realize that they needed to be socialized :doh: Thank goodness I know better now :doh: It's very embarassing... but anyhow, Maverick is agouti bareback and she is hell-on-wheels, Emma Lee is an agouti Berk and is very sweet but will struggle as if her life depends on it if you hold her for "too long". Merlyn was an agouti veriegated and was very sweet... I think it comes right on down to the rat...

 

[Moon]

Behavioural Genetics can certainly be indicated by colour in some cases, but I think it can depend on what trends are happening in your area. If for some reason a breeder in your area is/was concentrating on Agoutis but not paying much attention to behaviour...well... then for some time you'll be seeing agoutis with bad attitudes.

I'm not inclined to think that it's across the board by any means, but... again... you could be looking at problems with agoutis in your area for a little while. It really depends on the breeding situation.

I remember some time ago Shelagh pointing out a lot of Merles showing up around here, due to Petsmart stores in this area getting an influx of merles, and how they all have a similar facial structure, so all clearly from the same lines.

I suppose it could be akin to the dog world.. when a breed is really popular, you see an influx of dogs of the breed with behavioural problems because people are breeding for money. So the same could happen with rat colours.

 

[jorats]

I tend to agree with Moon. I think it has to do with breeding. I had a super sweet agouti self. My sister had a sweet agouti self and so did my mom. She currently has three evil doers agouti but we are pretty sure they are part wild.
From out observations, its the pearl merles that seem to be evil around these parts but again, I believe it's due to the rat mill used by many pet store and over breeding.

 

[Dewi]

I have an agouti berk and she is *very* social and sweet. I also have an agouti hoodie and he is friendly too.

 

[OldsGal]

Ya I too believe Moon's explanation hit it right on the head! Makes much more sense then anything I babbled out earlier LOL! I knew there had to be some logic behind it but alas since I don't think much on breeding that thought never crossed my mind.

And ya all of the agouti hoodeds around here are super social and sweet it is just the berks and selfs that tend to be a bit nasty.

Staci

 

[jorats]

For me, it's the pearl merles... nasty buggers! lol

 

[Dahlas]

Isn't my handsome Charlie a pearl merle???? Is he nasty?....if so it is because he misses me....

 

[jorats]

LOL!! Dahlas, so far he's a sweetie!!

 

[Dahlas]

Well he is probably feeling pretty smug with all those kids he has fathered.....hahaha I'm sure you guys will soon take the spring out of his step......

 

[Vanessa]

I have an unusual case with an agouti - Hobo. Either wild or hybrid. He is untouchable.
I also have Lenny and George, two agouti selfs from Hamilton AC. They are the sweetest little boys.
I have had lots and lots of agouti hooded boys and never had one that was a problem that I couldn't chock up to their previous homes.

 

[Firben]

Our agouti girl (Mummi) is one of the sweetest rats in the whole group!
Actually we have a few agouties, that all are sweet, but Mummi is the sweetest of them all.
Even when pregnant, or with babies, there haven't been any problems..

 

[anita1216]

My Boo had his moments. There were times when he was sweet as pie and others he was evil and a bit nippy. I tend to blame that on poor genetics and a rough way of it as a baby. He had cancer and some wicked abcesses along with CHF.

I still miss him dreadfully, sweet and sour boy that he was

 

[LilSqueakersRattery]

So is this just coincidence or could there truly be something genetic to this? No all of the wild has bred out of them? Similar to hybrid wolves?

What do you all think. My gut says it is just all stupid dumb luck coincidence but hubby sure did get my brain to thinking!

Staci

its without a doubt a coincidence, i had an Agouti Berkshire female that lived a LONG 3 year life and she was the lickiest, lovey-dovey-ist, kissiest baby girl i EVER had... i'm hoping all my future girls are like Jazzy was! RIP Jazz!

then again, i had a Agouti berk male and he was the devil in rat form- he bit BOTH my second nuckles on both my index fingers, sending me to the ER and i ended up with a tetnus (sp?) shot in the rear... he was unsocialized with humans AND other rats so when i introduced him to the other boys that was eliminated with the other boys kicking his butt, they got him in shape, he stopped biting me!

its not the color, its how they are raised-- just like ANY other domesticated animal species.

 

[mercurydust]

That's ironic-Lucy is an agouti hooded and she is a sweety but hates to be held and leaps from my hands when I try to hold her....maybe it is genetic.

 

[henry's_mum]

my Hnery is an agouti berk, and a rat from h@*# !
he pees on everything, bites, hisses, won't accept any new rats... litlle TERD head!

now all that said, he's going for a nueter ASAP!