I will try to keep a list every year of my personal goals for each and every line to help keep us on track but to also make sure we are only breeding what is necessary.
Dwarf: We have a few different lines here that are dwarf. We try to keep most of them separate as different things need to be worked on in each line.
Russian Blue and Black. Other Russian Dilutes possible. Mostly dumbo ears. Standard and hairless coats. Most markings will be berkshire based. MM Self, Berkshire, MM Hooded, Variegated mainly.
- To work on - Increasing dwarf hairless lines. Ears need to be rounded out more, starting to get pointy. Eyes are very bulgy still in this line.
Agouti and Fawn. Beige and black are possible in this line as well. This line is a mix of dumbo and standard ears. Coats are standard and velveteen. Most markings are Blazed Variegated. Blazed Berkshire, Berkshire, and Variegated are also possible.
- To work on - Obesity is still a huge health concern in this line. Believe to have come from CAMA lines. Working to dilute those genes. It is not a lethal concern and can easily be managed. Size of eyes needs to be worked on as well.
Marked (Patched/Dalmation).
Standard Size: We have a few different standard sized lines here. They are broken down further to help keep track of the lines.
Platnium and Cinnamon.
Here at EPR, will will be continuing to work on our dwarf and manx lines.
We will also be continuing on our marked line in russian blue, black, mink and mink merle.
Dwarf Line- Our overall goals for our dwarf line is to continue with our longevity. We are also working on making the eyes a bit more proportionate to the body, instead of bulgy. A majority of all the rats in this line live to be well over 3 years old. With this line, we are working with Black, Russian Blue, Agouti, and Russian Blue Agouti. We also will occasionally have Siamese and Burmese dwarfs available due to recessives. This line is mostly dumbo ears, however we do occasionally have some standard ears. This line is mostly standard coats with a few hairless popping up every now and again. We are working towards hairless dumbo dwarfs. :)
Manx Line- Our overall goal with this line is to keep producing very high quality Manx rats with little to no health problems. So far we have had little genetic problems with this line. They are all wonderful temperament and reach a great size with awesome conformation. This line is all Agouti based colors; Agouti, cinnamon, Russian Blue Agouti, Fawn, etc. Currently this line is all dumbo ears with nice set and shape. We have a very wide variety of coats in this line; we have Standard, Rex, Double Rex and Hairless. We are currently working dwarfs adding more hairless into the Manx line.
Mink/ Dove Merle Line-