Coat Types

Standard coat rats have medium/short fur with guard hairs that are the same length as the rest of the fur, their fur feels smooth rather than dense and plush. Male standard coat rats sometimes have coarser fur and can appear a bit more bristly than females, especially when older. Female standard coat rats have a softer coat than males and don't tend to feel coarse or bristly. 

Standard Coat is a dominant gene which means that a rat only has to inherit one copy of the gene to have a standard coat. A rat that is carrying NZ Angora (one copy of the standard gene + one copy of the fluffy gene) will have a standard looking and feeling coat. 

NZ Angora rats have a dense plush coat with longer fur, long guard hairs add to the extra fluffy appearance.  Male NZ Angora rats tend to have longer, denser coats that feel slightly coarser than females. While Females are still noticeably fluffy compared to standard rats, their coats are slightly shorter than the males, with a much softer plush feel.

NZ Angora is a recessive gene that requires both parents to carry at least one copy of the fluffy gene. For a rat to express the full fluffy coat it must have two copies of the fluffy gene, if only one copy is inherited then the rat will be a carrier (Carrying the genes for fluffy but not expressing the fluffy coat themselves).