Coat types are genes that change the texture/length of the hamster's coat. The most basic coat, and what can be considered the "wild type coat", is shorthair. Shorthair is dominant and is on the L locus. The genotype for shorthair is LL or Ll. Longhair is the recessive coat type on the L locus, ll.
Moose, Vixen, and Foxy are good examples of male longhair, female longhair, and shorthair. The longhaired gene is influenced by levels of testosterone. This means a male longhair will have a longer coat than a female longhair. Females often have a thicker coat with longer tufts behind the ears and along the rump called a skirt, sometimes also lovingly called "butt floofs".
Rex
Rex is another coat type located on the Rx locus. Rex is recessive and the genotype for rex is rxrx. Rex hamsters will have a curly coat as well as curly whiskers. Rex can be on shorthair or longhaired hamsters.
Rex is another coat type located on the Rx locus. Rex is recessive and the genotype for rex is rxrx. Rex hamsters will have a curly coat as well as curly whiskers. Rex can be on shorthair or longhaired hamsters.
Spudnik (belonging to SBH) and Owl (belonging to Holmden Hill Haven) are examples of rex coat on a shorthair and longhair hamster.
Satin
Satin is a coat type that makes the shafts of hair hollow, making them appear shinier than normal. Satin is a form of dominance on the Sa locus called "incomplete dominance". Incomplete dominance is when the heterozygous genotype (in this case, Sasa) is phenotypically intermediate to the homozygous dominant genotype (SaSa) and the homozygous recessive ggenotype (sasa). Ideally, a satin hamster will only be Sasa. A homozygous dominant satin hamster, or a hamster with two copies of Sa, is called double satin. Double satin hamsters have fur that is too thin and creates a sickly looking hamster with a patchy coat. Ethical breeders do not breed two satin hamsters together in order to avoid double satin.
Satin is a coat type that makes the shafts of hair hollow, making them appear shinier than normal. Satin is a form of dominance on the Sa locus called "incomplete dominance". Incomplete dominance is when the heterozygous genotype (in this case, Sasa) is phenotypically intermediate to the homozygous dominant genotype (SaSa) and the homozygous recessive ggenotype (sasa). Ideally, a satin hamster will only be Sasa. A homozygous dominant satin hamster, or a hamster with two copies of Sa, is called double satin. Double satin hamsters have fur that is too thin and creates a sickly looking hamster with a patchy coat. Ethical breeders do not breed two satin hamsters together in order to avoid double satin.
Aura and Suni (belonging to Holmden Hill Haven) are examples of a satin hamsters.