Shunamite lifespan data by litter

This is outline the specific lifespan data for Shunamite litters. I have begun with litters from the end of 2004 because this was when I started using my current database, and older records are paper based and harder to access. As far as is posssible, I have organised the litter information in sections of related rats.

Lifespan data is going to be skewed unfairly by any rats who die young of accidental or environmental causes. Where this is the case I will record events but not include the data in the calculations.

Tabi line litters

A loosely related litter between descendants from the original tabi platinums and the topaz/agouti tabi line.
Alpha Centauri Sienna and Shunamite Tabi o menino
10 kittens, 1 accidental death in youngster (ruptured liver on autopsy) not included.
Range 15.5m to 35.75m
Under 24m, 1 death - the rat with the ear infection detailed below (88.9% still alive)
Under 28m, 5 deaths (44.4% still alive)
Average (mean) lifespan 27.6m
1 rat was pts in haste by an inexperienced vet when they presented with a head tilt/rolling at 16 months. If this rat is excluded as an unnecessary pts average lifespan is 29.1m

This was a generally fit and longlived litter. The does were quite small, which wasn't what I was aiming for at the time so I didn't breed on from this litter. Lump occurence was much lower than we have seen with the bigger tabi does and the smaller slinkier size is quite possibly also tied with the longer lifespan.

An outcross litter between completely unrelated rats. Revelet was from a mishmash of lines from elsewhere coming together, and Brandon was from the litter after an outcross on the tabi line. So this is a bit of a cauldron of genes!
Shunamite Revelet and Shunamite Brandon
11 kittens - 1 death following back injury after fall not included.
Range 12.75m to 33.75m
Under 24m, 6 deaths - 1 sudden @ 12.75m ? cause. 2 @ 16m when holidaying at rescue, the rescue lost a lot of rats in an acute infection. 1 died 15.75 months at surgery for a lump removal. The remaining two died around 23 months. One of these was diabetic and the other died in her sleep, 2 weeks after a lumpectomy despite looking fit and well. (40% still alive)
Under 28m, 9 deaths (10% still alive)
Average (mean) lifespan 21.55m

This was a really poor litter, which may just be due to nature of the outcross, but many of the deaths have the feel of the rats being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The diabetic rat was one of three in the Revelet related rats (one of her brothers and one of her uncles also developed the disease), but by the time this became clear this litter had already been bred on from (through Tabi Dream on). These are ancestors of many of my current rats and despite close inbreeds we have thankfully never seen this illness again.

A loosely related litter between two tabi line rats, but both from outcross litters.
Shunamite Tabi dream on and Shunamite Tango
16 kittens, on death at surgery (age 16.75m) for a wound on his face (accidental) not included.
Range 12m to 32.75m
Under 24m, 3 deaths - 2 acute pnuemonia, 1 unknown cause (80% still alive)
Under 28m, 11 deaths (24.6% still alive)
Average (mean) lifespan 24.6m

A very average litter, but a measurable improvement on the original outcross (above). I bred on from this litter through two rats; Tabi off the hook and Tabi textbook.

Tabi line inbreed; grandaughter back to maternal grandfather.
Shunamite Tabi textbook (from Tabi dream on x Tango litter) and Shunamite Brandon
15 kittens, three unable to contact at time of death, one accidental death at 8 weeks. Information based on 11 rats.
Range 17.5 months (pituitary tumour) to 31m
Under 24m, 3 deaths - all suspected PT (72% still alive)
Under 28m, 6 deaths (45% still alive)
Average lifespan 25.6m

Only real issue here was the sudden appearance of PT which until this point hadn't really been an issue. By the time these became apparant had I bred on from the litter through Tabilicious. I was lucky that she lived to 29 months and didn't have a PT. This along with the fact that she was crossed anyway to the tail end of the platinum line - to a hardy rat called Lord Flashheart who lived to be 2 weeks short of his third birthday made me comfortable with just carrying on.

Tabi line to Loaf/tabi line mating.
Shunamite Tabi off the hook (from Tabi dream on x Tango litter) and Shunamite Jet (from Nonette x Tango litter)
3 kittens. Information based on 3 rats.
Range 23m to 25.5m
Under 24m, 1 deaths - multiple lumps (66.6% still alive)
Under 28m, 3 deaths (whole litter)
Average (mean) lifespan 24.2m

These three girls were very large from birth (being only three born to a strapping doe). This propensity for bigness, maturing quickly and being overweight continued into adulthood, and probably led to the shorter lifespans. 42 not out was bred from (to Tabi it's all relative) but none of the babies were bred on from. This was not really a concious decision as 42's litter faired well on the health front. It was down to practical difficulties.

Very loose line breed on the tabi line rats.
Shunamite Tabilicious (from Tabi textbook x Brandon litter) and Shunamite Lord Flashheart (from Boblet x Valya litter, platinum line)
7 kittens. Information based on 5 rats.
Range 14m to 31.5m
Under 24m, 2 deaths - one probable fall injury, but included as uncertain. One sudden death at 19 months - cause unknown. (60% still alive)
Under 28m, 2 deaths (as above) (60% still alive)
Average (mean) lifespan 24.1m

Low numbers mean that the overall mean is skewed by what may have been an accidental death, despite 3 of the 5 living to or beyond 28 months. 60% still alive at 28 months is encouraging. This litter was bred on from through Tabi it's all relative and Hoppy Daze.

Accidental mating which led to our current all metal narrow barred cages policy! Effectively a line breed on the Tabi line after an outcross.
Shunamite Hoppy Daze (from Tabilicious x Lord Flashheart litter) and Matrix Trick or Treat (from Shunamite Kat x Halcyon Crash. Kat was from my Tabi textbook x Brandon litter - Tabilicious' sister)
18 kittens. Information based on 16 rats.
Range 18m to 30m
Under 24m, 5 deaths - two acute respiratory illness [one treated, one not] and one PT, two unknown. (68.8% still alive)
Under 28m, 11 deaths (31% still alive)
Average (mean) lifespan 24.9m

Despite not being planned this litter became fortuitous in helping us to salvage the tabi line and many of our rats are now the downline of this litter. The outcomes for lifespan are fairly ordinary but solid and gave us the foundations on which to rebuild.

Bringing together of two strands of the tabi line.
Shunamite 42 not out (from Shunamite Tabi off the hook x Shunamite Jet litter) and Shunamite Tabi it's all relative (from Shunamite Tabilicious x Shunamite Lord Flasheart)
15 kittens. Information based on 10 rats. 4 lost to follow up. 1 death resulting from accidental injury.
Range 20.5m to 33m
Under 24m, 1 death - attached solid tumour on shoulder. (90% still alive)
Under 28m, 6 deaths (40% still alive)
Under 32m, 8 deaths (20% still alive)
Average (mean) lifespan 24.43m

A difficult litter to assess as based on only two thirds of the babies, but fairly solid though unexceptional.

Tabiline inbreed; great niece to great uncle.
Shunamite Hoppy Daze (from Shunamite Tabilicious x Shunamite Lord Flasheart) and Shunamite Casper (from Shunamite Tabi dream on x Shunamite Tango).
10 kittens. Information based on 9 rats. 1 lost to follow up.
Range 19.25m to 33.25m
Under 24m, 2 deaths - 1 zymbal's gland tumour, 1 weakness to one hind leg ? cause. Dies in sleep after a few weeks of this illness. (78% still alive)
Under 28m, 5 deaths (44% still alive)
Under 32m, 7 deaths (22% still alive)
Average (mean) lifespan 26.53m

A good litter and the one that made me move away from topaz entirely. The 5 topaz in this litter lived from between 19.25 and 27 months and 3 of the five died as a result of a zymbal's gland tumour, an illness I have seen relatively frequently in this variety and very rarely in any other variety (this would be an unusual coincidence as I breed far more other varieties). The 4 black and agoutis in the litter lived between 27 and 33.25 months by comparison.

Rats descended from Loaf

Another complete outcross litter.
Shunamite Revel & Integrity loaf 12 kittens
Range 22.25m to 36m
Under 24m, 1 at 22m death due to CK infection following the integration of two cage groups (91.7% still alive)
Under 28m, 5 deaths (58.3 still alive) Average lifespan 29.16m

A successful outcross litter in every respect. This litter was bred on from through Nonette.

This litter was another outcross on the outcross, because I was now trying to bring everything together into one line, so I used the same stud bucks (Tango and Brandon) for the next four litters.
Shunamite Nonette and Shunamite Tango
18 babies, one of who died at approximately 3-4 weeks after failing to thrive. Two of the remaining 17 are unknown as I have failed to maintain contact with the owners. Two of the remaining 15 who were living togther as sole rats in a family home died curled up together in their sleep, during the day, symptomless, at 10 months, which is so bizarre it was almost certainly something environmental). The following data is on the other 13 rats.
Range 12m to 34m
Under 24m, 3 deaths - 2 died in the same round of rattery infections as the pair from Revelet's litter (above) that was widespread in the summer of 2006, the third died suddenly on unknown cause at 20.5 months.(76.9% still alive)
Under 28m, 5 deaths (61.5% still alive)
Average lifespan 26.27m

This was a good litter overall. It does show well how averages can be skewed by one or two rats dying at a very young age. So whilst over 60% of the litter were still alive at 28 months, the average lifespan is only 26.27 months. For the purposes of breeding to extend lifespan it is probably helpful to consider all of the statistics. From the point of view of the rats it is probably most useful to see how many are reaching a particular age. I bred on from this litter through Brioche, and later Jet.

A loose inbreed on the tabi side. Again both parents from outcross litters (as I had outcrossed everyone!)
Shunamite Brioche and Shunamite Brandon
3 kittens
Range 12m to 29.5m
Under 24m, 2 died - one at a year in a rattery infection and 1 at 23 months with chronic respiratory illness (33.3% still alive)
Under 28m, 2 died (33.3% still alive). Average lifespan 21.5m

I was not happy with this litter from early on and didn't breed on from it.

Other related litters are discussed above as the two lines were amalgamated.

The end of the platinum line rats

This was the final platinum litter born here but we have used Flasheart (who lived to be 35.5 months) in out current line. These rats were loosely related via the original tabi line which was platinum based.
Shunamite Boblet and Alpha Centauri Valya
14 kittens
Range 11.25m to 35.5m
Under 24m, 5 deaths - 1 of these was at about a year old, from a severe respiratory infection. the other 4 were all between 22 and 24 months (64.3 % still alive)
Under 28m, 8 deaths (42.9% still alive)
Average lifespan 25.96m

This is excellent for a platinum based litter. The reason I passed the platinums on to someone more experienced was because I was finding it hard to deal with the short lifespan, but I think I baled out just when I was beginning to make real progress! This litter does explain one of the big difficulties with lifespan and health issues (but lifespan in particular). It realistically takes two and a half to three years to see the problems or successes so is very difficult to get a 'handle' on.

Lord Flashheart from this litter was used in the tabi line and details can be found above.