# Black fur turning brown.. age?



## courtuhknee (Jun 18, 2008)

Hey guys! I haven't been around lately, super busy. (Boo about the spam on the forum!!!) but I still have my two remaining brothers Inigo & Westley. 

Inigo's fur is black, and I've noticed it starting to turn brown. I'm wondering if this is something similar to gray hair in humans? I've been assuming it is, but I haven't found anything really on google (maybe i'm not giving good keywords) and I was just wondering about it. Westley seems a bit more brown now, too.. although it's harder to tell because he's agouti. They're about a year and a half now.  I'm thinking that's probably what it is.. just wanted some feedback on it. :} Hope everyone & their furkids are doing well!!! ;D ;D


----------



## Crasher (Jun 15, 2009)

I've read that this is called rusting and can happen as rats age. Genetics and diet can play a part in whether or not a rat rusts. If it's a lighter color rat it could be porphyrin from grooming, but since he's black it's probably just rusting. As long as they have a good quality diet I'm sure there's nothing to worry about.


----------



## holidayincambodia (Nov 10, 2009)

I have no idea what it is that does that.
Some say "rusting" some say "fading genes" some say "age" and some say "thier colors just change" LOL
I am not sure what causes their fur to change. 
I know my boy was black as night since he was born, now he is getting little silver and agouti patchy hairs on his back. It's pretty cute.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Black rats often change. When they hit a certain age in their youth they could silver (white hairs intersperse with the black), and then later on they could rust. A true jet black rat is not that common really  

Bear showing off his lovely silvering he developed









and an extreme and interesting case of rusting on Saffi 
the back








the front


----------



## holidayincambodia (Nov 10, 2009)

Aw Saffi is so cute!


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

holidayincambodia said:


> Aw Saffi is so cute!


Was... *sniff*


----------



## kawaiikitsune (Oct 9, 2009)

I think Spock is silvering.

I have an old old cat who is rusting... her gray hair is now changing a reddish brown :/ Age changes their color I guess... just like it does most other animals.


----------



## holidayincambodia (Nov 10, 2009)

Thats what confused me.
My boy is 10 or 11 weeks and already getting rust/silvering on his back!
Haha
I guess they are like snaowflakes.


----------



## steffiez (Nov 24, 2009)

courtuhknee said:


> Hey guys! I haven't been around lately, super busy. (Boo about the spam on the forum!!!) but I still have my two remaining brothers Inigo & Westley.
> 
> Inigo's fur is black, and I've noticed it starting to turn brown. I'm wondering if this is something similar to gray hair in humans? I've been assuming it is, but I haven't found anything really on google (maybe i'm not giving good keywords) and I was just wondering about it. Westley seems a bit more brown now, too.. although it's harder to tell because he's agouti. They're about a year and a half now.  I'm thinking that's probably what it is.. just wanted some feedback on it. :} Hope everyone & their furkids are doing well!!! ;D ;D


I'm pretty sure it's from aging, my blue rat use to have a beautiful shiny blue coat, and now that she's gotten older (she's about a year now) her fur is fading to a brownish color as well.


----------



## this_wallflower (Apr 19, 2009)

Both of my young black dumbos (~3 & 4 months) are silvering. One of my older boys, an 8 month old black hooded silvered at about the same age, then got darker.

I heard that feeding them chickpeas can help sometimes if it's a diet issue?

I haven't tried it yet. My boys get a pretty varied diet and just seem to silver out a bit.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

this_wallflower said:


> Both of my young black dumbos (~3 & 4 months) are silvering. One of my older boys, an 8 month old black hooded silvered at about the same age, then got darker.
> 
> I heard that feeding them chickpeas can help sometimes if it's a diet issue?
> 
> I haven't tried it yet. My boys get a pretty varied diet and just seem to silver out a bit.


rusting can be age or diet-related, but silvering is genetic, chickpeas won't help that


----------



## littlematchstick (Apr 12, 2009)

lilspaz68 said:


> rusting can be age or diet-related, but silvering is genetic, chickpeas won't help that


what exactly in their diet might cause rusting? Just purely curious..one of my black hoodies, her fur is rusting but not ALL of it, just by her butt and tail..


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

littlematchstick said:


> lilspaz68 said:
> 
> 
> > rusting can be age or diet-related, but silvering is genetic, chickpeas won't help that
> ...


Ooh should've mentioned poor coloring can be due to genetics as well. Usually rusting in a normally dark black rat is a poor diet.


----------



## littlematchstick (Apr 12, 2009)

lilspaz68 said:


> Ooh should've mentioned poor coloring can be due to genetics as well. Usually rusting in a normally dark black rat is a poor diet.



so likely my girl only rusting by her butt is just bad genetic coloring??..Im just wandering if it was bad diet..they used to be on a suebees mix, then I switched them to oxbow (for the whole 3 weeks they would eat it) Now they are on Harlan Tek 2014. Im just wandering --if it IS due to diet, is it a specific nutrient or vitamin deficiency or just a poor diet in general? The girl Im refering to is a little over a year old (pet store girl). I have another black hoodie girl who is 11 months old and has been on the same diet as the other girl, but no rusting..but she was bred as a lab rat under strict guidelines and her bloodline is all black hoodies (that's all they use in our lab). Anyways--just curious if you know.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

it sounds like genetics to me


----------

