# Just dirty fur? Or something more?



## Kelseyrawr (Jun 12, 2014)

Hey all, I was hanging out with Louise today and went to pick her up, I noticed her fur (only in certain patches) is like a dirty orange color. I don't bathe the girls a lot, but I keep pet wipes close by, I used one on her but it hasn't gone away. Bath time is traumatizing for her, so i am trying to avoid that for the time being. She hasn't been itching at all, no scabs. The first thing I did actually was check to make sure those dirty orange hairs weren't moving! Lol so no signs of lice. I know females don't produce grease like males do, is she just dirty? How can I get her fur nice and white again? 


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

is she a pale rat? this is likley to be porphryn from her saliva if her fur is in otherwise good condition and she looks healthy


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

My champagne has a dirty reddish orange patch on her too. It's just porphyrin staining and it doesn't come off either when I try to wipe it


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## deedeeiam (Apr 8, 2014)

She has a white coat? Her fur is "rusting." Think of it as genetic graying in humans. If it has a particularly strong red color around the head, then it could be porphyrin. But most of the time when I see people say their white rats look dirty, it's because of rusting.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

True Rusting as I understand it can only happen in dark rats. Its where the pigment production isn't working properly so it changes the black pigment to brownish. This is generally patchy but shows up on Russian blue. Black, mink and even can be noticably on some agouti based colors. It can't make there coat darker than it already is. That is typically all staining from a build up of porphyrin. You can tell because if you look at an individual hair it will have a rusty red colour only near the top, not down to the root. 

It's kind of like how people worth blond hair couldn't go dark Gray, instead they go lighter grey or white. It doesn't add pigment only fades it


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## deedeeiam (Apr 8, 2014)

Rusting has always just been a term used across multiple animals for us -- not specific to just rats or just one color. You'll hear it at the groomers, in the barns, etc. It's merely the process of fur turning...well...rusty.


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

My albino has discolor but it's more pinkish/reddish due to the porphyrin in her saliva when she cleans. Some of the males I had in the past got orangey due to their manliness, I don't know if girls can have the same hormonal issues.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

deedeeiam said:


> Rusting has always just been a term used across multiple animals for us -- not specific to just rats or just one color. You'll hear it at the groomers, in the barns, etc. It's merely the process of fur turning...well...rusty.


appologies, here in the UK rat fancy we use it to refer to the fading of black pigment to Brown. I assumed as you differentiated between porph staining abs rusting that you were referring to that too


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## Kelseyrawr (Jun 12, 2014)

Thanks guys! I didn't even think that of it being from the porphyrin. She usually has a little on her nose when she wakes up and starts grooming. 


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## gooseyp (May 29, 2014)

It's porphyrin staining or she has an excess of protien in her diet. Make sure the food you are feeding her is low in protein, anything 15% or more is too much and will orange the skin!


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## Kelseyrawr (Jun 12, 2014)

gooseyp said:


> It's porphyrin staining or she has an excess of protien in her diet. Make sure the food you are feeding her is low in protein, anything 15% or more is too much and will orange the skin!


I didn't know that! I feed them oxbow regal rat. And fresh veggies/fruit. And sometimes they get a treat mix of some cereal, oats, pasta, and a few sunflower seeds. (They get that about once a week with their regular food). I'm not sure it's too much protein, but I will watch what I give them for sure! 


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