# Not normal!!!!!



## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

Eskyda's a black hooded rat and her black is turning brown!! WHY!?!?! What is it? How do I fix it? HELP ASAP!!!!!

PLEASE HELP!!!


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## Dimitrius (Mar 19, 2007)

How old is she?
Change in fur color doesn't really sound like anything to get too worked up about, I don't think. Is she maybe just getting old? Or is she a very young rat that's maybe just growing into her adult color?


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## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

Are you sure it's not just dirt?

Edit: Sorry, i read that as her _tail_ for some reason :lol:


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Black can go brown. Calm down.


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Wow, yeah sometimes black fades in animals. It happens lots, nothing to worry about.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

yeah, i've had black rats that went almost completely chocolate on me when they got older. though spider seems to be going grey instead so go figure. coat coloring changing isn't uncommon at all and doesn't normally pose any problems, well unless you were showing her or something but that'd be about it. i had a young rat who's but turned brown from pitch black about 5-6 months. i thought it was just the sun lighting up her hair as she would bask in it for hours but then she got old and turned brown (mostly) so it could have been that too. in any case don't worry about it, its normal.


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

Ok if you say so.... It's just that I've owned alot of ratsys with black fur and this is a first for me. lol Is it a lack of vitamins or something? I noticed it a few days ago but dismissed it as a light trick but it caught my attention again last night so I inspected farther and found that her fur was brown at the base of her hood strip. So it IS somewhat "normal" yes...?


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## yonksgirl (Apr 23, 2007)

I know with horses if you want them to darken up you can feed them black oil sunflower seeds...not sure if it would work with ratties


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

i have two rats that have turned from black to brown also one of the girls i just rescued has a black hood with a brown butt stripe


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## Night (Feb 23, 2007)

It's called rusting. It happens in some rats as they age - most of the time it's from bad genetics.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

If its a baby, she is getting her adult coat which isn't pure black. If its an older rat its rusting.  Perfectly normal.

I have noticed that bad nutritition can rust out an adult rat's coat as well but it can return to normal with proper care.


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## hydra (Feb 19, 2007)

my girl grace was all black, and is now sporting a brown butt


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## IceLore (May 13, 2007)

It's called 'rusting' and is completely normal. A lot of dark, solid (non-agouti) rats will rust with age. I had a mink girl who rusted in big patches all over her back as she got older. It's genetic.  Some rats 'silver' (get white hairs) and some rust. Most breeders try to breed away from that to get more vibrant colors that stay true longer. Either way, calm down and don't worry, it's no big deal.


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## fallinstar (Nov 26, 2006)

well i thought i knew my rats lol toby was rolling over and im sure as can be his belly is/was all white but theres a brown strip on it now can rats sudenly get more markings?


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

Ok thanks.  I understand now. 

But boy! I thought it was somthing bad! lol 

I'm just glade it's a "normal" thing that happens (to some ratsys) with age. :wink: :roll:

Thanks again.


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

It's getting worse! And now she's getting this brown/orange color on the white parts of her fur! Are you SURE it's "nomal"!?


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

That sounds like buck grease to me, but I didn't think females got it that much. You may want to give her a bath and look into the protein content of her diet. It also shows up when a rat is having a myco flair up. Is she sneezing?


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

No "out of the ordinary" sneezing the ocasional "got something up my nose" or "that smelled gross!!" but thats it. 

I'll give her a bath as soon as I get something to use as "shampoo".

And I give them only the best of foods. :wink:

Oh and could you refresh my memory on mycro flair up. Just in case.


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

Hello?


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Myco flare up would involve sneezing, difficulty breathing, etc.

Do you feed lots of protein? Do they get oily treats?

Have you tried the bath yet?


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

Yes,sometimes and no.

I haven't got anything to use as "shampoo" yet. Any suggestions?


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Mild puppy shampoo, perhaps?


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Yeah, cut down the protein levels. That can do lots to a rats fur. Make sure it's 20% or lower, lower than 18% is more ideal.


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## aqualaureena (Jun 2, 2007)

My rats mostly white with a grey hood/mask, it kinda looks like a bandit mask. Anyway! his grey mask is gettin bigger, bearing in mind its dark grey not old grey a big patch round his nose just literally appeared after a couple days! its not dirt cause its to the root of his fur. really odd, nothings really changed in his diet or lifestyle .. tis strange!


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

Would alot of peanuts do it? Becuase there are a LOT of peanuts in their rodent mix.


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

I would give nuts sparingly and definately not as part of a diet staple. They aren't that great for them, mostly containing fat and too much protein in large amounts:/


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

yep, peanuts are very high in protein. in fact it is used as a protein replacer for people that don't eat meat. beans are also used this way


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Peanuts can also present a choking hazard to the ratties.


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

Forensic said:


> Peanuts can also present a choking hazard to the ratties.


 8O How???? 8O :?


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

But to go back what should/can I use as "shampoo"?

And I'll pick the peanuts out of their food and give them out 1 at a time,1 per ratsy.


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

I use regualr old baby shampoo Johnson and Johnson baby bath it works great and is mild enough for them!


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i use johnson's baby head and toe shampoo. its gentle enough that it won't hurt the rats but strong enough to get out the built up gunk in their fur. also, its really easy to find as its just about everywhere baby stuff is.


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

What is your mix? What diet do you use? Is it a pre-made mix or a home mix?


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

I get 2-3 pre-made mixes and add them together so they get more variaty. 

They are VERY picky about what they eat! 

So I get the rat/mouse mix, a little bit of hamster mix and lab blocks. I mix it all together and they're as happy as can be. I sometimes get a tiny bit of "parrot" mix because it has dried banannas,large hard nuts and other goodys in it and I'll mix it in too so they find a treat every so often.

And I'll get some baby shampoo for my "babys". :wink:


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

You're feeding a number of seed mixes? Is the rat/mouse mix Kaytee? I know they contain peanuts...

Seed mixes are mostly fat and protein...


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

It's not really a seed mix... it's got cornflakes and something that lookes like dog kibble..... and a lot of other things in it. And the parrot mix has hardly any seeds in it it's all big nuts and stuff.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Do you know brands and names?


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

I'll have to get back to you on that! And it might take awhile...... I just got a LOT of food so I wont go to the store for at least a week.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

All right.


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Those still sound like seed mixes since they have seeds :/ Those aren't very good for rats. You would be better off, knowing they like mixes doing a grain mix like Suebees diet with some LOOW protein high quality veggie dog food mixed in as well.

http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html
That's Suebees mix. It's very easy to make. I wouldn't buy anymore parrot mix or hamster mix. Those pellets could easily be alfalfa, which they can't digest. Most of the seeds in their is fattening. Corn that is in those mixes molds. My grandma brought bird food not too long ago and bugs and worms came out of the bag O: I wouldn't feed that stuff to my rats. Granted that was past the experation date but still you never know.

But yeah, if you are so concerned about them keeping a healthy coat and keeping healthy in general I would switch ASAP to Suebee's mix with some high quality dog food like : 
http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...an+dog&In=All&previousText=vegetarian+dog&N=2
Nature's Recipe sounds like a excellent mix. I feed my boys Harlan lab blocks personally, since the home mixes tend to pack on the grams too fast for them XD

http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...an+dog&In=All&previousText=vegetarian+dog&N=2
Not sure how much protein this has but if it's less than 20% it should be fine.


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

I went to the store last week and I do beleive it was the Kaytee brand....I'm not 100% positve on that so please wait untill I can confirm.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

This one?









Or the Supreme?

I suppose it really doesn't matter since most all seed mixes are very poor in nutrition, but Kaytee just happens to be on the black list moreso.


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

That looks like the right brand but the food content isn't right...... 

When I get it I get it out of those tube things...


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

I would take them off Kaytee. It has chemicals in it that could increase instances of cancer in your rats D: I would put them on a high quality lab block, like Mazuri or Harlan, or make Suebee mix and give them that and a high quality low protein dog food.


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

So what's Suebee??


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Homemade grain mix. You can usually get all the ingredients at a grocery store.

There's a recipe here. http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html Many people modify it based on what they can or cannot find.


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

Oh. Thanks.


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