# Types of fur



## Minky (Apr 4, 2013)

My first 3 rats had coarse, stiff fur. Most of the rats I've encountered at pet stores, etc. have this type of fur: the typical rat fur. 

I recently adopted 3 rats from a shelter, and these have fine, soft coats, more like a cat's fur. Are these considered satin rats? Does anyone here have rats with super soft, fine fur? I'm curious to know if these girls are descended from a particular breed.


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

My rats all have different types of fur. My Molly has no fur for instance, my newest rat, Pastoolio, has very rough fur, and my Mimi has very, very soft and cuddly fluffy fur like a teddy bear. Lol.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Satin fur has longer thinner guard hairs which makes it look a bit glossy (not really shiny though), and their whiskers either will be crinkly or will droop down. I'm not sure if they are normally softer. Storm, my only satin so far, had a bit rougher fur then my other boys (but he also suffered from hypothyroidism so not 100% sure if that would affect it).

Sounds like they just had better diet. All of my boys right now aren't satin and they have extremely soft fur.

If you can post some pictures of their face (to see their whiskers) and some from the side (which in theory should make it easier to see guard hairs) that might help with identifying them.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

I am also guessing that there is just a difference in diet and general husbandry practices. Coat quality is an excellent method of assessing the overall health of a rat.

That said, satin rats are quite special, though you also have the rare harley coated rats. I have one myself and they have long, wispy fur without guard hairs. The coat was ruined by a few bad breeders and is still being worked on to be brought back to its former glory. In its current condition, it is quite thin.


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## WinonaGun42 (Feb 2, 2013)

All three of my rats now have very soft fur, but they are just the standard coat. I know that when I got my boy rat, a standard beige hooded, his coat was rather coarse and dull. He also smelled really bad. When I changed his diet from the cheap food he had been eating to a much healthier diet, that includes Oxbow, a special seed mix, fresh fruit and vegetables, his coat really improved over time. His smell improved too. Now he is just as soft as the girls. If I could only get him to stop sleeping on his half-eaten blueberries, he would look as good too.


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## Minky (Apr 4, 2013)

None of my rats have whiskers that droop down, even the soft-coated ones seem to have standard rat whiskers. They were definitely NOT fed well: their first home was shut down due to neglect, and at their second home (the shelter) they were eating what looked like pelleted dog food. One of them, Petunia, seems to be very old and her coat is thin and patchy. But the hair that grows is finer and softer than that of my pet store rat. I believe they are at least partly a different breed, because none of the pet store or feeder rats I've seen have soft, powdery coats like these. 

On the topic of diet, I should mention that I've been feeding them a diet similar to the one WinonaGun42 described, for the 3 months that I've had them. The younger ones look great, but Petunia's coat is still thin and patchy, I guess because she's old. 

I'll try to get some photos that show the coat textures. Easier said than done, but I'll see what I can do!


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

I've noticed with some rats it can take a while for their fur to change texture. With three of my boys (who are brothers) Liam was the first to get really soft fur. It took Bentley and Niko another month or two to develop it even though they all were eating the same thing (though Niko started 2 weeks later since we got him 2 weeks after Liam and Bentley).

Also I do have to point this out, there are no breeds of rats like in dogs, cats, rabbits, ect. Most pet store rats don't have the worlds best diet often leaving them with not as good of fur often. Also, within the standard fur type rats, there is variation just like in the other fur types.

On the diet, if she's older it Could explain, but there could be other health issues going on if it's thin and patchy (and she isn't a rex or double rex). Though it can take some rats a while to grow back their fur.


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## xbexidabestx (Jun 17, 2013)

Hi there, one of my eldest PEW, Rambo, has a thick course strip of hair down the middle of his back, which is ever so slightly darker in colour, and the rest of him is REALLY soft. Why is this? Something to do with not being able to reach that hair to groom maybe? Dexter, his brother is all coarse thick hair. They are 9 months. My 10 and 13 week olds have VERY soft fur but is this as they are babies and their fur will change in time?? xx


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

xbexidabestx said:


> Hi there, one of my eldest PEW, Rambo, has a thick course strip of hair down the middle of his back, which is ever so slightly darker in colour, and the rest of him is REALLY soft. Why is this? Something to do with not being able to reach that hair to groom maybe? Dexter, his brother is all coarse thick hair. They are 9 months. My 10 and 13 week olds have VERY soft fur but is this as they are babies and their fur will change in time?? xx


For Rambo, sounds like he might have a huge patch of oily hair from buck grease (natural oils). He might not be able to groom it as well. You can try to give him a bath (best to just get a wet rag and wash him down, especially if he doesn't like water) to see if that helps. Same for Dexter, though Dexter could be producing more buck grease. Your babies will probably get coarse fur when they get around 4 to 6 months and start to develop buck grease as well. Though a lot of it will depend on diet and their genetics.


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## dashielle89 (Apr 24, 2012)

Rats fur can be very different without actually being a different named type of fur. Some are just naturally softer or coarser but they still have a standard. I think all of my rats fur feels different from each other, but with most it isn't very noticeable. But one of my rats definitely feels different than the others. She has way more fur than anyone else, it is very thick and very long, but it's also softer/smoother. She almost seems to shed, she loses a ton of fur, it's gets everywhere, but her coat never thins at all. She also had weird eyebrows when she was a baby but she grew out of that.


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