[taralyncouture]

Well when I first got fiona she was a black hooded. Or atleast looked that way. I got her when she was about a 8 weeks old. And about a month ago (shes about 6 months old now) She has turned into an agouti hooded. I got her from a pet store so I mean she didnt have a stable diet like she does now. But I mean are their factors influencing color besides age?

 

[A1APassion]

the color of a rat can change as they mature

I really don't think diet has much to do about that as much as the baby hair falling out & the adult coat coming in

 

[Forensic]

Temperature affects color, but only in the colorpoint varieties (siamese and himalyan).

Most likely your babe had baby fur that was a very dark brown/black and is now showing her true colors.

 

[rat_ratscal]

ozzy went from champagne (6 weeks) to fawn mismarked bareback (4 months) i guess they change as they mature

 

[taralyncouture]

Okay thanks!

 

[sorraia]

By "agouti" do you mean she's an actual agouti, ticking and all, or just brown? The thing about agouti is that it's a ticked color. The undercoat is slate gray, and the hairs are banded with a brown band and black tip. A black rat does not change to agouti. What is most likely the case is that she was black and is now brown, "rusted" as it is often called. This can be due to genetics, it can also be due to a number of other factors, including healthy, diet, age, sun exposure, and so on.

 

[rat_ratscal]

well that's what i was told by the woman on dapper rat, but it was hard to tell from a pic, maybe she's just hooded....

 

[A1APassion]

My brown, chocolate, agouti girl Tipsy has transitioned several times since we first got her when she was just a ball of fluff.

The greyness didn't show up until she was about 5 months old. My best guess is that she now 6 months. The grey is very noticeable on her tummy & when you part her hair. As for the ticking... it is still open to debate & she really doesn't have the orange that is so gorgeous in most agouti coats such as the agouti hooded girl Salty, she has lots of orange mixed in (as for the name & what her coat looked like as she grew up, I dunno, she is a rescue). This is why I still kinda lean toward calling Tipsey chocolate but I'm sure that is wrong as well.

I am severely past due on current pics. Hopefully I can get some taken between now & Christmas.

 

[lilspaz68]

Agouti like most of the rat colours, can have a range. The most important telltale is the ticking. Chocolate is a rare colour that even the breeders have stopped producing. From what I have seen its lovely but I don't think became common enough to fall into regular pet owners hands.

Here is an agouti butt on the right...Kamea looks cozy doesn't she :roll:

Here is a lapful of agouti Wildlings...they are much darker and don't have the orange.

This is the surviving Wildling boy as a baby

And then here's a dark brown hooded girl, Talli...rusting but no ticking

 

[A1APassion]

hahahaha
puddin' face ratz

that is going to have me chuckling for a little while