[thegrotto]

I don't have any boys anymore, but I had a problem with their fur being very dry. My best friend has boys and their fur is very soft and smooth like my girls' fur. My rats are fed a mixture of dried fruits, veggies, nuts, noodles, wet baby food, dry baby food, lentils, split peas, cat treats (not a lot), trail mix and fresh fruit and veggies, along with anything here and there we happen to have (piece of bread, cracker, popcorn).

 

[Forensic]

How old are your friend's boys? Are they neutered? Both can effect how coarse the fur is, and coarser fur can feel 'dry'.

 

[thegrotto]

One is his, one was mine--same litter, a year. LAT (his) has great fur. Not neutered (there isn't a vet in the area who can do it). In my friends care the rats fur has been getting better.

 

[DonnaK]

I guess the obvious question, then, is what is your friend feeding his/her rats? Diet can affect skin and fur conditions.

 

[IceLore]

Sounds like you have a lot of protein in their diet! I'd bet that's most likely the reason. The baby food, cat treats, nuts, and some of the beans all are really high in protein. Try cutting back on that, and substituting it with more grains and easier to digest proteins such as eggs, milk, fish or chicken. You should see an increase in coat health pretty soon.

Also, you may want to keep in mind that harder to digest protein foods leave a build up of toxins in a rats body, especially in bucks, which leads to a higher incidence of kidney lesions and degeneration in older animals.

 

[thegrotto]

Thank you IceLore, it probably was the protein then.

 

[DonnaK]

I've just read again what you are feeding them and wanted to add that you really shouldn't feed raw peanuts (roasted are ok) or raw dry beans, as they can cause red blood cell clumping. Fresh or frozen beans are ok, though.