[nopaul20]

A few weeks ago I began to notice my rats were shedding. I would find hairs whenever I cleaned their cage, mostly in their hammocks. I assumed it was normal since they are young. But I am worried that maybe it is because I switched their food (I began to notice the shedding about a month after switching).

My rats are female, currently 3 1/2 months old. When I got them they were 5 weeks old and were being fed Blue Senior dog food. I continued to give them that food as well as Harlan Teklad 2018. When that ran out, I fed them Oxbow (purchased when I did not know about the low protein %) and Harlan Teklad 2014 while supplementing their diet with organic soymilk, chicken, eggs, and non-gmo tofu. They also get vegetables and fruits daily.

I personally think I am feeding them the best they can get. I just wanted to know if anyone else has noticed their rats shedding before. Also, if you think I should just switch back HT 2018, please let me know your thoughts. Otherwise, they seem very healthy and happy when I play with them.

 

[JBird]

I noticed that my girls started shedding a few weeks ago. They are about a year old, and I would find little hairs on the shelves and hammocks. I figured it was normal, especially since it's getting warmer outside, but I'd love to know for sure.

 

[jez]

My 3 boys shed a ton. They were born about Sept/October. It seems they are still shedding their old coats and constantly growing in new, different colors. I don't remember any of my old rats (it's been years) shedding that much.

 

[PurpleGirl]

My boys shed so much, I find hair everywhere except in the fridge, lol. Luckily their hairs are soft and aren't sharp like cat hair, or I'd have very sore feet since I go barefoot all the time.

 

[Danes'n'Rats]

My rats began to shed and i keep finding them in their tea and honey bowl (I give them goldenrod tea and honey for respiratory disease.) I'm pretty sure it's just shedding to get rid of a winter coat or to get the new coat.

 

[Shadow <3]

I find that my older girl sheds all the time, while the younger rats only seem to shed at certain times of the year. However, with my older ratty, her coat is a bit more scraggly than the youngsters, with some of the hairs being quite long and some being new and short. It looks pretty funny!