How to get thick, shiny fur?

[baschlais]

Hello,

My two girls are approximately 4-5 months old.  Neither of them have the thick, shiny fur that I see so often on everyone's rattie photos.  Pan seems to have waves on her back, which makes her coat feel a bit rough, and somewhat curly whiskers.  Zuzu's straight fur just seems to be a bit thin.  I am used to cat fur, so perhaps my expectations are too high.  I'm just concerned that they are missing something in their nutrition.  I've been feeding Mazuri block with a nightly "salad" of veggies & fruits.  I'll be switching to HT 8604 as soon as it arrives (I chose the 8604 because it has soybean meal and not cornmeal as the primary ingredient).  Thanks for your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions!   

Brenda

[hairless_love]

Sounds to me like Pan is a rex rat...which means that her fur will always be more wavy/curly and rougher feeling. Once a week I will drizzle some olive oil on my rats' veggies. It seems to help make their fur feel softer and less greasy, and it keeps my hairless boys from turning orange.  You should try it!

[strangeduck]

Are Zuzu and Pan sisters?  Because a rex gene can result in all kinds of mutations, hair wise.  It's where some hairless rats come from and also what we call "patchwork" rats. 

I agree with hairless_love's suggestion.  Although, you don't mention what you're feeding your rats.  A diet that is too high in protein and fat can have a negative effect on their coats.

[scout]

I sometimes supplemented with flax oil or olive oil - just a couple of drops. It had marvelous effects on their coats. The diet you're feeding is high in protein, so you may want to supplement with some puffed cereals that are low or no sugar to bring the average protein level down. Feeding more fruits and veggies can work too, but increase gradually or the rats may get loose stools. A breeder I knew swore by sunflower seeds. They are high in fat and the salted ones are high in sodium, so don't overload on them if you try them.

Around 4 to 5 months, most rats will moult their coats, although not as dramatically as they do when moulting their baby coats. It could be one reason why your rats' coats don't look shiny. One does sound like a rex coat - and she'll never have a shiny coat. It will always be wiry and will probably thin when she gets old. Coats have a wide range of what's normal, so comparing your rat to someone else's isn't always the best way to evaluate their coats.

We'd love to see pictures of your girlies!

[hairless_love]

Has anyone ever used fish oil for their rats? I give my dogs fish oil capsuls and fresh fish every once in awhile to help with the condition of their fur.

[Scubbs]

I've used fish oil before for my rats.  I never really noticed too much of a difference.  I do give my rats some olive oil once a week or so.  I think my rats are shiny from their varied diet, especially since it contains hulled sunflower seeds which are known to have healthy oils.  But, like scout said, I think your girls are just young and need to grow into their adult coat 

[bug.dragon]

i had to get rid of mites from one of my rats once... i dipped her in olive oil for 5 minutes before washing her off so they'd all suffocate (the mites, not my rat) and i succeeded - plus her coat was AMAZING afterwards, you could try that if your rat isn't too bad about baths

[baschlais]

Excellent ideas, everyone!  Thank you very much!  I will get out the olive oil right now and drizzle a few drops on their block.  Strange-duck, I'm not sure if my entire initial post came through - I listed their feed:  currently Mazuri block, switching to HT 8604 (soybean meal based), and a nightly mix of veggies and some fruit.    I will look for low- or no-sugar cereals to help balance the protein in the HT 8604 and for non-salted sunflower seeds to use as treats.  Also, thank you for the info re: rex coats.  They are not sisters, and Pan's coat is definitely rough and wavy.  I'll keep my eyes open for the moult, too.  Thanks again for all the help!   
Brenda