Some rats just shed more than others. I don't worry about shedding unless I see the hairloss in the coat left on the rat.
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Does he seem to be losing fur when you look at his coat? (By that I mean, does his coat look thinner than normal?) If not, I really wouldn't worry about it. If he does look like he is physically losing more hair than he should be, and if his coat is thinning out, then you might want to take him in to the vet to rule out any medical issues. Too much protein can sometimes cause hair thinning in rats, so you might end up needing to switch their lab block formula over to the adult one if they are still on 2018. That's all that comes to mind right now, but like I said, I wouldn't worry about it if his coat looks normal. 
ETA: Looks like lilspaz and I posted at the same time...at least we both had the same advice! hehehe!
ETA: Looks like lilspaz and I posted at the same time...at least we both had the same advice! hehehe!
Thanks, to the both of you, for replying! Well his coat looks fine, no thinned out spots that I can see so far and no balding areas or patches, so it may be that Achilles is just a long haired ratty that sheds a lot.
Maxiumus has shorter fur, similar to Klausse and Wolfgang, so I may just be a bit sensitive allergy-wise to the long fur. But thanks for the reminder about the protein in the lab blocks!
Something for me to remember. I do still have the boys on HT 2018 and I was planning on switching them over to 2016 or 2014 when they got a few months older, but....maybe they are old enough now for the switch? They will be six months old on August 14th.
Speaking of lab blocks...do you two know if there are any differences between choosing 2014 and 2016 from Harlan Teklad, aside from the difference in protein content? I wouldn't mind hearing your own personal preferences.
Maxiumus has shorter fur, similar to Klausse and Wolfgang, so I may just be a bit sensitive allergy-wise to the long fur. But thanks for the reminder about the protein in the lab blocks!
Something for me to remember. I do still have the boys on HT 2018 and I was planning on switching them over to 2016 or 2014 when they got a few months older, but....maybe they are old enough now for the switch? They will be six months old on August 14th.
Speaking of lab blocks...do you two know if there are any differences between choosing 2014 and 2016 from Harlan Teklad, aside from the difference in protein content? I wouldn't mind hearing your own personal preferences.
I always used 2014 with my boys once they got to about 7-8 months of age, and they did really well on it. I actually don't know much about the 2016, so I don't know if I can really compare it to anything else. The 2014 in my experience was very good for them.
Excellent. I cannot for the life of me remember which protein level I used with Klausse and Wolfgang. It was one of those two!
Our boys LOVE their 2018 blocks (thank the gods) so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they love their new lower protein blocks once I ease them into their diet down the road.
I guess I always went by the rule of thumb that the lower the protein content, the better for the ratties, so 2014 sounds pretty darn good to me.
Our boys LOVE their 2018 blocks (thank the gods) so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they love their new lower protein blocks once I ease them into their diet down the road.
I guess I always went by the rule of thumb that the lower the protein content, the better for the ratties, so 2014 sounds pretty darn good to me.
I adore the 2014, the rats love it, their poops smell less, and the lower the protein in an adult's diet the better
Yep, well there you go. 2014 it is then! I like the lower protein as well. Can't go wrong there!
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