One of my rats is starting to lose her fur along her spine. She’s at least two years old, so that’s probably elderly in a rat. She seems to be fine otherwise- that is to say, she doesn’t have any new problems.
The other rat is perfectly fine. I’m not sure how old she is.
Yeah, they can look really moth-eaten when they get old, mine certainly did. They don’t always lose that much hair, but it’s pretty common.
Okay, good.
Two years old is getting to about the standard life-span for a pet rat. I’ve just had two die in quick succession at just over and just under 2 years old.
All of my boys are looking a bit shaggy now. Especially those who have rex genes (curly coat/whiskers). They’re prone to patchy fur anyway, but like any elderly animal the fur thins and they start looking a bit ragged.
If she’s otherwise healthy and squeaking along happily then it’s no big deal. You may want to keep an eye on her weight though. Rathbone started looking a bit raggedy, but then his weight suddenly plummeted and he deteriorated quickly, dying in his sleep overnight after I’d had him in the isolation cage and had been hand-feeding him for a couple of days.