other around the neck....they are both females...can someone help me figure out whats wrong? and what bedding would be best for them?
2006-08-02 16:21:39 · 7 answers · asked by foodrocks5 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
I think that maybe they have been fighting otherwise maybe it could be your bedding... some rats are secative to certin beddings. It could be a alergic reaction to maybe the diet. other wise my other suggestion is that it is from age. If your rat cage is located somewhere by a window where the sun shines on constantly, they could be going bald cause of the sun. those are called sun spots... my suggestion is that you see a vet
2006-08-02 19:13:01 · answer #1 · answered by coldkiller11112 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could also be from overgrooming each other. This can happen due to stress or because one is more dominant than the other. If they are scratching the bald area a lot, it could be an allergy to bedding,food or anything else(even things like air freshners, candles of your deodorant!). It could even be down to mites(which would explain why both sisters have the same problem). I doubt that its an allergy though because it would be highly unlikely for both sisters to be allergic to the same things.
If there arent any scabs or wounds its not related to fighting.
As someone else said, they could also be rexes. The quickest way to tell if they are, is to look at their whiskers, if they are short and curly then the rat is a rex or double rex.
2006-08-03 11:43:17 · answer #2 · answered by kiffie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be mites or lice. Are they itching a lot? You need to freeze the bedding you buy for 2 days before using it for your rats. Mites and lice can get into it from petstores, etc. The kind of lice rats have won't affect people but mites will. Look them over and see if you see teeny brown bugs.
2006-08-04 19:09:40 · answer #3 · answered by Laura M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I use a mix of aspen & carefresh or even plain old newspaper (they shred it themselves) for my small animals (hamsters, rats, mice). It sounds like they may have mites. Take them in to the vet as soon as possible and you should be able to get it taken care. The sooner they get in the better.
2006-08-03 12:40:19 · answer #4 · answered by star_momma 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
how old are your rats? if they are younger than 2 months than they could be a breed called double rex... double rexes have a gene that makes their hair very curly and causes it to fall out... i have 13 rats and one of them is a double rex... she still has a little fuzz but otherwise is hairless... are they getting old? they might have an illness that leads to hairloss... for bedding you should use something thats non-irratataing but something that they wont get sick if they ingest it... papertowels or toilet paper (unscented) can work but it can be messy if you dont clean it often
2006-08-03 05:32:09 · answer #5 · answered by Katelyn 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not a rat person, but it sounds like their diet is not right. They have to eat a balanced diet like anything else. Call a pet store or vet and ask them what would cause this.
2006-08-02 23:25:47 · answer #6 · answered by just guessing 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Aspen shavings are best for rats..less chance os respitory problems...
and hair loss could be from age..or from them fighting or picking on each other
2006-08-02 23:25:02 · answer #7 · answered by mommy2savannah51405 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋