my rat has little brown flakes sort of like dandruff in his fur. he is a blue hooded rat about 4 mos. old purchased from Petsmart. He lived in the back of the store while waiting for a spot in the display cages. he lived with one other blue rat. does he have fleas or what? I know a lot about rats but just asking.
2007-01-17 04:25:16 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
AIDS on a rat? He is very healthy.
2007-01-17 04:29:08 · update #1
To Lucie:
Look at this site:
www.fatratcentral.com
before u insult people.
Thanks!!!
2007-01-17 04:30:37 · update #2
And I do have 2 rats. :)
2007-01-17 08:18:51 · update #3
Can you tell me if these "brown flecks" are moving? If they are moving and they look like little brown cigars, your rat has lice.
Rats are prone to mites and lice, but they rarely, if ever, get fleas.
http://www.rmca.org/Articles/bugs.htm
But it's more likely he has what we call "buck grease". Buck grease is an orangy brownish flakey oil that forms on the skin of male rats. Rats are mature at around 5 to 6 months of age. As they mature the Buck's testosterone level rises. The more testosterone in the rat's system the more buck grease will form. It's completely benign, albeit unsightly. If it bothers you you can bath him with the mildest form of Dawn dish detergent once a month.
More on Buck Grease
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=Buck+grease+in+rats&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAnYM54NvMNPtXBeKUqFf2zcazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAs6qPmKbEGuHV570VYkOMTkazKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=Buck+grease+in+rats
spazrats
http://spazrats.tripod.com
Rat Slave at age 38
Specializing in the care of pet rats since 1997
2007-01-17 05:23:30 · answer #1 · answered by spazrats 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you know a lot about your pet, then you know how important it is to see a Vet when something like this occurs. It maybe flea dirt and your pet requires treatment. The Vet will look at a sample under a microscope to see what is happening, it may be lice or mites also. If it is merely dry skin, you may need to increase the humidity in the pet's area.
2007-01-23 06:11:51 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It may be flea dirt. If your rat has fleas then I would say that's what it is.
Here is a way to check and see if it is flee "dirt." Take a damp wash cloth and wipe the flakes. If they turn reddish when they get wet then you know its flee poo. (it's red because all fleas eat is blood of course)
I hope this helps!
Rats are great pets by the way. I've had three. They're very smart!
2007-01-17 05:13:35 · answer #3 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Does he scratch a lot? I noticed that my rats have a little bit of dandruff, but they don't have fleas or anything. If he starts scratching a lot, you could take him to the vet to get him checked out. It's fairly easy to get rid of parasites, they have medications that work great.
BTW, just a bit of advice - rats are very social, and love the company of other rats. Perhaps you could consider getting another rat. The way my rats snuggle and play, I can't imagine keeping just one.
2007-01-17 06:40:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Why would you buy a pet from petsmart? Please find an
x-employee and talk to them about some of the ways animals are treated at petsmart. I have talked to several and each told me the same horror stories, but they each worked at different stores and as far as I know none of them knew each other.
A lot of animal abuse and neglect goes on there.
2007-01-24 14:43:47 · answer #5 · answered by Fish Lover 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have 12 mice not rats so im sorry but i cant help you
2007-01-24 13:53:36 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why do you have a pet rat?
I wasnt insulting you-I was just asking!
just looked at that web-site -its eh intreresting!
2007-01-17 04:27:40 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Sounds like AIDS I would go to the Emgency Room right away.
2007-01-17 04:28:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
No one seems to have a "for sure" answer so take it to a vet-he will know.
2007-01-23 13:25:50 · answer #9 · answered by marlynembrindle 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why do you have a pet rat ???
2007-01-17 04:33:55 · answer #10 · answered by wlscheerleader 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋