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.
And I do have 2 rats. :)
2007-01-22 06:21:39 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
I use Carefresh bedding. And no, the flakes are not moving.
2007-01-22 06:30:12 · update #1
How weird is this? You asked this very same question last week, and you never picked your Best Answer from the selection of answers then. The question has been left unresolved and you're asking the same question again?
Here's what I wrote, and from professional experience it is "Buck Grease" that you are dealing with.
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
2007-01-22 07:10:02 · answer #1 · answered by spazrats 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Check for lice, fleas and other bugs. do you use wood shavings as bedding? it is not suggested, as it can cause respitory problems and carry bugs.
2007-01-22 06:28:52 · answer #2 · answered by Rattiesrule 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i have to agree with spazratsits buck grease
2007-01-22 16:23:10 · answer #3 · answered by eagle 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
could be lice, see if you can see them moving
2007-01-22 06:25:45 · answer #4 · answered by kat_luvr2003 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
fles
2007-01-22 06:29:22 · answer #5 · answered by spicy girl 1 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋