my male rat has these strange sores on his face and neck and they are really bad they bleed alot and I put Bagbom on them but they dont go away. I clean his cage alot but nothing works... I am getting ready to take him to a vet but if anyone has any advise please let me know. thank you
2007-02-15 15:00:36 · 6 answers · asked by rodeo gurl 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
he is still a baby , and he is by himself. But thank you for all the help,Now Peroxide wont hurt to put on the sores right?
and see I have two other Rats and they are both girls and they dont have any thing like this. Is it only a boy rat thing? This is my first boy rat so I am new at this. lol
2007-02-15 16:18:50 · update #1
Are these scabby little sores that come and go? Does he itch and scratch at them? Mites, or lice. This is the first thing that rat experts think of with this kind of skin problem. It can turn into a real mess if he is allergic to the mite or lice bites. You can't see mites,only the damage that they do. You can see lice as tiny brown specks that move. I think you should stop putting any more ointments and Hydrogen Peroxide on his skin as it could be exacerbating the problem and this might prevent the vet from making a proper diagnosis.
Is he living with the girls or is he by himself? Not all rats in the same cage will be affected by mites, only the rat who's immune system has been compromised will be affected by mites
Mites and Lice
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=Mites+and+lice+in+rats&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAscYqL80.x8jy71l3_Mj6BgazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAsuRZXHyX3jz_HHQlFel4xgazKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=Mites+and+lice+in+rats
Ivermectine is the first choice of treatment:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=Mites+and+lice+in+rats+Ivrmectine&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAscYqL80.x8jy71l3_Mj6BgazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAsuRZXHyX3jz_HHQlFel4xgazKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=Mites+and+lice+in+rats+Ivrmectine
I don't believe you have just a male rat problem, unless............
How old is he? Male rats mature at 5 to 6 months of age. The more testosterone that is in his body, the more likely he is to have "Buck Grease". For some odd rease he could be allergic to his own "buck grease"?????
What is 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%3DAscYqL80.x8jy71l3_Mj6BgazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAsuRZXHyX3jz_HHQlFel4xgazKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=buck+grease+in+rats
Rats also get scabs from too much protein in the diet, from fungal infections, from contact dermatitis from the bedding.
Are you using cedar or pine chips? They would be the culprit.
Skin diseases in rats:
http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/
The vet will find out what is wrong with him and then you can feel free to e-mail me for more info, and help.
Re the use of Hydrogen Peroxide. For immediate first-aid use and no more. Using HP for any length of time prevents tissue from healing instead of helping it to heal.
Sandra Beasley and the Spaz Rats
(Rattery, Rescue, and Rat-care Expert)
http://spazrats.tripod.com
Slave to over 200 pet rats in 11 years, and member of 12+ rat-only forums in the last 11 years
2007-02-15 20:37:47 · answer #1 · answered by spazrats 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hello. I have bred rats and mice for a long time. Your rat most likely has a skin infection. You need to cleanse the areas with peroxide and put a antibiotic ointment on them. If they are not improving in a week, he probably needs oral antibiotics. I have bred hairless rats in the past. They do not have any hair at all, so when they get some sore or something, it really shows. Rats can develop bumps....cysts as they age. These are called age spots. They get broken open from scratching, fighting, etc. The same thing applies, clean the area and watch him closely. If it is not improving, contact you vet. He will most likely prescribe an antibiotic like tetracycline. Good luck and god bless him. The cleansing with peroxide (not alcohol) and the antibiotic should clear it up. Also, you should trim his nails. Take a babies nail clippers and trim them. This takes the sharpness off and helps them to not do as much damage when they do fight and scratch.
It does not have anything to do with his sex...No, the peroxide will definately not hurt him. If you are worried, dilute it with a little warm water. This will also make it for comfortable for him temperature wise. Just put neosporin on him after you clean it. If he licks some, don't worry. It may give him the poops a little, but highly doubtful. The vet would hand out a similar ointment. Good luck, honey.
2007-02-15 23:36:50 · answer #2 · answered by demongelding1@hotmail.com 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I am a rat breeder and at the moment I only have 26 rats, lol I have raised many rats from birth and cared for a lot of sick rats. I once had a rat with very similar symptoms, we found that it was the bedding. The best bedding for rats is reused newspaper pellets. Also if you are not thinking of breeding this male with the females you have then you should consider having him de-sexed. Rats are very social animals and love to interact with their own species and humans, so by having him de-sexed he can live with the females and have companionship.
You should still take him to the vet to be checked for parasites. If the vet treats him for parasites then you should also treat the females (just in case) and clean all their cages out. Wash the bars and base of their cages with some dettol and water mixed then change all bedding as parasites can live and breed in it. Wash toys, bowls etc.
2007-02-16 01:51:59 · answer #3 · answered by lovethypet 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Get him to a vet. He could have a skin fungus, tumors, really anything. The vet will need to do a visual evaluation to determine if a skin scraping is necessary. Could be as simple as mites. Rodents are notorious for mites and skin disorders. If he is healthy otherwise, no need to get too worked up. Still, get to a vet, that is your best bet (no rhyme intended)
2007-02-15 23:08:36 · answer #4 · answered by Missy 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
peroxide will eat the infected tissue and also any healthy tissue around it. it shouldn't be to bad if you dilute it first though.
2007-02-16 14:16:48 · answer #5 · answered by MommyCaleb 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
fleas? mine got cancer =[
2007-02-15 23:07:38 · answer #6 · answered by lolomgwtf 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋