My male rat has had dandruff, and while I have not noticed him scratching himself, he has little sores on his neck and shoulders. I thought it was due to the dry Maine winter air, but last night he curled up and let me scratch him all over for a long time (and he is usually not cuddly - he was a rescue and is still getting used to nice people). We use recycled paper fluffy-stuff bedding - I can't recall the name of it. He has a well-balanced diet with fresh fruits and veg, and the standard mixes. What can I do to make him comfortable? What might be causing this?
2007-03-05 06:39:22 · 6 answers · asked by Medusa 4 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
"he has little sores on his neck and shoulders"
You have just described the skin/sore pattern of mites. You can't see mites, only the damage that they leave behind. If he has lice you would see these bugs as tiny reddish-brown specks that move. He will have to be treated by a vet as quickly as possible as the stress of the bugs will bring on a myco flare-up.
Mites and Lice on rats
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=mites+and+lice+on+rats&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAqFmYLsucJ9Ju1A_wytuo5cazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAjrR1DDgyctRMOV346dKZz4azKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=mites+and+lice+on+rats
In either case, Ivermectin is the treatment of choice:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=Ivermectin+to+treat+mites+and+lice+on+rats&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAqFmYLsucJ9Ju1A_wytuo5cazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAjrR1DDgyctRMOV346dKZz4azKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=Ivermectin+to+treat+mites+and+lice+on+rats
When used as directed, Ivermectin is safe and affective, so much so that it can be used to diagnose mites. If after the first dose you see results then you know he has mites. If you don't see results then the problem is something else.
Skin sores from too much protein in the rat's diet
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=Skin+sores+from+too+much+protein+in+the+rat%27s+diet&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAqFmYLsucJ9Ju1A_wytuo5cazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAjrR1DDgyctRMOV346dKZz4azKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=Skin+sores+from+too+much+protein+in+the+rat%27s+diet
Itchy "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%3DAqFmYLsucJ9Ju1A_wytuo5cazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAjrR1DDgyctRMOV346dKZz4azKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=Buck+grease+in+rats
Don't be freaked out about the mites, it's nothing you did. These little bugs can harbour themselves in the bedding that you buy from the pet store. You can remedy this problem by freezing the bedding for a few days.
What kind of bedding are you using? That too can be a culprit if it is hard wood like pine or cedar. Or paper bedding might be too drying if you have low humidity in your area. Do you keep him in a cage or tank?
Do not put any kind of "moisturizer" on your rat's skin unless you know that the product is safe if he consumes it. Baby oil would be one of these suspect products.
As soon as the mites have been killed the skin condition will heal up on it's own. To stop the itch cycle in the meantime, you can use two holistic products.
http://www.goodpet.com/library/pharmacyFiles/flea.asp
http://www.goodpet.com/library/pharmacyFiles/scratch.asp
See which one suits your purpose. I get these at Wal-Mart.
Sandra Beasley and the Spaz Rats
(Rattery, Rescue, and Rat-care Expert)
http://spazrats.tripod.com
"my life has gone to the rats"
2007-03-06 09:11:41 · answer #1 · answered by spazrats 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
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2014-11-24 09:42:09 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I found this site, it may help, well it's a question thta was answered. It might be mites or allergies so have a vet check him ok. Before that. It may be the bedding so try shredder news paper. It explains alot in the answer that was given.
Good Luck
2007-03-05 14:48:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
It may very well be the dry air. My rat had the same problem. I used a warm mist vaporizer in the room he is in, and his skin is much better.
2007-03-05 15:17:52 · answer #4 · answered by erinn83bis 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
sounds like he could have mites. take him to the vet to be checked out.
2007-03-05 20:07:16 · answer #5 · answered by MommyCaleb 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
i dont know why they do this but i had one that did the same thing so i used baby oil on him
2007-03-05 14:45:57 · answer #6 · answered by acstevey1 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋