My pet ratty has recently developed a skin condition that doesn't look very good. She has little scabs all over her back, like flea bites but she doesn't have fleas. Does anyone know what to do about this? Thanks.
Answers:
This does sound like a mite infestation. Fleas you can see and you've already been able to rule that out. Besides rats rarely if ever get fleas. Mites you can't see. You can only see the damage that they do to the rat's skin. Lice you can see as tiny cigar-shaped, brownish-red, moving specks.
More on mites on rats
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=pe...
Rats can harbour mites without symptoms, but something always triggers the mites reproductive cycle like the rat's immune system suddenly becoming compromised. Your Rat may be stressed or ill. Or was your last batch of bedding infested with mites? Most rat-keepers will put the bedding in the freezer for a few days to kill mites that have gotten into the bedding while it sat at a warehouse.
You need to start treatment right away because this is a catch-22 situation. If the rat is stressed by the irritation of biting ectoparasites, it will get a Myco flareup.
The best treatment and diagnostic therapy that I know of is Ivermectin, a horse wormer that you can buy at a feed or tack shop. Make sure that what you buy has only the single ingredient, Ivermectin!
This is the brand that I use
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/pr...
You need three tiny (size of half a grain of rice) doses over a 3 week period, but if it's mites or lice, you will see results after one dose. Ivermectin has never failed me yet. Please e-mail me for careful instructions if you wish to use this product.
Ivermectin to treat mites in rats
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=iv...
Others answering this question might suggest Evolution, but this product has questionable use with rats and some cases illness/death from overdosing have been reported. Why? because the lowest dose is for kittens and even a kitten dose can be too much for a rat.
Edit:
Scabs from excess protein in the diet show up around the head and chin area.
http://www.shunamiterats.co.uk/diet.html...
Barbering?
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=ba...
Barbering will remove the hair but it usually doesn't lead to scabs and open sores. Chewing to the point of self-mutilation is a sign of mites. Back claws from excessive scratching can also lead to self mutilation, but again this is because of mites.
Mange? Mange is mites left untreated and run amuck. The mange mite is rare but not uncommon in rats.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=ma...
Thank you, rdrmn , for the reference to my website. I'm sorry you got the "thumbs down" but I know it's from someone who is upset about what I know about rats.
spazrats
"my life has gone to the rats"
If you have other rats, they may be bighting or trying to pull her.
You can also try the site below.
This can be a tricky thing to deal with. Many rats get lice and mites. You can usually see lice, but not mites. The most used treatment is Ivermectin, it is a horse worm er, but folks have used it for years on rats. It can be found at stores that cater to farmers, vet supplies and on line, A rat sized dose is the size of a grain of rice, applied either orally or behind their ears. This is done 3 times, 7-9 days apart, to kill the life cycle.
I have a rat with a skin problem that has been treated for mites with Ivermectin and with Revolution, only from a vet.He has never been found to have any, so I suspect a food allergy. It's good to start with an elimination diet.
Too much protein can cause itching which cause scratching, which causes sores.
Make sure there is not too much protein in your rats diet, and treat with the Ivermectin for a start. It's OK to give one drop of children's Benedryl 2 times a day to stop the itching. It's also OK to put a triple antibiotic salve on the worst places, just a little bit though.
Another possible solution is use olive oil on the skin. Either coat the whole rattie and leave it on to smother parasites, or just rub some on the itchy spots. Good Luck!
bintrikkin is right, chances are this is either related to too much protein in the diet, or (more likely) an external parasite. It's quite possible for your rat to come home from the petstore already carrying the parasite, but the rat's body handles it fine until they get a little older or immuno-compromised, and then you start to see scabs.
Ivermectin works wonders, and is pretty easy to dose orally, because rats are so enthusiastic about their food. You'll also notice it starts to work quite rapidly.
Just two little things to add to bintrikkin's post: one, when you start to dose, make sure that you CLEAN the cages thoroughly, along with any other areas your rats are exposed to. If you use blankets, wash and pack them away for three weeks, before you use them again. You want to eliminate as many areas of possible re-infection as you can. And two, if you have more than one rat, treat all of them. Even if they're not showing signs, or don't normally share a cage but share play areas or come into contact with one another, they will be carrying the parasite too.
Ivermectin paste (make sure it's 1.87%) can be purchased from most horse tack stores. Good luck!
Is she scratching like she's itching realy bad, if so then she may have mange. Mange is caused by mites and stress, illness or another animal with it nearby or in the same cage can cause it to occur. To be on the safe side take her to the vet for them to look at at and they can tell you much better.
Also yes, rats do something called barbering where they chew on their own hair creating bald spots and scabs, but they don't itch from this.
Barbering -Power Grooming
Barbering is when your rat chews off their hair in certain areas of their bodies by chewing it off.
Power grooming is when your rat is over grooming themselves, causing hair loss.
Most commonly rats will barber themselves on their necks, %26 wrists.
Rats can barber themselves if they are sick or scared. (such as they might over groom themselves on their arms, you don't know why and then a few weeks later a tumor or lump appears on their arm.)
Rat's may also do this out of stress due to recent cage, cage mates, environment, food or litter changes.
If you notice your rat chewing off their fur, another possibility could be bugs, such as lice, mites or fleas.
A few things to do to help try to persuade your rats to stop power grooming or barbering is when you notice them doing so or notice patches or hair loss clean the area with wound cleaning solution, bathe them, and put cortisone on the area.
Tips to keeping a rat healthy
Overweight rats are more prone to health problems, such as diabetes %26 heart conditions.
By feeding your rat a Healthy diet, this will keep your rat from becoming overweight and keep them from having obesity health related illnesses.
Mushrooms, broccoli, peas, potato's %26 other healthy foods in variety will help keep your rats vitamin intake at a healthy level. Try to give them frozen and cooked vegetables.
Giving your rat mushrooms -such as Mataki or Turkey tail mushrooms can help reduce the likely hood of tumors and respiratory illnesses.
If the rats will eat the mushrooms fresh or dried out whole then you can feed them that way, otherwise you can grind them up in a grinder and mix them with applesauce.
If your rat is dehydrated a quick way to help re-hydrate them is to feed them applesauce. Applesauce has lots of water in it and helps to feed and water them. I have seen Applesauce help many of rats feel better.
It is important for your rat to be healthy in order to fight off infections.
Health issues can arise if your rat is kept in unclean conditions, so try to keep rat areas clean.
If you have several rats that live together try to bathe them all on the same day.
Do not keep your rats by fans or by windows, Drafts are not good for them.
Smoking around your rats, especially rats with respiratory problems can increase the likelihood of Myco flair ups, Pneumonia or other lungs problems. Also the smoke can cause the rats sneezing and wheezing. If at all possible, have a rat room dedicated to smoking, or a room in the house dedicated to smoking that the rats aren't allowed in.
Make sure your rats bedding, food, litter and environment is as dust free as possible as dust can irritate their noses and cause breathing trouble.
You can add small animal vitamins (such as Vita drops) to your rats water to help them keep their vitamin intake high.
Here is the site I got some of my information from.
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