# Hairless Rat Care... Dry skin?



## SmangoandFern (Dec 1, 2010)

Hey there.  As some of you may know, very soon I will be purchasing a hairless boy. I was wondering if unscented baby lotion is a safe thing to use in case of dry skin? Also, (This is a bit off topic..) : I bought my dogs these cool organic PB&J flavored biscuit treats, but my dogs aren't taking a liking to them, so I thought I'd save them for the rats. The ingrediants are: Oat flour, rolled oats, peanut butter, strawberries, eggs, canola oil, and baking powder. Are these ingrediants safe for rats? Thanks!


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## SiNi5T3R (Nov 5, 2010)

not too sure on the treats but im sure if a dog can eat it a rat can eat it. 

Also I have hairless rats and I never run into problems with dry skin at all. they are usually really warm too so as long as you keep them somewhere not too cold then you should be good. Hairless rats run a higher risk of catching a "Cold" because of no hair but they make great pets even if they feel a little awkward.


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## Rhasputin (Oct 20, 2010)

Hairless rats don't run a higher risk of catching a cold. They run higher risks of over heating. Their bodies produce more heat than a normal rat.

They also need MORE PROTEIN to keep themselves healthy. Lack of protein in a diet can cause the flaky skin. I think you can use Jergens baby lotion on them, though. Or if you can find the kins of lotion people use on their hairless cats and dogs, I'm sure that would be safe too, although it will sting the rat if it has any scratches, as hairless rats often do.

I would also recommend an oatmeal bath if you're really having trouble. That'll really sooth his skin.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Why would they need more protein? They would need more nutrients/calories overall but excessive protein levels in their diet will still cause renal issues later in life. High protein for ANY rats is not good at all.

I give my hairless who gets dry skin, a little massage with olive oil...he loves it. I also run the humidifier as well. My other hairless rats don't have any issues, just the one boy.


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## SiNi5T3R (Nov 5, 2010)

I hate how all the scratches show up on hairless rats especially the females that want to be the dom female and fight with the others. mine trys to be the dom female and she alwasy has scratches on her cuz they show so good. she never has dry skin tho but i never knew they had more of a chance to over heat. Whats funny is when ever i pick her up she is alwasy real warm feeling which amazed me.


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## VictorianVanity (Mar 18, 2010)

I agree with lilspaz, olive oil is fantastic for dry skin. I use it on my hairless girls if they're looking a bit scratched up or dry (our hairless girl Pickle does get a bit chafey looking at times), and even on my boy Pran, as his tail gets very rough looking very easily.

But feeding them a good diet will typically keep them from having any skin problems, besides the scratches. Even when we trim all the girls' nails they always have scratches, it's just kind of an inevitability in my experience.


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## Sidders (Dec 6, 2010)

Shortly after I first got my hairless girl, she developed some really try patches on her back/side. I rubbed virgin olive oil on her as well as gave her some bread dipped in olive oil periodically for about 2 weeks. She hasn't had a problem since. 

Also, at the time I was feeding them some dog food with too high of a protein content (now I switched to a lite version) and that may have also contributed. Too much protein isn't good for rats. It can cause skin issues.


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## 3NakedLadies (Jan 27, 2011)

2 of my baby girls started getting dry skin i just put a tiny amount of baby oil on my hands and rub it into them lightly, they spent the next hour licking it off eachother and i thought 'no way will it work' but what did i know! No other signs have come up since, and there skin is alot softer too!


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