# Dry tail?



## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

So I noticed on my two oldest girls (approx 6 months) their tails look dry and flakey I know they have little scales on their tail but on some of them it looks like I could pick them off because they look like a flakey layer. After they have a bath their tails look healthier and are clean. Their tails get dirty faster then the two youngest to but their tails are also a lot lighter them the younger ones any suggestions on what to do? Or do they just need their tails cleaned more often? 


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## Hephaestion (Jan 27, 2013)

This could indicate many things. 

Tails should be full, rounded and sleek/rubbery looking. Although the scales are clear, they shouldn't look flaky.

The first thing to ask is if your rats are drinking enough. If you pinch the skin at their nape and if it takes longer than a second to return to its shape, your rats are likely dehydrated.

Secondly, your girls may need more fat in their diets. Try giving a decent helping of olive oil over their fresh food for the next week and you may notice a difference. Is their skin in general dry, flaky, with dandruff?

If you post a picture of your rats bodies and their tails, Isamurat here will be able to give you some pointers as to the condition of their tails, their general condition and some suggestions. She is a tail expert!


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## Hephaestion (Jan 27, 2013)

If you scroll down on the link below, there is a section on dry skin with some pictures of dry tails.

http://www.ratfanclub.org/skin.html 

This is a nice piece on rattie skin issues.


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

There tails do not look anything close to that I will try to get a picture of their tails.
Also they are not dehydrated I just checked.


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

View attachment 64946
View attachment 64954


This is what her tail looks like looking at her sisters tail her tail looks normal now and not like Stella's tail here. The secound pictures shows more what I mean about flakey.


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## Hephaestion (Jan 27, 2013)

Hi Mitsy,

The first tail looks normal to me. I see the bumps/flakes in the second picture.

What bedding are they on? If the bedding is too absorbent, it can dry them out. Also, is the weather hot where you are?

It looks to me like something a little oil will fix quickly. If the flakes are loose, try brushing them off and moisturising the tail with a little olive oil. Also, up their rat intake of oil and other good fats like nuts and advocado for a bit. I reckon you will notice an improvement pretty quickly.

If you pm Isamurat, she will be better able to help.

Good Luck!


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

Ok thanks! And the two pictures of are the same tail it's just looks like that at the end. They are on fleece and no it's not super hot like I need to give them ice or cold bottle to lay on. But it is warm there has only been I few days when it's like that. Would extra virgin olive oil be good? 


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

Also do you think scrambled eggs cooked with the olive oil will work to? or olive oil drizzled over the scrambled egg?


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## Hephaestion (Jan 27, 2013)

Yep, anything with a good fat content should help so scrambled eggs drizzled in olive oil will be good and as a bonus, she will enjoy them too! Some ideas are olive oil, hemp oil, advocado, nuts, oily fish like mackerel, salmon and sardines. I think you will notice a quick improvement. It just looks like her skin is a little dry. I wouldn't worry too much. You can use her tail/skin condition to gauge how much fatty acids she needs in her diet. If dry, add more, if greasy add less. 

Also, if you can get your hands on dried seaweed, even nori sheets for sushi, this will also help.

And oh, extra virgin will be fine.

Do you bathe your rats often? Bathing can strip the skin and coat of oils. Although they feel lovely and soft afterwards and smell nice, in the long run, it is not great for them.


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

Ok thanks 


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Slightly flaking tails can be caused by a few things, those tails dont look massively dry (you can normally see this in the skin too, they get a bit ddandruffy and the coat feels dryish) though that is fairly common in hot dry weather (or when the central heating gets switched on). Dry tails feel very dry and are often fairly rough, it can get confused with what i fondly call scaley tail though. For dry tail i would up the oil content in their diet as Hephaestion says and as a short term method rub some emoliant or baby safe moisturiser into it.

The other main thing is actually protien, what a lot of people dont realise is that the tail sheds and renews much like the fur. I haven't figured out the life of a typical scale yet but it is longer than a fur moult period. After so long the scales start to look a little tired and get pushed out and replaced by new ones. As with the fur if they have plenty of protein it happens smoothly, too little and they can get very flakey (but not dry) tails, these can get a little confused at times though if theres a lot of scales that are ready to go but arent loose enough. Sometimes even if they have enough protien etc the scales just dont want to budge, particularly if the rat isnt the tidiest (unlikley in your rats cases) theis can also lead to a builld up of scaley tails. In young rats you see very little trouble with this, and most girls understand there tail requires cleaning but in older rats, especially bucks and those with HLD there tails can get very scaly from lack of taking care too. Using a soft bristled old tooth brush, some warm soapy water and lots of gentle circling on the tail and you can flick off most of the old scales. If you give it a good wipe over with a towel afterwards you should shift a fair bit of the muck. This will help keep older rats tails healthy (they can get infected lumps if left). Your girls are a long way off this though, i would give them a couple protien meals, scrambled egg works, you may as well add in a bit of oil too as a coverall, and then keep an eye on it, you can always give their tail a quick clean to help out if you want.


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

ok thanks


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