# what skin cream is safe for rats?



## new_rattie_mommy (Aug 24, 2014)

Ok so my boy lily has taken on a nurturing attitude ever since I got my baby girl rose. He loves grooming her and makes her bleed behind her ears cuz it's kinda raw there from his nibbling. No open cuts but theres always red dried blood marks there. A vet has said to discourage the grooming but I usually dont see to stop him. Is there a human product I can put there to make it feel better or maybe just discourage the grooming from bad taste or something? Like I said no open skin there the vet said so its not a cut.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

I have the same issue.. One of my girls is barbering the back of another girl's head, and has been for months. The bald spot is getting larger and larger.. 

I'm not sure of anything that can discourage the grooming, I would love to know what I could use too, but for soothing her skin, you can try coconut oil. Olive oil may work well too.

I wonder if using something like bitter apple spray is safe if you wipe a little on? I don't know if it would be unhealthy if it absorbed through the skin, but it may be bad tasting enough to make him stop grooming so aggresively.


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## new_rattie_mommy (Aug 24, 2014)

Hmm will try some olive or coconut oil for now. Hopefully someone else will chime in on the other thing. I also hope she wouldn't taste it whilr grooming herself and stop grooming completely if she thinks her whole body tastes like that lol but I feel like I need to do something cuz it looks sore and its been there since almost day 1. He rarely lets it heal and I hear her squeak in protest whereas she usually likes the grooming so I assume thats when he does behind her ears and it is painful. But I cant run over there in the middle of the night and stop their social interaction lol


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

Rats like the taste of olive and coconut oil. The only way I used to get some of my boys to eat kale was to put olive oil on it. XD Finnebon suggested it as something to sooth her skin, not prevent the over-grooming. It might just make it worse...

Would it be bad to separate them briefly while she heals? Maybe only let them have monitored interaction until she's in less pain?


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

I don't know if seperation will work for her, hopefully it will! But when my girl had her surgery, she was away from her family for a few days, almost a week, while she healed and to make sure the incision area wouldn't get nibbled on by her or the others before the skin started to fuse back together. After I put Bijou back in with her family when she was doing better, it's as if Aoife had to make up for lost time and kept on nibbling her. I guess she missed her! Her bald spot just keeps getting bigger.

I bought a new brand of coconut oil that has a nice coconut smell and flavor, and my rats actually don't like this new one at all. I guess it just depends on the rat's preferences. 

Maybe you can try something liek the foaming antibacterial soap from Dial? It is safe for rats in a small ammount, will clean the raw area well, adn you can dab just a little bit on and let it dry (don't rinse it off). The soap would probably taste rather bitter and he might not lick her.


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## new_rattie_mommy (Aug 24, 2014)

I knew the oil would taste good unfortunately lol thats why I was still hoping someone would have a tip that maybe soothes and tastes bad. I used the oil a couple times to try and let that soak in some and I had to discourage licking but I found if i put the oil on all of them they left her alone cuz they were distracted with grooming themselves. I dont want to separate her cuz she really thrives on her family cuddles. Ever since day 1 when I got her she panics when she is alone and its not bad enough to put her thru that cuz I dont think shes in alot of pain yet. I just dont want it to escalate. I wondered about the soap thing but i didnt know if it would harm the skin


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## ahrat (Aug 12, 2013)

Try something bitter. Apple cider vinegar is used to discourage dogs from over grooming themselves, I'm assuming is safe for rats too. It's really hard to find something universally hated by rats, so just keep playing around!


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## Grotesque (Mar 19, 2014)

How about bitter orange spray put on a Q-tip and dabbed in the area? My vet suggested that for Chai when she was picking at her stitches. It is safe for rats but they apparently hate the taste and smell. 

However, since you mentioned boys, maybe orange isn't the best since males can't have orange anything. Try bitter apple, which was another suggestion from my vet. She only mentioned that SOME rats actually like the bitter apple but she never met one that liked the orange.


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