# How can i get rid of buck grease?



## RuffianZenyatta15 (Sep 4, 2012)

My rat Russel gets buck grease and im not sure how I can get rid of it. He hates baths, he will take off my hand if I try and give him one. I also try brushing but that doesn't do much. I have also scraped some off with my fingernails, but thats gross and I don't want to hurt him, plus it leaves bald spot ???. Anything else I could try??


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

What is he eating? What kind of cage do you have him in? What kind of bedding do you use? Does Russel have a friend?


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## RuffianZenyatta15 (Sep 4, 2012)

Russel will eat pretty much anything. He eats twice a day. For breakfast he will get a dog cookie, for dinner he gets dog food, dog treat, blueberries, lettuce, and any other fruits or veggies I have. He has sawdust bedding and is in a 2' x 2' cage. He does not have a buddy, he used to live in the same cage as his brother but they started fighting pretty bad and had to be separated. He seems to be happier now that hes alone though. He also runs around my room for about an hour or two a day.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Okay, well, you pretty much just answered your own question there.

Please get him a diet that is appropriate for rats. Dog food is called dog food for a reason - they are 2 completely different animals with completely different nutritional needs and dog food/treats should not make up the bulk of a rat's diet. Dog food is high in protein and high in vitamin A, both which will cause skin problems in rats. If you can order online, some rescues such as Mainely Rat Rescue and The Crafty Rat will sell Harlan Teklad food. Lots of pet stores carry Oxbow Regal Rat which is another great rat food. Feeding him a proper diet will help clear up his grease within a few weeks. He may need a bath to wash off most of it.

What kind of sawdust? When I think sawdust I think pine, and pine is extremely toxic to rats and if he is on pine he should be removed immediately. If it is aspen be sure you are freezing the aspen for at least 24 hrs before using it, stowaway bugs is common in wood/paper based beddings and could cause skin issues as well.

A 2x2 cage is the bare minimum for any rat to live in and it should definitely not be a permanent living situation - a larger cage would likely do him well.


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## RuffianZenyatta15 (Sep 4, 2012)

Im not sure if its pine, im thinking its not because we have been using it for both our rats beddings for a year and they are both perfectly healthy. My mom (who is a vet tech) has listened to their lungs and they were normal. We use it for the horses, and the bale of shavings is a lot cheaper than the small bags of bedding in the stores. I will stop feeding him dog food. Russel is my first rat so I am still trying to learn what and what not to do. 

Thanks!


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

An easy way to tell if it's pine is to smell it. It will smell... like pine. The smell is why it's so bad - pine has toxic phenol (scent) oils that irritate their respiratory tract. Not only that but the phenol oils are linked to liver failure too. Liver disease would show no signs unless an autopsy was performed after death on the rat. Cedar is just as bad if not worse than pine. Cedar will usually be a telltale red color and smell strongly too. Hardwoods like Aspen are fine.

*ETA: I watched your other videos and unfortunately it does look like pine. I would highly recommend you switch beddings ASAP. Your video "Rat with Hiccups" actually looks more like nasal congestion and possibly a first sign of respiratory disease from the pine shavings. 
*
Here is a site advising the dangers of pine bedding for rats - have your mom read it, if you want. http://www.ratfanclub.org/litters.html
 
I saw your other thread with the video of Russel and how he is overweight. You should see that change on a better diet as well. Dog food is fatty too.


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## elliriyanna (Jul 27, 2011)

Your boys fighting makes me wonder if a neuter wouldnt do them good ... Even if they cant be reintroduced to each other then they could be friends with girls and it permanently fixes your buck grease issue 


HOWEVER ... I would find a better cage more suitable diet and better bedding ( you can even use fleece or pelleted paper which are cheap) before I would even consider another rat.


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## RuffianZenyatta15 (Sep 4, 2012)

The shavings are pine, but its doesn't smell at all. Went to the pet store today with my mom. Bedding is between $15 - $30 for a small bag compared to the $3-4 we spend on a huge bag of shavings! Larger cages are also upwards of $140-$300. We bought 1 small bag of bedding we are just going to use a little and mix it with the shavings. We cant afford to buy $30 bags each week. I think i'm going to save my money to buy a new horse. Russel is happy in his cage. He has plenty of toys and a tunnel with super soft fluff to play with. He is only in his cage when he is sleeping or eating. I try to take him out as much as possible.


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## RuffianZenyatta15 (Sep 4, 2012)

They were also selling pine bedding at the pet store for rats.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Look for Aspen shavings - they are sold in bulk and are extremely cheap. You can even use shredded newspaper or scrap fabrics you have lying around - ANYTHING is going to be better than the pine. Please, stop using it. It will save you from heartbreak and expensive vet bills in the future.

Yes, I know it is sold for rats, and it is WRONG. Just like McDonalds sells food for humans... it doesn't mean it's good for us! Pine is still marketed for small animals because it is CHEAP and people who don't know any better will buy it, not knowing it is toxic and will make their pets sick.

No one is trying to accuse you of being wrong, and I'm not trying to discount your mom of her vet tech status, but the toxicity of softwoods is a VERY well known issue in both humans and small pets. We just want what's best for Russel and you have to understand that this isn't personal - we are trying to help educate you to make healthier decisions that will help him live as long and as illness free as possible. If for whatever reason you INSIST on using pine, now you are at least aware of the significant health issues from it and will have to live knowing that if he ever suddenly dies or comes down with significant respiratory failure it may have been your fault for not switching beddings. If you are okay with that, by all means continue.


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## RuffianZenyatta15 (Sep 4, 2012)

Thanks for the advice. I am trying to find a way to switch beddings but we just cant afford the expensive stuff right now. We may start using shredded news paper.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

I know Carefresh and that sort of stuff is expensive. I never used it either.

Another option might be to litter train him - you can read about how to do that here

http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?39483-Suitable-Bedding-amp-Litter-Training-Guides

 That page also contains the recommended bedding guide, which will show you some other bedding options available. Yesterday's News is a cat litter that is basically pellets of recycled newspaper - this stuff is super cheap, a 15 pound bag of it is about $10 - 13 at Walmart, Petco, and Petsmart. It's a bit hard and noisy when shuffled around the cage but it is good at containing odors and very low on dust. I use it in my litter boxes because it's heavy and hard for them to fling out!

I, personally, do fabric liners with a litter box - it's much easier on their respiratory symptoms to use a dustless fabric bedding and they are pretty easy to litter train. It's also a lot less waste to dump out a whole cage of bedding all the time - you can just shake off fabric liners and put them in the washing machine with scentless detergent. And plus you can do fun colorful fabrics and switch them up depending on the season, holidays, etc!


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## centennial (Aug 28, 2012)

Look into using fleece. I use fleece with a few layers of newspaper underneath instead of shavings/bedding. I use a bit of carefresh mixed with yesterday's news in their litter box. The fleece needs to be changed and washed every couple days so it's more of a time commitment but a heck of a lot cheaper. Also, if you do this, make sure to use scent-free hypoallergenic detergent. 

Also, be careful with the super-fluff stuff (if it's what I'm thinking of, kind of like fluff that goes inside stuffed animals, marketed for hamsters usually). They can get their toenails stuck and ripped out, or even worse, they could get their bodies tangled in it and hurt themselves trying to get out.


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## RuffianZenyatta15 (Sep 4, 2012)

I was thinking of doing the fleece and newspaper layers also. The super fluff stuff came in a cardboard tube. It said its for rats and most other small mammals.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

If you have a Tractor Supply Company near you (USA), they sell large bags of aspen for cheap.


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## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

I would go to the grocery store and go to the pet aisle. You can find a product by Purina called 'Yesterday's News' which is a paper pellet bedding for cats. Rats can use it as well. It is only like $7 for a large bag. If the grocery store doesn't have it, places like Walmart would carry it.
(I have never heard the term Buck Grease before)


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## gal5150 (Aug 14, 2012)

Fleece or flannel over a towel or paper towels is extremely cheap and wonderfully snuggly bedding choices. I use them for both my rats and guinea pigs with tremendous success. Its easy to spot clean poop and I've never had a problem with smell. When its time to change you just toss in the washer with a dye/fragrace free detergent and slap in a clean set. I wish i had known about fleece 20 yrs ago when I started with rats as a teen! Plus, it makes the cage adorableand ttotally personalized. I fill the boys nesting box with TP shreds and they still get to dig and burrow. Its a cheap, safe, cute choice!


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## aripatsim (Jul 26, 2012)

Go to walmart and get a bag of Aspen for like $3. It's not the best thing in the world, but it's way better than pine! Pine is so toxic. Pet stores may sell it, but it's still fatal. Pet stores sell/do a lot of things that aren't good for animals.
I use ExquisiCat Paper Pellets because they aren't dusty at all. I got a big bag for like $7.

I know how it is to be low on money believe me, but I always make sure my pets have healthy things. If anything , use some old towels and put them on the bottom of the cage as liners. Just keep an eye on chewing since terrycloth material is loopy and it can get caught on their teeth. Fabric is actually great bedding because it's cozy and dust free for the rats. I use fleece liners and I love it. I have a rat who is very sensitive and will sneeze over the slightest things and fleece is great of the lack of dust. Plus, it's cozy and makes their cage decorative. I got 4 yards of fleece at Walmart for $30 and it made 4 liners. It's actually saved me money because the only litter I have to buy is their litterbox and it lasts for MONTHS. I just reuse the liners over and over again. I put two in their cage sunday, switch them out with clean ones on wednesday and wash the others.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

Pine is only toxic if it isn't kiln-dried. Kiln-dried is safe, but I wouldn't recommend using it for rats because rats are so sensitive to smells and most kiln-dried pine bedding has a smell except for the brand that Petsmart sells.

I use carefresh and Kaytee Clean and Cozy for my rats. The other day I switched one of my rat cages over to towels and fleece because I'm trying to litter train them.


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## RuffianZenyatta15 (Sep 4, 2012)

Changed Russels bedding today. I used a little of the new bedding and the super soft fluff. Only problem was when I put in the new bedding he started to eat it. I think he spit it out, but he kept trying to chew it. Is that dangerous if he eats a piece or 2? He also scratched alot which he does when he gets something new.


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## Creepy McSteezerson (Dec 30, 2020)

So I already use yesterday's news and feed oxbow plus greens, carrots, nuts, oats, yogurt, berries etc. Little guy is still getting buck grease. Not bad, but still. Ideas?
Pumpkin WILL let me bathe him but is there a special shampoo I need or something?


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## Enne (Dec 12, 2020)

Don't bathe your rat. By bathing him you're encouraging overproduction of buck grease which is probably why he's more greasy than usual. A bit of buck grease is normal BTW.

Try switching to Oxbow Essentials instead of whatever you have him on now. The Garden Select kind has alfalfa which rats cannot digest.


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