# My rat has scabs and scratches on his skin?



## Mirax (Oct 29, 2015)

Ì was petting my rat the other day and I notice around his neck area he has a few lumps. Then I took a closer look at it and realized they were scabs/scratches. What could this be?I read online about its possible for rats to have mites/lice but i gave him a bath and looked very closely on his skin and cage and I saw nothing on him. And since I've done research on mites before I got the rat every bedding I brought I made sure to freeze for 24 hours before putting it in the cage. I also been keeping a close eye on him and he doesn't seem to itch himself more than normally so I dont understand why he has scratches on him and hes the only rat I have as well so it cant be another rat. Does he cut himself with his claws? He less than a year old so he kinda still a baby so his nails arent that long but if they are should I cut them or file them so they arent so sharp? But still even if they are sharp why does he feel the need to scratch so hard he scratches himself and causes scabs? I have considered maybe he is allergic to his bedding (I use carefresh paper bedding) so I thought next time I go to walmart or something I will switch his bedding to fleece blankets and see if that improves it. Besides I heard fleece is healthier to use anyways and a lot less money than bedding since you can wash it instead of throwing it away.I dont know its very strange and he's my first rat so I'm not really sure what to do. Thanks!


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

It's most likely mites... they are too small to see. They don't come in with properly sealed bedding of just about any kind, but they can come from new animals of humans that have handled animals with mites.

Search the threads for Revolution. It costs under $20.00 and will treat a pretty large amount of rats. And you do treat all of your small animals to prevent reinfection at the same time.

Best luck.


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## Mirax (Oct 29, 2015)

Rat Daddy said:


> It's most likely mites... they are too small to see. They don't come in with properly sealed bedding of just about any kind, but they can come from new animals of humans that have handled animals with mites.Search the threads for Revolution. It costs under $20.00 and will treat a pretty large amount of rats. And you do treat all of your small animals to prevent reinfection at the same time.Best luck.


 Revolution is way too expensive is there a cheaper alternative?


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Honestly, no. $20.00 seems to be a pretty fair price to cure mites without risking your rats health. I think I paid something like $16.99 plus tax which came out shy of $20.00 last year... I bought it from a vet that doesn't see rats.

There are some old fashioned remedies that just don't work as well or have other risks... but the money you save can cost you a whole lot more in vet visits if they don't work or make your rat sick.


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## Mirax (Oct 29, 2015)

The one I found on Amazon and other vet sites they were 50-60$ idk where the 20$ one is.


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## Rattie2Love (Sep 28, 2015)

I know where I live vets won't let you buy it unless your pet
is a patient of there's . But yes it's only roughly $18.00 for a tub to my vets . If you don't have a vet at the moment , maybe
you have a friend that can get some to their vet for you ? They can say it's for there pet , not a rat cause the vet most likely won't do that ..


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## Leila (Oct 25, 2015)

What if your pet is stressed out? Wouldn't that make him over-scratch himself?
A few pets do that. I had a cat that ended up pulling out all of the fur on her belly due to stress. I've seen it happening in hamsters too, not sure about rats, though..
You said you only have one hamster. Maybe he is just a bit lonely and that's causing the stress? 
I guess the easier solution would be taking him to the vet. If he doens't have mites, maybe it's stress..
Best of luck with your pet!


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Revolution can be given preventatively, it doesn't require a diagnosis. It protects dogs and cats and rats for 30 days. As someone who takes his rats outdoors, it isn't a bad idea in summer anyway.

I found a vet that carried revolution and didn't see rats so didn't charge for a visit. I went armed with my literature including dosage, studies found on line etc and of course the truly amazing ture shoulder rat Fuzzy Rat... likely one of the most charismatic rats that ever lived. Within a few minutes of our arrival the staff was playing with Fuzzy Rat and took her back to "meet" the vets... a few minutes later I had my revolution and a standing prescription. I'd like to say it was my charm, or my prepared information, but in all reality it was Fuzzy Rat giving everyone kisses and climbing from one person to the other and then scratching that melted everyone's heart. Naturally I didn't point out that everyone in the vet's office was likely covered in mites... But they don't treat small animals, and they should have known better... 

The funniest part was keying Fuzzy Rat into their database.... which didn't do rats either. Getting revolution might be an adventure, but it isn't expensive. To be honest it was because I couldn't just walk into a store that I tried other things first... Then I called some vets, found some that carried the product, grabbed our rat and set off on my adventure, and in fact it was the very first vet we vistited that caved in and wrote the prescription and sold us the product.

Remember, revolution can be administered preventatively so you don't need a diagnosis. You may have to be creative and persistent, but the stuff is cheap in the amount you need.

Best luck.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

As to the stress hypothesis... I just want to remark that the big reason that revolution is best is that it is so safe for rats... if you misdiagnose mites, you won't do any harm... But when rats have scabs on the back of their necks... 95% of the time it's mites... and you just can't see mites without a microscope. If you assume the problem is stress and you do nothing, your rats can get very sick and even die of the mite infestation. Make sense?


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## Mirax (Oct 29, 2015)

Leila said:


> What if your pet is stressed out? Wouldn't that make him over-scratch himself?A few pets do that. I had a cat that ended up pulling out all of the fur on her belly due to stress. I've seen it happening in hamsters too, not sure about rats, though..You said you only have one hamster. Maybe he is just a bit lonely and that's causing the stress? I guess the easier solution would be taking him to the vet. If he doens't have mites, maybe it's stress..Best of luck with your pet!


 It might be that cause i just got him like only 2 weeks ago, maybe he taking more time than usual to get used to his new surroundings and could be a little anxious. hmm I'll keep an eye on it but he doesnt seem to be scratching much anymore that I've seen.


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## Mirax (Oct 29, 2015)

Rat Daddy said:


> As to the stress hypothesis... I just want to remark that the big reason that revolution is best is that it is so safe for rats... if you misdiagnose mites, you won't do any harm... But when rats have scabs on the back of their necks... 95% of the time it's mites... and you just can't see mites without a microscope. If you assume the problem is stress and you do nothing, your rats can get very sick and even die of the mite infestation. Make sense?


 well maybe ill call for some local vets and ask if they have it and what the price is. But I really cant afford more than 30$ I'm a college student with a part time job that would be hard for me to afford but I guess I'll have to manage so he doesnt die. But we'll see but which revolution do I get? The cat or dog one? Do they make a rat one lol I never seen it online or anywhere. And if the vet asks why I need it do I tell them its for my cat or do I be honest and say its for my rat? Thanks!


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

About half the rats we've adopted came with mites... In fact that's about the best way to get them into your home.

I use the larger cat size.... it's the weaker strength with the larger volume. Seal what's left after you use a drop or two air tight and keep in in the fridge or freezer so it doesn't evaporate. There's enough revolution in a single vile to treat several rats or for several treatments if necessary.

There are lots of threads on the subject just do a search and read a few.

Best luck.


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## Mirax (Oct 29, 2015)

Rat Daddy said:


> About half the rats we've adopted came with mites... In fact that's about the best way to get them into your home.I use the larger cat size.... it's the weaker strength with the larger volume. Seal what's left after you use a drop or two air tight and keep in in the fridge or freezer so it doesn't evaporate. There's enough revolution in a single vile to treat several rats or for several treatments if necessary.There are lots of threads on the subject just do a search and read a few.Best luck.


Thanks a lot for your help!By the way I noticed something else. I changed my rat diet a bit to more grains and fruits instead of mostly nuts and seeds and he doesn't seem to be itching as much anymore. His scabs even felt like they are healing a bit and gone down. Could that have anything to do with it? But I will still try getting revolution just in case when I get the money for it. For now I'm just trying different things to figure out if it really mites or not.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I've been where you are and I know where you are coming from... It seems a bit daunting to get the right medication because it requires you to get creative. So you are looking for ways around it. There are other things, some work, and some work better than those that don't work at all and some will just get your rats sick or have risks of side affects. And yes I've heard about the idea that too much protein can cause scratching... While on the road one of our rats practically lived on McDonalds and never scratched or had scabs. 

Now if you have a microscope, you can take some tape lift off samples to possibly find some mites, but even that might be hit or miss.

I could add a chapter on the things we used in the old days from cedar bedding to dolomite powder to ivermectin... But nothing comes close in effectiveness and ease of treatment... and you are only going to save around $10.00 at best.

When I was a kid, my uncle had a home tooth pulling kit... it involved a string that tied to the tooth on one and and a door knob on the other... And believe it or not... it worked (aside from some gory and gruesome details when it didn't go quite as planned). Now if I were asked to give advice regarding a tooth ache, I could detail the old method or suggest you see your dentist for a filling or a cap. So yes I actually saw the "pull your own tooth kit" work but for the money it might save you and the things that can go wrong and the general undesirability of going through life without teeth, modern dentistry is the way I would go... Likewise revolution is the most cost effective and lowest risk mite treatment out there. 

I've never actually seen mites kill a rat, but I have seen them kill mice, so if things don't improve very soon things might turn for the worse.

Best luck.


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## bostongirl1983 (May 21, 2015)

I just went through this with one of my boys. I thought that my saucy girl was beating up my mild mannered boy so I separated them for a whole month before bringing him into the vet. His poor back was so beat up and he lost 50g from the stress of the mites! I felt terrible for blaming my girl and not bringing my boy to the vet sooner. My vet told me that scratches/blood on the back is *most likely* mites, and that it's pretty common. We got revolution and he stopped scratching within a day. I would get your rattie the revolution soon, if you're looking for one dose it's the one for puppy and kitten. Don't wait like I did, I still feel just awful  Good luck!


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