# Fat? Flabby? Just alot of skin????



## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

Ok my Nezume's got a LOT of extra skin and is a little on the chubby side but WHAT is with all the extra skin???? She's got like a inch or more of skin if you pinch and pull (it doen't cuase her any obvious pain) and it's a bit creepy... Is somthing wrong??

Just a reminder I don't have a camra to post pics.


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## Rodere (Feb 26, 2007)

Well, dehydration can cause something like that, since the cells shrink, so make sure the water bottle works good enough for her to be getting enough water. With dehydration, you can lift the skin and it won't snap back quickly.

But other than that, I can't think of anything being wrong. As long as there isn't so much extra skin that she's having trouble getting around.

How old is she? It might be that she is still growing. That and skin stretches and so on, so you'll always be able to pinch a little.


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Yeah, if the skin doesn't snap right back she could be dehydrated. Try givieng her open water as well as bottle water to see what is happens.


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

I check the water every day and have to refill it every 2-4 days (only 2 rats in the cage) and they can easily get it out of the bottle.

I don't know how old she is I got her from a pet store at a later age so I'm not sure. Best guess she's 5-10 months....


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## Wench (Apr 5, 2007)

You should be replacing the water every single day, whether or not it is used up. Bacteria builds up in standing water and it can harm your rats.

Also, have you ever tried drinking from a glass of water you left by your bed overnight while sick or something? By the morning it tastes gross. It tastes just as gross to rats.

Once every day at the very least, I'll do once in the morning and once in the evening usually.


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

LoL my boys get water three times a day the are little water hogs LoL i asked the vet about it he said that there is nothing wrong with them they just like their water (fizzgig alone drinks about 10 oz of water a day)


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

Perhaps you have a new breed of Shar Pei/rat hybrid? o_o


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Hehe, I know Bert has lots of wrinkly skin but from what I've seen with hairless it's a norm XD


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

I'm a shar pei fan, so of course any mention of loose skin or wrinkles makes me think of the breed XD


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## Nazarath (Feb 20, 2007)

My moms chinchillas name is Fizzgig , sorry all i had to say. My guess would have been dehydration as well.


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## Rat_Fink (Apr 2, 2007)

You should definitely be changing their water more than that, I change my rat's water twice a day to once a day.


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## Night (Feb 23, 2007)

Remember to never just refill water bottles, clean them out! I always add a drop of dish soap to an empty bottle, then fill it up with hot water. I let it sit for a little bit (5 minutes or so), then I scrub it out using a brush (you can buy brushes specifically for the purposes of cleaning water bottles).


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Some rats have loose skin, my neutered boy Dilbert is one of them. Others may have tighter skin, just as some may have softer or courser fur, its just a difference. My poor Dilly gets smushed a lot because of it...LOL

Oh btw I have an obese rat with tight skin, she's always had tight skin even as a young rat...its just her.


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

i use the baby bottle cleaners and sometimes i even through them in the dishwasher (with an extra rinse of course) that always cleans the metal part out really well and also disinfects them (i use the heat dry action)


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

Ok I'll change the water more often. 

I clean the bottle's every time I change'em and I even have my mom clean 'em a second time. (I suck at washing dishes.) lol


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

KayRatz said:


> Perhaps you have a new breed of Shar Pei/rat hybrid? o_o


A WHAT?????? 8O 8O


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## Night (Feb 23, 2007)

Shar Pei is a breed of dog that is extremely wrinkled. Go ahead and Google it


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## dkirschling (Mar 20, 2007)

I noticed the same thing happened when Twenty-Six started losing the use of his back legs. Now I notice it's happening to Robot, too. He's plenty hydrated, so I just associated it with hind leg paralysis. Robot's still getting around well, but I can tell his back legs aren't moving like thay used to. Could that be it?

D


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

Night said:


> Shar Pei is a breed of dog that is extremely wrinkled. Go ahead and Google it


They also have really loose skin, even the mixes. Wrinkles aren't all they've got XD I can take my dog's skin and shake it so that it all kind of moves across his back, and he likes that. XD Shar Peis are crazy <3


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## Sky14 (Aug 18, 2006)

Ooooowwww ok I know what a Shar Pei is I just got confeused.


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