# The Babies Look Like They're Peeling! :(



## EleashaC (Jan 30, 2012)

Hi, guys. I've got two accidental litters in my house, right now (two females who were pregnant when I unsuspectingly bought them). The older set is about three weeks old, and doing really well. The second batch is a week old today. Their mamma, Camilla, has been a total basketcase since they were born; she was pretty timid before, but she's been quite aggressive since the birth, and I've got the scabs to prove it. I don't blame her at all, and realize this is normal, so I've been letting her be alone as much as possible. She gets stressed out very easily, by any strange sights, smells, or sounds. Today is pretty much the first she's come out of her cage for free-range time. I leave the door open for a couple hours a day, but she doesn't like to come out. If I move around the rat room too much, she starts tearing in circles, throwing her bedding around, hyperventilating, etc. The babies were born while I was out of town for a few days, and the rats were staying with a friend, so they've only been back in my care for about three days. Today, I managed to coax Camilla out of the cage, and took a good look at the babies. There are nine, and seven of them look normal and healthy, but two appear to be peeling! Their skin is very dry and cracked, and their tails look just horrible. I'm not sure how to describe it. 

Their bedding is towels and cloths, all clean when they got it. I haven't changed the bedding since I've had them with me, because I don't want to stress out Camilla. There are some aspen shavings that got accidentally mixed in with the bedding, but no more than (I would guess) about a cup's worth. I recently discovered that my rats came from the pet shop with either a flea or a mite infestation; I didn't realize this until after the first batch of babies was born, and it was clear that Camilla was expecting. I've been bathing the adult rats, but I've been holding off on doing any kind of chemical treatments until all the babies are at least 5 weeks old, and ready to go into their new homes/can hopefully handle the treatment. 

Could the mites/fleas (they're extremely tiny, and hard to get a good look at, which is why I suspect mites-- my friend, who was caring for the rats, said she was able to pick one off, and it looked like a flea to her) be the cause of this nasty looking skin condition? Might it be the aspen shavings? Camilla's been very good, it appears, about not peeing/pooping near her nest; there's no strong smell of urine or feces, and the babies appear otherwise to be clean. What can I do to help these poor babies? And are there any safe treatments for mites/fleas on babies this young, or should I continue to wait?

Here are some pictures:


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

I'd call a vet.. never seen anything like that. When they grow fur it can cause dry skin and dusty "flakes" but this is way different. At least call and ask the vet if they know anything about it.


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

in my high school zoology class one of the rats looked like that, she lost all her hair and swelled up and looked just like that pic. our teacher said it was a serve allergic reaction. but id def call a vet asap! that rat in the class died a week after we noticed it :-(


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## EleashaC (Jan 30, 2012)

Yikes! Okay, I'll call right away!


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

i hope they are ok! poor babies :-( maybe they were allergic to their bedding or something? hmm i hate when my ratties get sick! makes me sad i cant do anything for them :-/


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## A.ngelF.eathers (Jul 6, 2011)

They do look swollen... or their tails do at least. 
If it was an allergic reaction, it could possibly be to the aspen. Even though aspen is recommended, it seems if it's a material, there's an allergy to it in someone, somewhere. 
Hope they improve D:


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Your babies have ringtail. Its caused by lack of humidity in the air...its an easy fix if you work fast though. Put a humidifier in their room on high to add moisture into the air and rub those tails with olive oil.

http://ratguide.com/health/figures/ringtail_figure_2.php


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## CarolineRose (Nov 18, 2011)

Ooh wow.

I've never even heard of "ringtail" good call lilspaz


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

That's what I am here for 

If anyone sees something and they aren't sure of what it is, or they think I might be able to help, feel free to PM me the link to the post...I do this all the time and don't mind a bit. I don't catch the majority of the threads since I am always so busy on my own forum and with my own rescue ratkids.


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

I learned something new today. Thanks lilspaz<3


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