# Weight Loss + Scabs = Mites?



## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

Honestly, I have no idea if the two things (weight loss and the scabs) are related and I don't know if he has mites or not, but... Bartok has lost a severe amount of weight in the past week or so. He used to be my biggest rat and now I feel bones where I couldn't before and he's a lot less wide than his brother, Gus Gus (who used to be smaller than him).

Okay, starting from the first... Bartok has gotten scabs on his back for a while now, a few months I guess. At first, I thought I found the culprit: a wire I thought he poked himself on. Yet, he kept getting them and scratches on his back and Gus Gus occasionally did to, though less and not as often.

Fast forward to nearly two months ago when I got Meeko and Cricket... Once I put them together, Cricket became a food hog. Today, Cricket is three times as wide as Meeko, who is the same age as him.

Right now, Bartok is a lot less wide and bulky than he was and he has three scabs. One on his back, like the ones he used to get, and two tiny ones on the side of his neck. This is the first time I've seen tiny scabs like that so my mind jumped instantly to mites.










Sorry for the horrid picture. He didn't want to stay still.

So, my questions--
Does that look like mites to y'all?
Could it just be a grooming injury or something?
Are the scabs related to weight loss or is it just Cricket hogging the food? Or both? Bartok (I think) used to be the Alpha and I think Cricket has taken that position now and might not be letting Bartok eat. I've never seen him prevent Bartok from eating, but I'm not in there 24/7.
If it is mites, can I use Revolution and what dosage? Plus, I'll need to treat all eight of my rats, won't I? Oh, that sounds _so _fun... 

Right now, here is what I _am _doing and what I plan to do in order to get Bartok feeling better--
I _am _feeding him extra food by hand every day. I've been giving him Baby food since I noticed the weight loss.
I plan to start separating him from Cricket when I put food in the cage and leaving them apart long enough for him to get as much food as he wants before letting them get back together. Neither would be alone, though; Meeko and Gus Gus would keep them company.
I can get Revolution if needed, but I want conformation from people with experience before buying it: it's expensive so I don't want to get it if I don't need to.
I plan to give him a little bath, regardless. My mom mentioned that the scabs could be a rash caused by his dirtiness and he definitely could use a good scrub... I've never bathed a rat though, so wish me luck. XD


Thanks for any help. I'm worried about my baby... The weight loss has me freaked. He was such a tubby boy and now he's shaped like... like my girls!?! Boys are supposed to be bulky and blocky, not thin! 

Oh, I should add: I can't see his ribs or anything. His tail isn't so thin that I can see the bones or his spine. He just has lost his bulk.


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## zurfaces (Jan 16, 2013)

Im curious about this... I didn't even consider mites but one of my girls has little scabs along her back. I thought maybe she got in a fight with my other rat two weeks ago but they've been separate since then and everyone else is healed. She is thinner but she came from a rescue and i switched her from mazuri to HT about a month ago so i thought it was that. No one else has scabs though...

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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

I'm leaving the house now and this will be my only chance to get revolution this week. Should I get it? I don't want to get it if I don't have to.


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

You should get it. It can only help to have it on hand, even if this particular case isn't mites. But it sure looks like it is.


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

If it's mites, why is he the only one with it? Is it causing his weight loss?


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

He might not be the only one with it, but he might be more susceptible to the stress of it. Are you planning to take him to the vet?


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

Quick update:
I think we've ruled out mites at this point... There are no more scabs. Weight loss is still an issue, though. I was feeding Bartok chicken baby food every day for a while, but he seemed to be doing better, so I stopped. Yesterday, though, I noticed that he was even thinner than before! Now I'm feeding him several times a day as much as he's willing to eat (which admittedly isn't as much as I would expect...).

It could just be that Cricket is hogging all the food, but then why is Bartok the only extremely thin one? Plus, there was a lot of food just sitting out that they didn't really touch for quite a while, though they knew it was there.

Bartok has been on antibiotics for a little while now but the round is about over. He was having breathing issues but that seems to have cleared up.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Food allergy? Only way I can connect the two together without going on some crazy theories.

theory 2, Weight lost due to age or unknown issue and he has Eczema. 

Theory 3. His anti-biotics for for URI issues isn't working (bacteria becoming resistant to it) so he is developing signs of Peunomia (weight lost is a sign of it. and Yes, Peunomia can be Asymptomatic). Rash could be explained if some how he developed an allergy to his medicine (it happens in humans) and it's a side affect of it.

That's all I got other then he just wants to be a jerk to you and be sick.

Does he have any other symptoms? even ones that seem minor can help out.


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

It very well could be pneumonia. He's been sneezy since the day I brought him home, but I wasn't able to treat it because at the time, I assumed it was new-home sneezes.

There's no rash now. I'm not really thinking the scabs and the weight loss are related. I think the scabs are just from playfighting and grooming. I have some very thorough groomers in the boys' cage. Gus Gus and Bartok even make poor Meeko scream bloody murder when they're grooming him. XD Anyways, weight loss is my only real concern at the moment.

However, and I forgot to mention this in my last post: he has a scab on his face, just on the bottom of his right cheek. It kinda freaked me out because I've seen a lot of rats with tumors that start like that... That's his only scab at the moment, though and I'm not going to panic yet since Bartok has always been prone to scratches/scabs.

As for other symptoms: He might be acting a bit lethargic, but I don't really think he is... It's hard to tell since he's always a lazy bum. As I said in my last post, it doesn't seem like he has a huge appetite. I've been feeding him chicken baby food and he's sorta like "eh, I _guess _I can eat that" whereas everyone else is like "FOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!! MINE!!!!!!" And he doesn't eat nearly as much of it as the others would if I allowed them to (but everyone else seems to be in perfect health, so they only get a tad as a treat). He does get a LOT of porphyrin on his nose from time to time. So much that it rubs off on things... He's not showing any other stress symptoms, though, like puffed out fur.


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## ratchet (Sep 27, 2012)

It's fairly common for weight loss when there is an antibiotic regime. Try to counteract the antibiotics by feeding him some yogurt that has live cultures in it - as the probiotics in there will help him. When on AB, the body is stripped of a large host of bacterium - including the flora in the gut that helps promote healthy digestion. Which naturally can result in weight loss. Definitely try including a probiotic in his diet until he's reached optimum weight. 

Rats don't digest dairy too well, so I suggest sticking with a yogurt instead of buttermilk or something of that nature. If he's not eating it, a good way to ensure he gets it in him is to put it on him - rats are typically super anal about cleaning!


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

I started the antibiotics AFTER the weight loss showed up, actually... but I buy greek yogurt for them (I haven't given it to them in a few weeks), so I'll give him some today.


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

Not sure if this is a symptom or what, but he had a huge penis plug yesterday. He got it out himself, which is when I noticed it. I feel like I should be more grossed out by it than I am. XD I'm just glad I didn't have to do anything but clean it up after he got it out! 

Anyways, he seems to be okay today. I'm about to feed him some more turkey baby food.

And last night was his last dose of antibiotics, so he's not on any meds at the moment. He still might have a URI, though. Every once in a while, it sounds like he's a bit stuffed up. Could just be the stink in the rat room, though. =/ I can barely stand to be in there these days, so I don't know how they're handling it. I'm working with my parents to get the stink to stop. We even got an air purifier that will be put in the room in the next few days. The smell has gotten better since I stopped using fleece, though. I'm so sick of cleaning urine soaked cloth. >.< So now they have more odor-fighting bedding (which I know isn't dusty or bad for them).

Plus, I think the weather is being weird this week. My sinuses are acting up something awful and usually the rats start having issues when I do. We're all just a big sneezy family. (and snotty, but I wasn't going to go there, lol)


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