# hairless rats



## cami (Mar 15, 2009)

i have heard that hairless rats have numerous heath issues. what are they? i really want to adopt a hairless i love those guys. but i dont know if i can give it the care and attention it needs.


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

http://www.ehow.com/how_4531472_care-hairless-rat.html​
*Caring for Hairless Rats
*
*Step 1*

Feed your hairless rat a diet that's higher in fat and calories. The hairless rat's body uses more calories than a furred rat, and it takes more energy for the hairless rat to maintain his body temperature, so it's vital to feed a diet that accommodates that. Some great foods for hairless rats include avacado, cottage cheese, meat, nuts, yogurt and cream cheese or peanut butter spread thinly over whole grain crackers.

*Step 2
*
Monitor your hairless rat's skin for dryness. If dry skin is a problem for your hairless rat, provide chunks of bread soaked with olive oil. This will help to keep the rat's skin moist and supple. If this does not fully remedy the problem, massage unscented baby lotion (sensitive skin formula, if available) or pure olive oil into the rat's skin once a day.

*Step 3*

Monitor your hairless rat for skin lesions. Sebaceous cysts are the most common skin lesions seen in hairless rats and these can often become infected. Some of these cysts can become quite large and will require lancing, twice-daily cleaning and a course of antibiotics to promote healing. For rats who are prone to sebaceous cysts, try bathing the rat once or twice weekly with a gentle anti-bacterial soap to remove dirt and dead skin cells that clog the rat's skin pores. Following the bath, massage a non-comedogenic and unscented baby lotion (pick a sensitive skin variety, if available) to prevent dryness.
If this fails to improve the situation, speak with your veterinarian about trying your hairless rat on a course of antibiotics and a prescription shampoo.

Read more: How to Care for a Hairless Rat | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4531472_care-hairless-rat.html#ixzz0vB9u2cfn


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## EdieBird (Apr 9, 2010)

I haven't had any health issues with my hairless girl so far. However, she does get cold easier than the others! Also, a little rough grooming from her friends can cause scratches that wouldn't show on a furred rat. Wrestling with the others can be worse, too, she did have a small bite mark on her shoulder last week. (she likes to play ROUGH) It healed completely in three days, though, with no help from me.

Alethea's info is definitely something to keep in mind...feeding higher fat should also help with the potential skin dryness too. (Pandora currently has flawless skin, silky smooth and blemish-free, but she's also quite young!)

Elisa


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

scratches, abscesses, cysts, lumpies and bumpies, and always eye issues.

Lilith - needs to be anesthetized every 2-4 months to have stuff removed from under her right side 3rd eyelid (she has a malfunctioning tear duct)
Yoda - young, no issues
Bella - eye was scratched, was nursed with vet care for months, eyeball shrunk up and she was fine but blind in that eye, ended up with terrible tumours
Lisbet - no eye issues, just internal mass
Milton - abscess
Eli- damaged eye was removed surgically


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

My hairless Curly, has his eye bitten accidently.
He needed extensive vet care, antibiotics, and eyedrops.
he is blind in that eye now.
be really careful


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## cami (Mar 15, 2009)

ok ill be really careful and keep a close eye on him/her. and thanks for the info Alethea 
my ratties already get a lot of that stuff
they are soooo spoiled 
ill keep a close eye on her skin and eyes. right now one of my ratties has lice and shes coping with that well and they are almost gone (i hope :-\ ) and i have had a blind rattie before


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## chickybaby (Aug 2, 2010)

We had a hairless rat named fievel. He passed away about a year and a half ago. He had numerous health issues. Had bad respitory problems and had cancer on his cheek. We had all that treated but they are prone to alot of health issues. We constantly had to take him to the vet for antibiotics.


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