# Orange stuff from fur?



## kitcatcodi (Jan 8, 2012)

My baby boy isn't so much a baby anymore, he hit a growth spurt and is now twice his size. His fur is shedding and this gross orange stuff is coming from his skin. It's smelly and not a pretty sight to see. I heard this is what happens when they hit puberty? Am I wrong? Anyway to get rid of this nasty stuff and the stench?


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## therathugger (Feb 9, 2012)

I believe iti is the oil glands in your growing rat's skin that is causing this or a fungus related to this. I suggest you just bathe him on a as needed basis until the orange oily material no longer is appearing. Although I think I am correct, you should check other posts with more seasoned experienced rat owners.


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## GhostMouse (Sep 6, 2011)

That's buck grease, and it's totally normal. It will make the fur on his back stiff and/or greasy, and you might find little orange-red flakes, too. If he's got pale fur, it might get a bit discolored.

You can feed him a bit of olive oil (on a cracker or something) to soften his fur up. A bath with dish soap (Dawn, the blue kind) every once in a while will help, too. I bathe my rats once a month/every other month and they stay pretty soft and not-smelly.


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

If he's just maturing (6 months or so) he may have a hormone surge and become really icky for a while. Two of my boys were smelly and bit me until the hormones leveled out. The buck grease may become more manageable when his hormones settle down. For now bathe him infrequently, and hopefully it'll be tolerable.


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

Ghostmouse had it right with the dish soap. I use a bit of grease lifter soap xD I mix it with warm water and it works wonders.


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## HighwayStar (Aug 20, 2010)

Do just boys get this grease? One of my ladies has orange, greasy stuff on her tail. I have been thinking I need to give her a bath for it since she refuses to wash her it.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Most rats like to leave their tails dirty. You can use an extra soft toothbrush with some dish soap on it and gently brush from the base towards the tip of their tail.


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## HighwayStar (Aug 20, 2010)

What a lazy lady. I can't be tiring her so much with free roam time she skips cleaning her tail.


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

Yup. Good ol' buck grease. Gotta love it. NOT!
Thankfully its fairly easy to get rid of. 

First you could try a simple bath. Here is a video I made bathing just one of my rats including what I use: http://ratwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/02/bathing-your-pet-rat.html

If that doesn't see to work, try shampoo made for infants with cradle cap. Just be sure to keep it out of their eyes and to rinse well!


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