# Face rubbing



## LAckley (Nov 27, 2010)

Hey there... My fancy rat, Eloise, 1.5 years old, has begun rubbing her face constantly. She starts behind her ears and goes to the tip of her nose and has been doing this so much that she has rubbed some of her hair off from behind her ears. I thought it might be a food allergy since I had recently changed her food, so I changed back and also started cleaning her cage more frequently. Nothing appears to be helping! Any ideas?

Thanks!


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

she's just grooming... but some rats that are stressed or ill will do it obsessively and start pulling their own fur out. is she housed alone? she could be stressed out from lack of interaction if so. have you ruled out a parasite infection? feel around her neck, shoulders, behind her ears, etc. for scabs, which could be a sign of mites, or tiny red bugs at the roots of her fur above her tail, which would be lice. what are you feeding her?


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## LAckley (Nov 27, 2010)

She is housed alone and there are scabs on the patches of skin that she's rubbed the fur off of, but I was under the impression that they were from her nails... Though, of course, I can't rule out mites though I haven't been able to see signs of mites or lice.

I've been feeding her Nutriphase.


Again, thanks for all the help.


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Mites are invisible to the naked eye... if your seeing any scabs under the chin/on her shoulders then I'd treat them all for mites first.


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## LAckley (Nov 27, 2010)

I'll get on that


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

yes, treat for mites first. revolution for kittens/puppies from your vet is the best bet, or ivermectin horse dewormer as per directions here if you can't get/afford revolution (it's pricy for just one rat)

two, she needs a friend. rats are extremely social and unless she is extremely aggressive or ill and needs quarantined, she needs to be with a same sex partner. i can only hope she hasn't been alone her entire life.

third, i looked up that food on google, and it's entirely junk and very well could be causing skin issues. seed mixes like that encourage your rats to selective eat the fatty seeds and corn with no nutritional value, and it's bad for their health, skin, and so on. some better brands to look for are oxbow regal rat, mazuri rat and mouse 6f, living world extrusion for hamsters, and carefresh complete. any of those would be better than what she's getting now. if you can order online, harlan teklad 2014 or native earth would be the best way to go.


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## LAckley (Nov 27, 2010)

Thanks for the input. No I bought her with her sister from a pet store against my better judgment because her sister never seemed very healthy but I wanted a pair for obvious reasons. Her sister died a few months ago and I looked into buying another rat but was concerned that if there was an age difference I'd end up in a never ending cycle of purchasing rats to keep one company when their cage mate eventually passes away. I've been trying to keep her company but it's not enough.

Perhaps adoption through a rat rescue if there's one near me would be the best option.

Also, the foods mentioned above, what stores are they available at?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

LAckley said:


> Thanks for the input. No I bought her with her sister from a pet store against my better judgment because her sister never seemed very healthy but I wanted a pair for obvious reasons. Her sister died a few months ago and I looked into buying another rat but was concerned that if there was an age difference I'd end up in a never ending cycle of purchasing rats to keep one company when their cage mate eventually passes away. I've been trying to keep her company but it's not enough.
> 
> Perhaps adoption through a rat rescue if there's one near me would be the best option.
> 
> Also, the foods mentioned above, what stores are they available at?


Are you located in Canada, the US or the UK?


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## LAckley (Nov 27, 2010)

The US.


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