# hairless rat scratching eye...



## kancerr (Apr 7, 2007)

ive had my hairless rat for almost 2 years. she has a problem where she scratches her eye and it bleeds, pretty nasty. i took her to the vet a year ago and they gave me some drops for it...it helps somewhat but she still scratches...is there anything to do that can help her to stop? nail trimming? anything?


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

i am always trimming my ratties nails LoL perhaps it is an allregic reaction to something you are using in the cage? i don't have any hairless (they are kinda weird cute but weird all the same to me LoL) but i have read that they are more suseptible to skin related problem


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## Nazarath (Feb 20, 2007)

Triming the nails can help, maybe you should take her back to the vet to see if there is something else they can give/do to help your little one.


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## Night (Feb 23, 2007)

That's strange... is she literally scratching her eye, or just around it? Trimming her nails can definitely help, just remember not to clip the vein in the nail


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Her eye could be dry D: Try continueing the drops along with nail cutting. Hairless tend to be prone to eye problems or so I've heard.


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

my friend has a hairless rat and she has to swab her eyes out every once in a while remember hairless rat have no eye lashes so you have to clean out their eyes for them


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## kancerr (Apr 7, 2007)

guess ill continue to give her the drops every few days. nothing in the cage is giving her any allergic reaction. shes just scratching it when she cleans herself. i use the softest bedding i can get. that white ultra soft stuff, dunno what its called. and im always cleanin the cage and giving them bath's. ill try clipping the nails, any idea of any sites with info on trimming the nails? i dont want to do it without readin on it first.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Bathing rats isn't necessary since they take care of it themselves. I only bathe when they get into something, are ill and need help (then I usually wipe or just rinse the offendiing part under the tap (say an old paralysed boy who urinates on himself), and if they are old and need the help. I rarely do a full bath.
You might be drying out her skin a lot.


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## Night (Feb 23, 2007)

I agree with Lilspaz68. I rarely bathe my rats - the only time I do is when they get into something they can't groom off. Otherwise, they take care of it by themselves. If your rats have an odor, that means the cage needs to be cleaned more often.


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Bathing actually MIGHT be making the rats eye dry. I wouldn't bathe a hairless and really not any rat more than a cloth bath, and if you do be sure to remoisturize with a little olive oil or all natural perfume free lotion. Good luck.


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

i bathe my guys all the time with baby shampoo or with kitten/small animal shampoo it helps keep the fights down to a minimum (all males less male scent) they get a bath probably twice a month


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## kancerr (Apr 7, 2007)

Stephanie said:


> i bathe my guys all the time with baby shampoo or with kitten/small animal shampoo it helps keep the fights down to a minimum (all males less male scent) they get a bath probably twice a month


thats about how often i bathe my rats, and i sometimes the haired rat only once a month. the hairless skin gets really nasty after 2 weeks because she has scars all over her from her previous owners rats. they put her in with a bunch of other rats and they beat her up, they took her back to the pet store and that is how i got her. i use kitten shampoo and her skins is smooth and nice afterwards. i dont really wash anywhere near her head and dont really get that area wet at all, dont get the shampoo anywhere near it, very careful when it comes to bathing the hairless.

they dont smell bad, haha ;p


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

that's how my boys are LoL but all my boys are fuzzies. They just get sooo stinky with their man juices flowing and what not LoL it really helps their coats too they are silky smooth all the time and fluffy right after their baths LoL they look all puffy and stuff but i know they like their baths


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