# Scabs on back



## emilee343 (Jan 8, 2011)

Hey everyone! Today I picked up my little girl Lola and noticed a few scabs on her back and maybe a tiny bit of hair loss but not much. Any idea what these could be from? Her sister Rita doesn't have them.


----------



## Jekka08 (Apr 24, 2011)

Hey, don't know if this this might be helpful. I found this over at fancy rat forum.

"There are several reasons why rats get scabs, the most obvious being mites which can be picked up from bedding or food. Scabs can also be an indication of too much protein in the diet or an allergy to a foodstuff - try eliminating foods such as dog biscuits, peanuts or sunflower seeds for a period of time to see if the scabs improve. Over-long back nails can also contribute to scabby skin, so keep them trimmed back. Rubbing a small drop of olive oil across the shoulders of a rat can help relieve the itching caused by scabs and dry skin."


----------



## emilee343 (Jan 8, 2011)

this is great, thanks!


----------



## shooper (Feb 22, 2011)

Check for mites!! They are tiny, but you will see them in the fur if they are there.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Jekka that is good but there is a lot more advice to be given.

Mites are microscopic so you will only see the scabs from the scratching and possibly some hair loss. Mires prefer the shoulders, neck, head and chin/cheeks to start, but a bad case can spread over the entire body. 

Lice are visible to the naked eye and look like tiny long and slow moving creatures on the back and rump to start. Sometimes they seem reddish but that is because they are transparent and the red is actually blood from their meal off your rat.

In both cases, only 1 rat out of a group can show symptoms, as they usually got after a compromised ratty first...but just because the others aren't showing obvious symptoms doesn't mean they don't have the ectoparasites. Lice/mites are very easy to spread, and they will even hitch rides on your clothes, and in infected bedding (paper/wood products). To prevent this transmission from bedding to your rats you should freeze the bedding for 48 hours before using it to kill off any stowaways.

to treat there are only 2 acceptable treatments, the easiest on you and the rats being Revolution. You can use puppy/kitten or cat and its a drop per adult rat. With Dog Revo its twice as strong so you can use less. Revolution is one drop to the back of their neck (I have a preferred method myself but I won't mention it until you decide you are using Revolution) and your rat is protected for 30 days which is longer than the life cycle of the buggies. It is very safe, very easy, and rats tolerate Revolution really well.
The other treatment is ivermectin. If you can get your hands on injectable ivermectin, you can use it topically or orally, but you must be VERY careful on the amount you use as it is very toxic. Or you can pick up Ivermectin de-worming horse/large animal paste from a tack or feed store, and give them a small piece once a week for 3 weeks (same with topical treatment). The ivermectin unfortunately only kills the hatched adults, so you re-treat after the rat is re-infested with adults. After dosing you scrub the cage (with a solution of bleach, etc), wash any fabrics in HOT water, scrub all plastics, and throw out or freeze anything wood or paper in the cage...can you see why I prefer Revolution? LOL

the


----------

