Why are my rats scales on his tail orange? other question 2 be asked... BEST ANSWER WILL BE GIVEN!?

Question

ok, so i have a few question...

1~ how come my rats scales on its tail are orange?

2~ i have a white himilayen rat, and he has orange stuff in his fur?

3~ how can i get them used 2 be bathed?

4~any fruit or veggies for them?

I appriciate any answers given....

Thanks in advance x

Answer 1

Here is a site on info about bathing rats and specifically rats with the orange grease you talk about. It is a common problem that male rats develop, when the scent glands stop working so well and produce this orange grease.

http://cj_whitehound.madasafish.com/Rats...

Dont use any shampoo, ask your vet for a suitable shampoo that will suit a rodent. Human shampoos are often way too harsh.

To add, it can happen to rats of all ages, I recommend you talk to your vet, they shouldn't charge you much just for a checkup and a few questions.

Answer 2

The most common skin problem in rats is caused by itching. Itching also seems to be related to stress, common for eczema. Regardless of the cause of the itching, when the rat scratches, her back toenails break the skin which can allow bacteria to enter. You might also apply a vitamin E cream or an antibiotic ointment to the scabs once or twice a day. Trimming your rat’s toenails is really quite easy to do once both you and the rat are used to it. If your rat really struggles, only do a few nails at a time. The next thing to try is to treat for fur mites.You must treat all of your rats, since if one rat has fur mites they probably all do, even if they don’t all have scabs. The treatments I am currently recommending for fur mites is Revolution (selamectin) which you can buy from your vet (with a prescription) or from a Canadian online pharmacy at www.canadavet.com.  Revolution is a spot-on product, a liquid that is applied to the skin on the shoulders. Revolution comes in tiny tubes of different sizes for different size cats or dogs. Each tube costs about the same amount no matter how much Revolution it contains, so you want to figure out which tube will treat all your rats. The dose for the tubes that contain 60 mg/lb is 0.1 ml/lb (10 units/lb).  The amount of liquid needed per dose is quite small, and is best measured using an insulin syringe with the needle (or the whole top) broken off. Here is a peer-reviewed article on the Internet about using Revolution in rats in case your vet has objections: http://www.jarvm.com/articles/Vol5Iss3/B... Another treatment you can try for fur mites is ivermectin.  I have a report that the product Frontline (fipronil) did not work for fur mites in one case. Revolution also works for tropical rat mites. If your rat has fleas, it is more important to treat your other pets and possibly also your house and yard instead of the rats. Lice can be treated with a mite and lice spray for rodents or birds applied once a week for 2-3 weeks. Ivermectin is also available in a horse paste wormer from feed stores and catalogs.  Ivermection should not be used in pregnant rats, and only in nursing rats if the babies are over 2 weeks of age. Other treatments that might work are Advantage, Program and Revolution.

Answer 3

Sounds like its most likely buck grease on his back, and urine on his tail. My one girl gets the yellowy-orange blotches on her tail. He could also have urine staining on his skin. If he doesn't have parasites or a fungal infection, just normal itching, I don't see a problem in bathing him as long as the vet OK's it.

Just use a mild kitten or puppy shampoo, or even a small animal shampoo thats mild. A mild human shampoo thats hypoallergenic without dyes or fragrance would also be ok, just beware of anything that could irritate his skin. I usually suggest original dawn dish detergent as a soap for rats, but if he's itchy, it'll dry his skin out more.

Use warm water, and be very gentle about it, talking to him the entire time. Don't wash his face with soap, use a damp washcloth after his bath to wipe his face. Watch what he does with his front paws during the bath, because if he gets soap on them, he might get it in his eyes, or groom it off his paws. You can use a soft bristled toothbrush on his tail, from base to tip, to get that staining off, but do it GENTLY.

After he's clean and rinsed well, dry him off really well and give him lots of treats. He's gonna be angry, my girls just sit there and tolerate it, but you can tell that they're mad at me. He'll get over it eventually. Don't bathe him often, with his itchy skin its not going to really help anything other than to get the initial nasty dirt off of him.

I like to give my girls small cubed peices of watermelon, it's healthy, or they like small peices of apple, uhm veggies, well I haven't really tried them with mine yet so i dont know that one.

Hope This Helped!!

Good Luck With Your Rat

Hope He Gets Better!

Answer 4

this is normal in the summer. lots of animals bite and scratch their tails.

take a warm wash cloth and rub iit on the rat like ur petting it

Answer 5

Rats don't have scales!  If he does then take him to the vet.  They can eat all fruit and vegetables occationally, except not lettuce, tomatoe, potatoe or citrus fruits.  Introduce new food in small amounts so as not to upset his stomach.  You don't need to bathe a rat unless it is an emergency and he is filthy.  They are clean animals that will wash and groom themselves.  Bathing an animal that small routinely causes unesessary stress.  If you do have to expect him to struggle and to be upset (he will never get used to it), use a small animal shampoo and lukewarm water and rinse and dry thoroughly.

Answer 6

scaly tail on a rat is usually just dirt..ever bathed your rat...or it might be because your rat is getting old and it giving up on grooming... take a real close loook at the orange stuff in his fur ..is it moving?...could be rat lice. luke warm water in a sink is usually good for rats they may panic the first half dozen times but rats being so smart learn it's not a big deal. Rats love all sort of vegetables and fruits...avoid critus fruits though as they are not good for rats.