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September Skies
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Itchy Rats! If your rats is scratching away, and it's worrying you, then you might want to look at this page. Any rats who is scratching so badly that it has scabs is in serious need of some treatment of some kind, and you should read on here and do some research on good websites, like the RatGuide. Of course, no medical information is intended to replace a vet's advice, it is simply to help you have a good knowledge of the subject if you need to see the vet, and to let you know the possibilities. A good vet will always be willing to listen to what you have to say, and if it correlates with their research then that's good. If you can show them where you got your information, that helps them as well. This is an email I sent out, in answer to a question about a rat who was scratching enough to give herself scabs. "About your girl, there are four main possibilities. (Grab yourself a cuppa, this could take a while!). The first is that she is getting too much protein in her diet. What do your rats eat? They need to be mainly eating grains and seeds, with fresh veggies and fruit, plus a small amount of animal-based food (like egg, meat, etc) once or twice a week. Too much protein can cause their skin to get very irritated. The second is a food allergy. Rats are naturally allergic to lactose, so they shouldn't have cheese, milk, etc. They can tolerate yoghurt, because of the lactose-digesting bacteria in it. They can also commonly be allergic to peanuts and "yoghurt drops" (a treat often used as a rewards, and very popular with rats!). Food additives used in humans food, such as MSG can cause allergies, which often result in skin lesions as well. I'd try eliminating any suspect foods, take their diet right back to the basics for a couple of weeks (grains, seeds and veggies) The third possibility is that your rats have mites or lice, which makes them very itchy and they can scratch themselves until they get scabs. The treatment for lice and mites (which can't be caught by humans, don't worry!) is with a medication called liquid sheep Ivomectin (or Ivermectin). You can buy this over the counter from most vets, but check how much they charge first! The vet in North Hobart charges around $1.25 per ml, but some charge $7.00 per ml!. If you ask nicely they'll give you a little needle-less syringe marked in 0.1 ml markings. You will find the dosage rates at the end of this letter, written by a friend of mine who is a vet nurse. An average female rat weighs around 350g. Most rat owners agree you should treat your rats for parasites every three to four months, as a precaution. Here is a useful page which talks about ecto-parasites, and suggests some treatments to help soothe the scabs/ inflamation. http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/ectoparasites.php This page is from the "Ratguide", which is where i get most of my ratty medical information. You will need to treat all you rats and change all their bedding and scrub out their house with disinfectant each time you treat them. I'd treat them once a week for four to six weeks in a case like this, and if it is lice/mites then you should see less scratching after a few days. You can give the Ivomectin to your rat in some food, perhaps mixed in with some Nutella, or some avocado, or something else nice. But I find it easiest just to squirt the amount onto the back of their necks, they ingest it when they wash themselves. Where the actual scabs are on her body can help us figure out what it is as well - thinning hair/scabs on the neck and the back of the shoulders is more associated with parasites, while thinning hair/scabs on the flanks/hindquarters is more associated with endocrine imbalances (hormonal problems or immune system response, such as allergies to food or bedding, or bacterial or fungal imfections...) By the way, what kind of litter/bedding do you use? Rats are often allergic to pine shavings. Suggested litters for rats are paper-based kitty litter, like Breeders Choice, or actual pieces of toweling or other material, velcro'ed down to the floor of the house, and washed every couple of days. Ask me to tell you more about this if you want! One extra possibility is that the other rat is grooming your scabby rat too much, and this is irritating her skin, but as you've tried separating them , that shouldn't be it. This is a common dominance behaviour, but it doesn't normally cause damage to the skin. Rats can be prevented from over-grooming (called "barbering") by giving them lots of toys to play with and free-ranging time. If they've been separated for over a week, you should see signs of it clearing up. But, if you keep them apart for more than a couple of days, they may have a few minor fights when they go back in together. You could let them play in a supervised way each day to prevent this. If that doesn't work, it might be time to see your vet, and you may need antibiotics for her. Most vets charge around $30 for a small animal consultation, and the vet at Kingston animal hospital (Leanne) is good with rats, she's very willing to learn and she loves them. There are some vets around who consider themselves "experts" on small pets, but they are not always that much help in my experience! Make sure you tell them all the things you've tried, and that you think it could be some kind of fungal or bacterial infection. A good vet should always listen to what you say, and if it correlates with their research then that's good. P.S. If your vet offers to give any medicines by injection, ask if there are other options... I think that a lot of vets just don't understand, they really don't deal with many rats (sadly few people are willing to take their rats to the vets) and their information sources are pretty old. Yes, the liquid sheep Ivomectin can be taken by injection, but also orally and directly on the back of the neck. I hate giving rats injections, and refuse to allow it. If they tell you your rat needs injections of antibiotics, etc, tell them you would like to give it to them orally, as there's nearly always an option. The last vet I went to thought it would be easier for me if she gave my boy a series of injections, and didn't consider the alternative of oral dosage. I explained how easy it is to give medicine orally with a bit of nutella or avocado, and she was surprised, and said, "That's fine if you want to". By mouth works very quickly. Injections should be reserved for near death situations, I feel. If your vet can give you a very good reason why your rat needs an injection, then by all means trust them, but check all your options first. Years ago the vet gave one of my girls injections towards the end of her life, (she was struggling with myco and tumors...) and that was just horrible. I had to help hold her, and she screamed and then made me feel awful by snuggling up to me for comfort, when I thought she should never trust me again. :-( If I knew then what I know now, I would have given her the antibiotics in her food, and we would have both been a lot happier." "Dosage
Rate for Ivomectin Sheep Drench for Rodents as follows The
dosage is 0.125mL per 500g rat dose once and then re-dose on the same day for
the following two consecutive weeks. For
example Dose
on Wednesday the 1st and then again on the 8th and then
once more on the 15th this will keep rats free of parasites for 12
weeks or 3 months As
most people do not have rats of the same size, the math is to work out the
dosage rats for animals of varying weights is very simple
For Mouse owners we often use 1mL of ivomec in 1 Litre of water and either run it through the mouse colonies water bottle but you can also spray it on" By Lou Dux, QLD. (Vet Nurse) |
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Created on the 13th Feb 2004. Last updated 10/4/05. |
