scabby rat. again.

[elegy]

i don't know what's going on with bob. he just doesn't look good at all. he's got scabs on the back of his neck and the side of his face, but just on the right side. i can't see any evidence of lice, and none of my other four rats have any scabbing.

maybe it's diet? they're eating a mix of lab blocks (i forget what brand. they're not kaytee, but they're not great either. the best i could find locally), nutro lite, a mix of cereals, fresh veggies, and soy nuts.

could it be stress? he's the alpha rat and i got a new male rat about a month younger than him who is in a cage next to him. he does the mister aggressive alpha rat routine a couple of times a day.

i'm not sure what to try with him. help??

[Anna]

Are his nails long?
One of my boys had mites and he cut himself a few times scratching before I figured it out.
Other than that it sounds like it's vet time.

[Rose]

At least that's what my vet said.  She said it takes a microscope to identify them.  

When my rats had mites, only one had visible symptoms.  I think sometimes the mites pick on certain individuals.    

If your rats are all getting the same diet, it's probably not the too-much-protein thing.  Maybe withold the soybeans just in case?   Another possiblity:  skin cancer.  

Bottom line:  go to the vet.  Even if you think it's just mites  They are incredibly unpleasant and yes, they will bite YOU.

[Mandarb]

Mites tend to show worse symptoms in animals that are immunodepressed for some reason.  It could be stress or something else.  I would have thought that mite lesions would be on both sides of his body but you never know.  the good news is that as it is not symmetricle it is a lot less likely to be a systemic illness like hormones or anything.

[Yresim]

When Mocha & Ennoia got mites, Ennoia was sick, but showed no symptoms.  Mocha was healthy, but one entire side of her face became scabby, as well as her chest (it was scabby in patches).  

PLEASE NOTE: Even if they other boys aren't showing any symptoms, if one rat has mites, they all need to be treated for them.

Of course, you should determine (have your vet determine?) whether or not it is actually mites.