Hairless and scabby...

[KimmyKat]

I have a cute  hairless named Nuggets (can you guess the sex?) and he is looking awful. He has LOOOONG sharp nails and insists on scratching himself raw with them. He doesn't appear to have any skin irritations, and I changed his bedding to that ugly gray paper stuff and also put Eucerin cream on him when I can get him to hold still. He has never been a very cuddly rat, and now nobody wants to touch him because of the scabs and the SHARP nails that leave the human looking just as bad. I took him to PetSmart with me once and I think people thought I was abusing him or something... Any suggestions? I did manage to clip his back nails once, but you know I've never gotten a second chance!    Would it be ethical to have him declawed or something? This is my first hairless, and unless I can make him comfortable and non-scabby, he will be my last, adorable as he is.  Thanks!

[SonyaFancifulRats]

Have you tried sand paper to file his nails down, or a brick in the cage? ( I have a brick and have seen no difference in rat nails).  You could just bring him to the vet for nail trims regularly, if the techs do it, it might not be too expensive.

Mine are 5-6 months, I have two, and they scratched each other up a bit scuffling. They look better now, but I also feel badly for them....

[scout]

I have ceramic tiles in my cage that the rats wear their nails down on naturally. You can also try trimming nails with two people. One person has to trim the nails and the other hold the rat very firmly. Only do a nail or two at a time, then give everyone a rest.

This is a wild guess, but could your rat have dry skin? I know my hairless sometimes gets dry skin. I add more fat to his diet when this happens (flax or olive oil on a piece of bread) and it helps his skin stay more supple. Another guess is that Nuggets ( ) may be sensitive or even allergic to the grey litter you are using. If you have an old bedsheet or towel, use that for litter for a couple of days (change it daily) and see if that helps clear up his itching. Other possibilities include food allergies and mites (although my hairless seems to be immune to them). An appointment with your vet might be a good idea if you can't find the source of the problem.

[KimmyKat]

[/colorThank you all   for the suggestions! I am going to give the sandpaper a try and look around for the ceramic tiles. Nuggets is so sweet, I love his big black eyes and his warm skin feels nice against my neck while I'm sitting at the computer.   I'm glad I found this forum too. I was a card-carrying member of the RFC, but got kindof down about all the sad stories in the newsletter. Since my sweet Thelma passed on though, I can understand better why people need to tell their sad stories, so I'll join up again. Well, anyway, take care and have a "ratty" day!