I don't know what to do....

[Amber]

Well I have come to you with my problems with Sasha and now I'm having problems with Amber.  She is chewing off all the hair on her arms and legs.  It gets so bad that she makes herself bleed and she is now bald on all her arms and legs.  Do any of you know why she might be doing this?
I'm really worried about this, please help!

[Marybelle]

It might just be barbering from stress.  However, she might also have mites.  It might be worth getting her checked by a vet, and maybe treated for mites whether they find anything or not, as mite tests can turn out with a false positive.

[Amber]

Could she be stressed because we had to seperate her from Sasha?

[Marybelle]

That's very possible.  Is she alone now?  Why did you have to seperate them?  If it was fighting, you might want to get Amber another playmate to keep her company.

[Amber]

They are both sick and on drugs so my vet told me to keep them apart so that they do not keep infecting each other.  I am going to call her tomorrow to find out whether or not it would be safe to have them back together.

[Anna]

What meds are they on and what for?
There is absolutely no reason to keep apart two rats with myco, but there are some diseases where it could be necessary.
The only case of barbering I've ever seen was a rat in a cage that was too small.
Hopefully you'll be able to figure out what's wrong with them soon.

[Marybelle]

Hrm.  If they're both sick and on meds, there should be no reason to seperate them.  Odds are pretty good that they're not reinfecting each other.  Most diseases, once they run their course, don't keep going.  And if they're both sick at the same time, obviously they got it at the same time, and will most likely get over it.  Why does your vet think they're passing it back and forth?  I'm just curious, 'cause I've never heard of this before.

[Amber]

Well I think she just want to make sure that they both are fine and that nothing like that happens.  I am going to a call her and find out if I should put them back together.

[Marybelle]

Make sure you mention that poor Amber is stressed out, and that's not likely to be healthy for her.  

[kmw]

Barbering can have many different causes:  

A dominant rat can overzealously groom cage mates to the point of barbering.  

Stress (or boredom) can cause a rat to self barber.  

Barbering can have psychological roots as well - much like a compulsive behaviour.

My Sam barbered himself bloody for a bit.  I was seriously considering Prozac for him, but was able to stop it by moving him away from the other boys, into a quiet spot, and gradually working him back into the rat area.  It took me over 6 months.  However, it sounds like your girl is stressed - ill and away from her cagemate.  Unless the girls have different illnesses, I don't see a reason to keep them away from each other, and I'm glad to see you're checking with your vet on it.  It would be like keeping children with colds separated from each other - what's the point?  They're both sick!  

[Amber]

I talked to my vet and she wants to see Amber to make sure it's not mites.  They told me I should still keep them a part because they went on the medication at different times so one will be finishing before the other.  I'm going to keep them apart until I go see the vet this weekend.
Thank you for all your help

[Amber]

They have also been seperated for a while, Amber just started doing this.  Her cage is quite big and she has toys inside it.  I'm not sure what to think.

[Anna]

Do they both have myco?
Because no matter what your vet says they can't be passing myco back and forth, that's rediculous to seperate cage mates if they're both being treated for myco.

I've done introductions with rats being treated for myco, since all rats carry it, as long as they've been on antibiotics there's no worry of them passing a secondary infection.

[Amber]

My rats have a Respiratory infection, and it is contagious so my vet does not want to take the risk of it being passed back.

[Anna]

My rats have a Respiratory infection, and it is contagious so my vet does not want to take the risk of it being passed back.

Rats get very few types of respiratory infections, and many vets are ill informed about them (mine is too in some cases)
Ask her if it's Mycoplasma pulmonis that she's treating them for, or if she even knows what she's treating them for. It's good to know what they have anyways, but if it is myco, than she's misinformed about seperating them.
Almost all of rat respiratory problems are myco.

I seriously doubt that your rats have something other than myco, and I doubt that the barbering is caused by a parasite. I'd say that she had you seperate them needlessly, and it has stressed them out. Call her and ask specifically what disease she's treating them for.

[Maggie's Mom]

Aaaaw!  Poor girlie!  I'd defienently try to find second opinions from other vets, and if they're both sick, just put em together.  I really bet it's Myco...and if your vet has no idea what Myco is she's no rodent vet at all.  And if she's no vet...get a new vet.

[Amber]

I have no concerns that my vet doesn't know what she is doing.  She came out one of the top vets in canada, and she does treat exotics.  She told me what they were being treated for, but it was such a long name that I forgot what it was.
I know im horrible.  
It makes it hard to remember exactly what it was they were being treated for because she goes into great detail about everything they are being treated for.  She doesn't just examine your pet and give out the medication, she gives you a whole lesson in rats.  
I really love that she knows all my pets by a first name bases.  I did end up talking with her yesterday and she wants to see her just to rule out any other possiblies.
I will let you all know what happens when I return from the vet on sat.
Again thank you for all your help!

[scout]

When my vet gives me long names I can't remember (like for diseases, medicines or even diet supplements), I always ask her to write it down for me or spell it for me so I can write it down. I'll bet your vet would do the same. It's very helpful to have that information - and you never know when someone else is searching for information on the very same thing and you have the answer written down to share! Good luck with your poor, stressed girlie. I hope they're both feeling better very soon.