Buck Grease

[susschen22]

Well I have two 2 month old little boys and was just wondering when they'll start developing buck grease and how bad it gets.  When it happens should I just bathe them when it gets really bad or what should I do?!?!? Help is greatly appreciated...I'm just trying to prepare myself

[pheebs79]

I'm not totally sure, but I think it's about 3 - 4 months when they start getting it?

I don't think it's usually something that gets out of control...I have 7 boys and they all have it, some worse than others, but not so much that I notice it unless I actually part their fur and look for it.

I don't think it's really necessary to bathe them even when they start getting buck grease. I've read on here many times that it isn't necessary to bathe rats unless they can't groom themselves or they're really really dirty (like stuff stuck in their fur that they can't get out themselves). I think I might have even read that too much bathing can cause the buck grease to get worse...? But again, I'm not too sure.

Basically, speaking from my own experience, buck grease isn't really something to be too concerned with because it doesn't generally get out of control...like I said, I have seven boys and it really isn't anything I even notice 

[happybat]

I would agree very much with the above - my lads have never really had it noticably, and have certainly never needed bathing because of it.

[Blue Steel Rats]

Most bucks develop this as they mature which is anywhere from six to eight months and beyond.  The easiest way I've found to keep it in check is to suppliment their diet with either Flax Seed Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Suppliment their diet either daily, or weekly with the oil.  If you choose daily, give three to four drops of the chosen oil on a tiny piece of bread, one for each rattie.  If you choose to suppliment weekly, then soak a tiny piece of bread with the chosen oil (one soaked piece of bread for each rattie) and give. 

[DolciLady]

I have had to bathe my three older boys because of excessive buck grease before.  It was after I brought two baby boys home.  Even though the babies lived in their own cage across the room, my Leroy went ballistic (he has anger management issues) because he could smell these foreigners and he did not like it one bit.   He's a hoodie and literally turned orange all over.  He became coated in boy grease, it had stained his fur.  Because he was in a prolonged hyper/agitated state, he started harrassing his two cagemates, who in turn began producing more grease as well from the stress.  Hormones and trying to be macho...made all the boys turn into redheads. 

Olive oil became my friend and saved the boys from another bath when the newer boys hit puberty.

Typical men.   

Robin

[mandycoot]

I have two one-year-old boys and have never had an issue with buck grease. *shrugs*

[Shar]

Finley was high-strung and greasy before his neuter, but afterwards his fur (and attitude) changed a lot.  No grease, and he feels like one of the girls with silky soft fur. 

[Poisonetta]

My rescue Leo came to me CAKED in buck grease. I could style his fur with it; it was like pomade!

I gave him a bath with a toothbrush to get the excess grease off, and then started feeding him olive oil on bread once or twice a week.

Now I do not even notice it. He's such a handsome boy!

Olive oil= great for the men-folk. It works like a charm.

[susschen22]

Definitely sounds like in a month or two I'm going to be starting the olive oil treatment...I'll juts have to figure out what I can give it to them with they are so picky!!!  I'm glad to hear though that generally it's not as horrible as I had been lead to believe...and they're so cute it's worth it!!!

[nancycccslp]

.........picky RATS?!?!?

Are you sure they're rats?

I've bathed my males occasionally (the newest 3, just a year old now, have never needed it) and that's just it; don't bathe unless they need it. 

If you want to know how much fun it is to bathe a rat, see this thread:
http://www.goosemoose.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,118/forum,rat/topic,4011455.0

[susschen22]

Yes apparently my boys have not gotten the memo that all food is good.  They refuse strawberries, bananas, apples (pureed and fresh), soy yogurt, they even refuse to try YOGIES!!! They are very special...they even refuse rice cereal with soy milk unless there's chicken baby food in it (their favorite).  If I try to put any of that stuff in their cage with them they throw it out the bars...they don't throw anything else out!!! They are very opinionated sweet boys but they certainly are special

[moonsingingfreak]

Off topic.. but... my girls don't like strawberries either.
They also don't like raspberry yogurt but love their raspberry yogurt flavoured baby food. 

[lilspaz68]

Yes apparently my boys have not gotten the memo that all food is good.  They refuse strawberries, bananas, apples (pureed and fresh), soy yogurt, they even refuse to try YOGIES!!! They are very special...they even refuse rice cereal with soy milk unless there's chicken baby food in it (their favorite).  If I try to put any of that stuff in their cage with them they throw it out the bars...they don't throw anything else out!!! They are very opinionated sweet boys but they certainly are special

Here's something you could try if you want your kids to try something new that should be yummy.  for example a strawberry.  Put it in your mouth and then take it out and offer it to them then.  You're playing Momma rat, and showing them its safe and good to eat. Babies sniff at and steal food from their mother's mouth and this is how they learn.

[susschen22]

I think I may have to try that because they are certainly missing out on some really yummy stuff!!! (either that or they're just playing me so that they get more of what they really like )

[gomezsusa]

I'm not sure that I get this.  Adding olive oil to the diet *reduces* buck grease?  Or does it change somehow?

[Lise]

Adding olive oil to the diet *reduces* buck grease?  Or does it change somehow?

Adding more fatty acids (found in the oil) to the diet improves skin and coat condition, which I suppose reduces the production of buck grease as the coat improves.

You can add a bit of oil to dogs diet, horses diet, pretty much any animal to have the same effects.

It really does work wonders!

[AneesasMuse]

Thank you... thank you...
I was giving my Poodah, 4.5 months old, a back rub today and noticed his skin looked particularly orange. I kind of blew it off and thought it was the lighting in the room. I've heard of "buck grease" on here before, but had no idea what it looked like 'til now. Thanks for clearing this up for me. LOL
I guess I better start giving my baby boy some oil soaked bread then. It doesn't seem bad, but I am getting some new ratties soon and little Tiff should be coming out of her QT in a week or so.

[gem_max]

Wow thanks for the tip about buck grease! I had no idea they'd get it, but was aware my beautiful soft boys would soon lose their silkiness, but I'm loving how cuddley they are becoming either way. Might try the olive oil thing... for instance I know it worked for my skin! My fiance is Maltese so since we've been together I now eat olives and eat much more olive oil and my skin is great. Today we all lay on the bed enjoying the breeze grooming each other (2 rats, fiance and myself). And then I told my fiance I'd be giving him a real power groom later (he's due for the clippers haha). I think I'll leave the rats to their own grooming in that respect.

Can rats have the odd olive or are they too salty?

And yes mine are somewhat picky too and it changes weekly so luckily they still get variety, but it can be annoying to buy something for them one week and then not have them liking it until it's a week old or 2. Little buggars.

[1lila1]

Now that my youngest is 8 mos old all the boys are starting to calm down.  For a while there with various boys coming and going out of puberty it was a big orange flake fest lol!  My boys never really got greasy but they got orangy flakes and orange gunk on their skin.  I gave them some olive oil sprayed on their veggies a couple times a week.  Not sure if it helped or not.  I really think the big thing was just having all the hormones subside.  Plus my original alpha, Alfred, was recently dethroned by Wallace and Theodore (9 and 8 mos old now) so I think maybe the coup de ta was causing some turmoil and adding to the buck grease.

It makes me sad to see my poor Alfred always getting pinned by the boys who are now bigger than him!  Poor baby!  He was such a gentle ruler and now Wallace and Theodore are sort of thugs!  Oh well, maybe as they mature and get used to their roles as alpha and beta they'll calm down!  Oh the days in the life of a rattie boy mischief!!   

[Rosies_Mom]

Hormones and trying to be macho...made all the boys turn into redheads. 

Robin, do you have pictures of that?? I have never seen a rattie that is full of guy grease. All of mine were neutered young and have never produced any.