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Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / March 20082 male rats - aggression issues?
Hey there all, My son has 2 male rats. The older rat has some scabs around his neck under the chin which i assume are from them "playing'. They seem to be doing this a lot. Is this aggression, or just normal play? Any ideas on how to curb it if it is aggression so the one rat doesnt get injured ? They are a few months apart in age - not from the same litter. thanks Al Hi Al, It sounds to me like your boys have a dose of mites and need treatment. If there was any real aggression you would know about it..LOL It sounds like normal play going on and there will be a power struggle as there can only ever be one "boss" they will sort that out and continue to play wrestle and chase and carry on. I have 3 doing it at the moment and it can be quite hilarious to watch. Please get the mites seen to though as too much stress by constantly scratching the itching can cause them to get run down which can lead to illness. Please feel free to look at the pictures of all the Ratty Boys we have had over the years... Regards Kate http://community.webshots.com/user/ollieogg > Hey there all, > My son has 2 male rats. The older rat has some scabs around his neck [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > thanks > Al -- > Hi Al, > [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > -- Thank you so much for your reply. we went and got a mite spray from the pet store where we got them, and we were told to not get the spray in the mouth or eyes, but a few of the marks are right next to the mouth. do you know if we can use a cotton swab to treat these ? thanks Alan >> Hi Al, >> [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > thanks > Alan Hi again, It isn't the scabs you need to treat.. its the mites. The scabs are just where the mites have bitten. I would recommend getting something like "revolution" for KITTENS which is just a drop to the back of the neck. I personally dose my boys with ivermectin which your Vet can supply or any tack shop. Dosing with whatever you use will only prove successful if your son is extremely thorough with cleaning the rat house and bedding etc. A small amount of bleach in hot water works best and this should become a routine not a now and again thing. Please read this page, about halfway down. http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/ectoparasites.php Regards Kate  Signaturehttp://community.webshots.com/user/ollieogg Hey there, My boys have the same scabs all over their faces and necks. I have taken both to the vet 3-4 times for them, and each time they do all the tests and everything, and find nothing. It may not be scabs, so if this doesnt work then I would suggest that you also look into alternative reasons. The vet can do skin scrapings for mites, and not find any mites, and still the rat probably has mites. My vet told me they did a test with a dog that had mites..... they scraped 80 times and no mites showed. They showed on the 81st time. I would highly suggest that you treat for mites even if the vet can't see them. But be very careful about the dosing. I wouldn't even attempt to dose this myself but others may have different advice. JennJenn, you should get your vet to treat for mites anyway. -Marlo > Hey there, > My boys have the same scabs all over their faces and necks. I have taken > both to the vet 3-4 times for them, and each time they do all the tests and > everything, and find nothing. It may not be scabs, so if this doesnt work > then I would suggest that you also look into alternative reasons. > The vet can do skin scrapings for mites, and not find any mites, and > still the rat probably has mites. My vet told me they did a test with a [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Here's a pic of mite "evidence". http://ratguide.com/health/figures/ectoparasites_figure_1.php Lice is also an option- which is what my boys came home with. I noticed silvery white teeny tiny "nits" stuck to individual hair folicles. My vet prescribed Carbaryl powder, which was impossible to use on baby rats, so I self-dosed Ivermectin paste according to the Ratguide. My vet found no bugs themselves and had to diagnose by the nits. She told me on the phone when I suspected mites- before I knew exactly what the nits were- that mites themselves are very difficult to actually find in scrapings because usually there are very few bugs actually living on the rat. I had "problems" with the Ivermectin paste. Everything turned out fine, but the scare alone made me swear to never use the paste again. The liquid, injectable used orally, is easier to dispense the correct dose, but it is also pretty expensive. $10 for the paste/$60 for the injectable liquid (to be used orally). I, too, think Revolution from your vet is the best bet. |
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