Possible ear infection?

Question
I have two male rats that I bought from a pet store about 2 months ago or less. My hairless one--Homer has been scratching his ear a lot since we brought him home which we figured was just a nervous habit. Lately though he has been scratching constantly and his ear has started to bleed. It's just the left ear and my other rat--Bart, does not seem to have any health issues whatsoever so I don't really think it's mites or parasites or I would think they'd both have it. When I've called vets they won't tell me an approximate price for how much anitbiotics could possibly cost if it's an ear infection. And I was also wondering if there's anything that can be purchased at a petstore that could help? I don't have a lot of money right now but I want to get this taken care of for him. If you could please advise I'd greatly appreciate it.

Answer
Hi

The vet may not know for sure what type if antibiotic is needed until they see the rat, but baytril should be used for this and it may run anywhere between $15 and $35 plus the office visit. I am not sure what vet your using and every vet is different as far as visits go.

As for over the counter products, there is nothing that I would advise that is safe or worth the money regardless.  I wish I could say there was, that would make things so much easier for rat owners but its all a waste of time and money.