Rat Tail flaking skin, very dry

Question
Hi- Have 15 rats, 10 females, 5 boys. I let them out to play in groups on our couch and I noticed one female had a very dry, scaly area of her tail measuring about 2 1/2" from the tip going back to the body. I scratched gently at the area and the skin is flaking off. The 'scales' in this area look odd sized and not uniform like the other rats' tails. I read posts about black tail; there is nothing like that present, nor bumps or blackheads. I read they may be eating too much protein, but their diet hasn't changed. This female (Marlonna) was born Feb 9 2010, is otherwise perky, glossy coat, and this doesn't seem to bother her. I checked the other rats, some also show similar tail symptoms, not quite as bad as hers. I put some lotion on her tail but wonder if it needs attention by the vet. Any thoughts?

Answer
To be honest, it sounds like her tail is dirty. You can give her a bath in warm water to soak it, or let her and her cage mates with the same issue, play in a bathtub of about 1-3 inches of water so their tails can soak. Once they have had a chance to soak their tails for a while, you should be able to wash it off with soap and water. Although rats are very clean creatures, some rats tend to neglect their tails when it comes to keeping clean. So when they walk through urine and feces, it collects on the tail, but they don't clean it off, so it does build up and look like scales or black spots.

You can use baby shampoo or kitten shampoo to bath them with. You can also use a diaper wipe to verify that it is just built up crud by running the wipe down their tails. You will notice the wipe turning a yellowish brown color as it starts to come off. However, I would not recommend trying to clean their tails completely this way, you will be there a while.  Better to let them play in the tub, give them some peas or something to entertain them while in there and some toys and let them play for about 5-10 minutes to let their tails soak, then just give them a good scrubbing and it will come right off.

Good Luck

Tami
SOcial Rats Adoption and Rescue