losing fur!

Question
first, I'd like to thank you for the great answers you've given me in the past. my last question was about my rat breathing heavily, and sadly, he had a mass in his chest and died a few weeks later, painlessly. i still have one male pointed siamese, about 2 1/2 years old. recently, i was out of town for a week, and when i came back ,i noticed large bald patches on my rat. now, when i even pet his, his fur comes off. he has had some orange coloration on his skin for s long as i can remember, and maybe it may have something to do with this, but I doubt it. should i be very concerned, or is this because of the stress of his brother dying and old age. thanks so much.

Answer
I am sorry for the loss of your other rat:(

As for this  one, it sounds like buck grease is the culprit. The orange waxy junk on the skin is from poor grooming and its a build up of grease from male hormones. If he will allow this, wash him using a soft tooth brush and hibiclens (found at Walmart) just do it a little bit at a time so it doesnt cause irritation.  You can also buy a baby brush with soft bristles and use this to loosen up the waxy buck grease.  Also, give him some olive oil on a cracker a few times a day to help his skin too.