Help me please :(

Question
QUESTION: My rat Noogie is about 1 1/2 yrs old  he is quite skinny because of his age. But what is worrying me is that he has extremely flakey skin on his back and feet the skin on his back is a yellowy colour but it is not red on his back or feet oh and I forgot to mension he lives alone in a large cage and there has been no change in his diet sconce we first got him. Please help me figure out what's wrong with my baby! :(

ANSWER: I am a bit worried about his diet in general.  For starters, you are worried he is skinny because of his age?  His age has nothing to do with being skinny and also, he is NOT old at all. Rats, when properly cared for, can live to be 3 and even 4 years old.

Also,is the skin on his back waxy?  Is it orange in color? Is he on a seed mix from the pet store?  If so, this could be a huge part of the problem.  Does he have food down all the time or do you feed him a few times a day, letting his bowl get empty first?

Do you have the authority in your household to make decisions such as taking your rat to the vet when needed, etc?

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QUESTION: I do not have authority in the house as I am only 13 but yes it is quite waxy and orange in colour and about the food I feed him banana chips through the day as treats and as food feed him pets at home rat nuggets 6 in the morning and 10 at night oh and during the early morning he pings the bars is this normal behaviour or...

Answer
Hi Shannon

Your rat may be skinny because of his diet, although I am not going to rule out other disease either, without asking a few things first.

For starters, what kind of litter/bedding do you use? You may wonder what this has to do with his weight, but if its the kind of litter that can cause damage to their organs such as their liver and lungs, than yes, the type of litter used is extremely important.

Second of all, does he eat all of his rat blocks?  Chances are the nuggets are super high in protein and the main ingredient is probably corn or corn meal, which is NOT good at all.  Banana chips are high in sugar and not really very nutritious for him to eat during the  day as treats. Once in a while its ok, but not  daily.
Anyhow, lets start first with you going to my website, sandyscrittercity@yahoo.com. and refer to the page about proper diet.  Your boy needs a better diet in order to have a good healthy life. He has plenty of life ahead of him, lets just get him  on the right track. Of course like I stated earlier, he may still have problems such as kidney problems or even heart problems, but lets start with his diet.  let me know the name of the food you have at your house.

As for the skin, I believe he has buck grease which is caused from poor diet and also from not grooming his back well. The excess oils from his skin collect and clog the pores. The skin cannot "breathe"  and this can cause infection too, but buck grease is a waxy orange build up on the  surface of the skin.  You can help him by changing his diet, which is what the goal will be here but you can also help him by brushing him with a soft babys hair brush.  You can rub any sore spots with antibiotic ointment. Do you have any at home?
Do you have a can of peas in your house?  If so, open it up, drain it and give him a spoonful of peas.  NEVER feed him bananas or peanut butter since this can clog him and choke him.

Anyhow let me know the name of the food you have and the type of litter you use and the answers to the other things I asked too and we will work together to get him on track again.