skin and fur coming off

Question
QUESTION: One of our rats had what felt like bumps on her skin.  We started examining and large clumps of dead skin with fur attached started coming off.  There was healthy pink skin underneath.  This rat was 3.31 mos old, had hind-leg paralysis, allergies to wheat and soy, and had had a series of strokes. She occasionally became comatose until having orange juice rubbed on her gums, and, the month before she died had to be rehydrated with sub-q fluids quite often. I was thinking fur mange mites.  Would like a second opinion.

ANSWER: It does sound an awful lot like mange, to me.. although with so many other conditions, it could have been just about anything. Jeez, poor thing! You guys are saints for handling her so well!

Normally with mange mites, they attack the soft tissue on the ears first. Did you notice her ears getting crusty at all?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Janell. We have 57 rats in our sanctuary--an immense amount of work. We love them (obviously!) No, her ears weren't crusty, which I knew was strange.  However, her ears seemed to be itching often.  I kept treating her with antihistamines for that.  Didn't put it together until too late.  Also, she had hemorrhoids and one day I noticed a tiny little pink nodule attached to one--like a skin tag for us. The "healthy pink skin" I mentioned had some of those little nodules. I read that is a sign of mange and that the rat may have carried them all along and become allergic when the rat was dying. Does that sound likely?  

Answer
I've never seen that form of mange (demox mange) on a rat , but that doesn't mean it isn't possible -- so yes, I'd say that seems very reasonable explanation for her situation. That's exactly the way it works with dogs and cats, so it seems only likely a rat would have the same reaction.