orange spots on skin at hair shaft?

Question
QUESTION: I have a male rat who i treated last month for what i believe was rat lice , all i
ever saw were the nits.  Now that he is a bit tamer i noticed at the root of his
hair, what appears to be tons and tons of orange spots? color? are these
mites??? does he just need a good bath? olive oil? another dose of revolution
(2 drops) seven dust treatment??? I have hear of lots of stuff to treat the
lice/nits but this new orange skin/stuff at hair shaft is new to me. I ONLY see
the orange at his skin at the base of the hair. please help! I just had to put
his 2 baby sons in with him. they are five weeks today.  i do not want them to
get anything contagious!!!

ANSWER: Is it waxy and stuck to the skin?

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

QUESTION: it seems to be. i do not see the orange stuff "moving" and its a LOT of orange
stuff!
i do not think he is the most hygienic male- he has been housed alone for
the past 5 weeks. separated from his wife who had babies. just today i put his
two male babies in with him to live to keep him company. needless to say, he
and his wife can be neighbors but will no longer be living together :) i
adopted them together 5 1/2 weeks ago.

Answer
Sounds like buck grease.  You will see this in males that are chubby or that do not have a mate to help groom them.  The orange waxy substance is from over active sebaceous glands and often are triggered by hormone levels as they rise with age.  you can brush him with a very soft baby brush and also rub the area with olive oil.  This will loosen it up although it may make his fur greasy.  He will lick it off though and this is good for his skin anyhow.  If you bathe him, you can use a soft baby tooth brush and some baby soap and scrub the area well but it may take several times to get it off.   I wouldnt worry much about it but you dont want it to get real thick or the skin may not breathe and it may cause breakdown of the skin and infection may be the end result.