rats and skin irritatuin

Question
One of my pet rats, that is 10mo old has yelowish spots on his skin and some times seems like dander. He has had it scince he was 4mo. and all the vet could say is that she has only seen it in older rats. I was not satisfied w/ the response I got. I was hoping you could help.

Answer
Hi Lilia  


Sounds like he has what is called "buck grease" and it is caused by over active sebaceous glands due to rising hormones. The color of the buck grease varies, depending on the rats melanin. I have seen buck grease that was yellow, orange, brownish yellow, brownish, even reddish brown.
Regardless of the color, it is buck grease for sure. You can do a few things for him to get rid of it.  One reason to get rid of it is because it  can clog the pores on the rat and cause infection. I assume alot of the spots are on his back? The reason the vet suggested that he or she sees this more in older rats is because as they age, they end up with a fatter belly which makes it hard to groom their back etc...and there are also changes in hormones that can produce excessive oil from the glands as well. These changes take place when the rat is young too, and especially when they are entering puberty around 8 months of age, so it doestnt make sense the vet said they see it more in oder rats.
You can bathe him in shallow warm water and gently scrub the area with the buck grease using a soft bristle brush or toothbrush used for toddlers.  This will not get rid of it the same day because you will irritate his skin if you stand there and scrub over and over again. Any gentle shampoo will do, although believe it or not, a dab of dawn dish soap works wonders on buck grease. To prevent build up of buck grease in the future you can buy a soft bristle brush and brush him daily and also, you can add some olive oil to his diet.
Adding this to his diet can also relieve itchy and dry skin. Simply   add a drop of olive oil to a piece of a cracker daily and this should make a  big difference   as well.  Is he chubby? Does he have a hard time grooming himself??                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             



I like your name, btw. Its pretty. I see alot of different names come up from time to time, some are really unique. Makes me wish I was planning to have more children so I can name them cool names.  ACK! Sounds like a bad excuse to create a life!  Well maybe I can save the name ideas for my daughter and her husband for future grand babies!