itching,bumps,and thinning hair ??

Question
why is my rat seeming to lose her hair. She is an albino rex rat and she does scratch herself a lot bu I see no mites or fleas. I read about too much protien so cut that by half. we clean her cage often she does get many fruits and veggies but im careful not to give too much of anything. She drinks Dasani water with me lol...why does she have little bumps ,scratch a lot, and thinning hair maybe.

Answer
Hi Eve

Rex rats do have thinning hair, this is naturally part of their coat. However, the bumps and itching may mean mites. You cannot see mites with the naked eye unless they are tropical rat mites and only when they are engorged with blood can you see the mites.   

You can apply some cortisone cream on the bumps and see if this clears up but I would suggest going to the Vet and having her checked for mites or rat lice. Rat lice can be seen as small nits attached to the hair, almost like a silver speck but its hard to remove.  They do NOT have wings like the lice humans get.  Also, dont fear, they do not get on humans they are species specific.

Do you have a vet that is good with rats?