whats up with my rats ?

Question
I have two desexed female rats, aged about 18 months old.  They were rescued from a family that constantly neglected them.

Problem is that they are both scratching madly and one of them has scabs on her ears and tail.  I have treated them for ear mites recently but the sores still keep coming and I am unsure what to do.  I am wondering if it is something to do with diet as although they do not have a commercial rat food, they do have a "human food" free diet that consists of seeds, legumes, fruit, nuts (very rarely as a treat), oats, grains and fresh vegies.

They seem content but the sores on the black and white one are a concern ( the pure white on does not have the sores).

Is there a safe topical solution that may help them.  I live in a remote rural area and it can be very difficult to get to the vet.

Please help,   Thanks, from the new owner of Tammy and Mindy.

Answer
Hi

What kind of mite treatment did you use?

Also, as far as diet, if they truly do not have parasites, a diet high in protein indeed can cause skin problems such as itching to the point that they get little scabs on them.  

I get so many of these messages about skin problems unrelated to parasites so if we conclude that they do not have mites, it would be a good idea to go over their diet.  I devoted a page on my website about skin problems along with photos to use for comparison. Please copy and paste the URL below and refer to this page so you can get an idea about what is going on.

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/skinproblems.htm

Next, go to the side menu to the right (on my website) and click the link to the page on proper diet and check out the various diets that are low in protein. Protein intake should not exceed 15% and 18% for hairless rats.  Lactating and pregnant rats can go a little above.

Did you have the girls spayed or did the previous owners do it? I was just curious how old they are when they were spayed. Spaying females is a very good idea and prevents the growth of mammary tumors, esp if done at a young age so I was just curious.  

I am glad you rescued them for a life of neglect.
Rats are so sweet, I am sure these girls really appreciate their new home and I appreciate your concern for them and taking the time to research about their health.

Anyhow, please let me know about their previous mite treatment and be sure to check out the website so when we do the follow up on treatment I will know how to approach it.

In the meantime, you can safely apply cortisone cream for localized itching A thin layer, rubbed in on the areas several times a day is safe.  If the sores look angry and possibly infected, you can also apply a thin layer of triple antibiotic ointment.  Rub these ointments or creams in well and try to keep them occupied for at least a few minutes so it can all absorb before they start to lick it off.

Also, in the case of dry skin, you can offer them a cracker bit with olive oil on it.  I have been told by many readers that write in how well this home remedy works and it is not harmful for the rat to injest olive oil and people swear by it, so its worth a shot. The olive oil replaces any lost oils and if they have dry skin, this can contribute to itching as well.  I even suggest to some owners to rub them down with it, esp hairless rats and the owners write back a few weeks later raving over how well it works!  I usually am a skeptic about these things but this is one remedy that has a pretty low failure rate!

Talk soon

Sandy