Hairless rattie abscess/skin problems

Question
I have posted once or twice before with questions on our ratties. Once again this question regards Mr. Pimbley, our almost 2year old male hairless rat.I know from reading and research that hairless tend to have a bit more issues as far as skin (and even allergies go). Mr. Pimbley definately has both.

I was reading another question from a lady who thought her rat had an abscess, with a dark core, or possibley a piece of litter under her skin. Pimbs seems to develope these little bumps with a dark "core" also, we use the natural type of bedding or basically any allergin/fragrance/dye free mild bedding (he is our "lemon" rat), but he seems to always have atleast one of these little tiny bumps. Usually it tends to take care of itself, however there have been a few that have grown and we helped to pop them with using the warm compresses and keeping the area very clean.
However, this time almost over night, he developed a pretty large one on his neck towards his little shoulder, it had the dark pin point area. WE used the warm washrag and were able to pop it though it seems to have quite a bit of stuff still in it and was definately infected. WE are keeping it clean and using some antibiotics (our vet is very nice and knows how many ratties we have so he will let us buy the correct antibiotics in larger amounts for times like this). Before coming back to this site my fiance and I were researching about abscesses and read a few different "stories" from people and different sites. One question I had was, once there is an abscess and it "clears up" will it keep coming back? Also, Im kind of assuming that Pimbs will probuably continue to get these little bumps(some end up with pus forming under it and/or what seems to be dry or hardened pus) so should we be popping them after awhile if they do not go away on their own? To date none of these bumps have gotten infected after we popped and cleaned them out, they have only been infected and then we pop and clean them and that seems to take care of it, until he gets another one(or 2).
I know his being a hariless makes him a bit more prone to skin and other problems..so far it has been mainly just these bumps and having pretty sensitive skin and "allergies."
I appreciate you time and any answers, thank you.

Answer
Hi

Yes I sure remember the name Mr.Pimpley!   

Starting off, your doing a good job caring for your little naked mans abscesses!! Keep up the good work! You can also apply triple antibiotic ointment to the area as well, rubbing it in good and keeping him from licking it at least 10 minutes or so while it absorbs. After that, dab off any serious excess and let him have at it if he wants. It wont hurt him if he licks the ointment. Alot of folks ask me this and of course, if there were any danger of it being possibly toxic to the rat if injested, I would never suggest using it in the first place.  Are you cleaning the area with plain water or do you use an antiseptic too?  There are many you can use safely on rats but I usually try to think of the best one for them that wont burn or sting. Rats remember, and if it stings him, he will fight you the next time he needs treatment!!  LOL!!   I suggest using diluted betadine or novalsan, or even saline solution although that can sting a bit. Peroxide is not a good idea since it can also damage surrounding tissues.

Also, you asked if its normal for the abscess to keep coming back in the same spot. It can happen, especially if the pus is not cleaned out good enough or if the abscess is stemming from something else, such as possibly a tumor that continues to abscess.  All rats are prone to abscesses due to the normal flora they carry on their skin and even their nails on their paws and feet. Staph is usually the culprit just like with humans.  If humans get a cut, the first thing they do is wash it out.  I asked at least 10 people over the past month (on here and another site) if they know why they are supposed to wash the area of an open injury when it first occurs and only 3 out of 10 were correct. Most people said it was to stop bleeding or else to make sure that nothing was lodged in the wound while still others insisted it was to inspect the area to see how bad it was and if it needed stiches or not!  I was pretty amazed that so many people were clueless.  The main reason we are supposed to wash out an open wound is to try to keep any bacteria that already exists on our skin from entering the cut. Leaving it dirty allows any of our normal flora to get in. Humans carrry both staph and also some strains of strep on their skin. So basically this pertains to rats too...but we cant always be there 24/7 nor do we know when they do get little cuts on their bodies that end up getting infected.  A small cut or bite wound or even a scratch is the right size for bacteria to enter.   Rats are also prone to a condtion called ulcerative pododermatitis, also known as "bumble foot"    This is when nasty ulcerations develop on the bottom of a rats foot  from a simple little cut. Anything that breaks the skin then allows the bacteria to move in. It used to be thought that wire floors in cages contributed to this condition, but its not the case. I wont go into detail since this is not about bumblefoot but its yet another example of bacteria entering the rats body causing problems.  Once again, staph is often the culprit of bumblefoot but it can be a fungus too.

You also asked if you should intervene and continue to pop open the abscess to help it heal fast and I would say yes! Some other rat people may say NO, but when a rat is so prone to these things its important to stay on top of it. People say not to mess with them mainly because a novice rat owner may not do it right and can cause a real infection, but you are already ahead of the game, properly cleaning it and doing all the right things, from using warm compresses to help inflammation and to also bring it to a head which helps rid the infection faster.

I am thinking this is just something that happens to hairless rats and your just doing the best you can to deal with it, but if you ever notice a lesion that doesnt heal up, that is when a vet should be called to be sure it isnt something else, not just a tumor, but poor healing itself can indicate underlying disease such as diabetes which is not real common in rats but can occur, so just keep a close eye on things as you are already doing and keep me posted.  Give your little  extra warm and soft and buttery nekkid boy a scratch behind the ears for me!!  I love hairless ratties!