Scaly rat tail

Question
My daugher's rat has developed ugly brown flaky scales on her tail.  Can you please tell us what is causing her tail to become scaly and what creams or ointments would be helpful.  The tail does not have "rings" around it and does not seem to be "degloving".  Thank you for your help!

Answer
 It's likely just a dirty tail caused by her dragging it in feces and urine and neglecting to groom it.  Though rats are usually very clean they sometimes neglect to clean their tails and urine scale and poop can build up and make it look really gross, especially if the rat is a lighter color as their skin on their tails is light.  If your cage has solid levels, urine can easily build up on top of them and repeated exposure to the tail can quickly build up a scaly urine-caked tail.  You will have to wipe the levels down every day or two, or make liners which you can wash every few days.

 Try to see if you can scrub it off.  Put a bit of dish soap on a soft toothbrush and gently scrub the tail, seeing if that helps at all.  If it looks lighter and the scales go away it probably is simply dirt.

 The only other possibility is a type of dermatitis, which can result from allergies, urine, or parasites.  If cleaning the tail doesn't help, or you notice her itching at it, it becomes red at all, or you see little bumps on the base of her tail, you will have to take her to the vet for an exam.

 Hope that helps, good luck with your rat!


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