scabby cuts and bald patches

Question
Sandra,
Thanks for your prompt reply.  We tried to answer back but don't know if it went through.  Sorry if this is a duplicate.  Francy is around 5-6mths old.  He and his old cage mate, Sterling, did get along (cute to see them snuggle while sleeping) some times.  Francy seemed very frightened to even go back into his cage sometimes and the fighting seemed to be getting worse so we decided to separate them.  His diet consists of oatmeal, flax seed and dog food (a better brand than most).  We will try to pull back on the dog food and see if that doesn't help.  What do we need to look for in case it's mites?  Thanks for ALL your help for those of us in need.  Ratties are most definitely the most precious pets we have owned.  I just hate that they are so prone to illness and that we don't have a vet here in town that will see them.  Thanks again for any advice you may have.

Answer
Hi Hannah

If the dog food consists of protein between 15 and 18 percent it should be fine. You should, however, increase vegetables and fruits as well. You can give fruit daily but only in very small portions because of the high sugar content.

Just a small sample:
cantaloupe
brocoli
peas
carrots
melon of any kind
green beans
broiled or baked chicken (white meat)
cooked beef liver
cooked beef
cooked oysters

sugar free breakfast cereals

Total
puffed rice and puffed wheat
dried oatmeal flakes
rice chex
cheerios

regal rat made by oxbow
mazuri rodent blocks or harlan teklad
dog food should be lowfat and low protein, such as nutro lite.

Mites cause itching, scabs and even hair loss as well. Lice causes the same signs but they also appear as white nits attached to the hair shaft. Revolution is also used for lice.
If you feel the rats have mites, you will want to treat it using revolution which needs to be purchased from the vet. They are to be dosed by weight and the revolution should be kitten/puppy strength.
If you have a general idea of the rats weight I can give you the proper dose. This is applied between the shoulder blades and helps kill mites.  Also, freeze the bedding 24 hours before use.

If you need for me to try to find a vet for you let me know. Usually there is a vet within an hour from people that are certified exotics and people are not aware of it so if you want I can look for you if I know your zip code if your in the US.

Hope this helps!