Brown flecks in fur

Question
Hi,

My rat is quite old and stiff (can't seem to bend to wash properly), and his fur has become greasy. I have been observing brown dots all through his fur. They are not insects. I brush them out with a lice comb, and they seem greasy. (Texture of ear wax? gross.) They look weird. Are they cause for worry or does he just need a bath?

Answer
Hi Sandy


Your little old man has what is known as "buck grease" and it is seen often in older rats or rats that are a bit too chubby! Males tend to be more oily due to hormones (testosterone) and overly active sebaceous glands and usually, proper grooming will remove the excessive oil that builds up on the rats fur. However, as you pointed out, your senior boy cannot move around like he used to due to possibly arthritic changes that cause stiffness and can interfere with his mobility so therefore he cannot groom his back good. I am also going to assume he lives alone because he probably would not have any build up if he had a mate since the other rat would do the grooming for him.

Anyhow, what you can do is continue to lightly brush the area using a soft bristle brush, like a baby hair brush, can loosen it up as well.

Also, feeding the rat a piece of wheat bread with olive oil or flax seed oil is said to help control buck grease, although I cannot back that claim since I have never used this method, but many people say it works.

You can bathe him ONLY if he is used to having baths and you can focus on the buck grease build up using the brush on his wet scalp and gently messaging it.  It wont hurt him having it but if he gets too much build it, the skin wont breathe properly and he may end up with sores that could become infected.  

Hope this helps!

Sandy