red skin and squeaking

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I've noticed that our 1yr old Jasper has been scratching. The skin on his rump is red with speckles of red 'bits'. We have treated him with mite treatment from the vets (applied to the back of his neck) in the past.
He seems to have flared up again and now I am wondering if this is a diet thing. We have stopped the treats (yes he is spoilt) so now he has his rat food from the pet shop containing seeds, chaff, a small amount of corn etc. He also has dried oat in the morning and small amounts of bread to hide in his pantry.
The major worry is his change in behaviour. He has gone from placid, affectionate, grooming us, playful running around our living room to cowering in his cage and squeaking when we touch him (also puffing up his fur and bunching up). He also has started squeaking in his bed at night, mostly when he is moving around :(
The vet has checked him over and said he seems fine except for his skin. He is still eating and drinking well.
Could it be that he is just very sore and is avoiding being handled?
I hope that it is this, because we can treat him.
Regards, Andrea (OZ)

ANSWER: Hi Andrea

First of all, I am sorry Jasper isnt feeling very well. I have a feeling I know already what the problem may be.Understand though that this is more like a visual in my head of what he looks like as per your description since I cant see him in person.  First of all, the speckles you see on his rump is called "buck grease".  They are often red or orange in color and if you bathe him, they come off. Its from an over abundance of hormones and this is the prime age.

However, the itching is from allergies because the food he is eating is too high in protein. Pet store food is not good for rats or any other rodent for that matter.Any kid of seed mix you find at pet stores in on way provide all the nutrition rats need to be healthy.
The seeds are high in protein, calories and fat and the dry corn contains a toxic fungus that contributes to cancer in rats.
I usually like to back up my claim because some people find it hard to believe that a pet store would sell food mixes that are not nutritious for the pets they sell, but trust me, they do. If they sell pine and cedar to be used for litter (they are both deadly for any small animal due to the phenol oils found in the soft wood) they would not care about selling the commercial seed mixes either.
Here is the link that talks about pet store food and also mentions that hard dried corn is bad for them as well. Fresh corn is fine in moderation and they love corn on the cob.
http://ratfanclub.org/diet.html

You can start with the diet by tossing the commercial food or even returning it and get your money back. I know some of it can be expensive! The first thing you want to do is keep the protein levels down to between 15% and 24% and to be sure the first ingredient is NOT corn.
Your best bet is to start with a good rodent block, which is made by harlan teklad. You can order them here:
http://www.kimsarkrescue.org/content/view/35
Another great rat chow is made by OXBOW called REGAL RAT. It is even lower in protein than the harlan rodent blocks and the rats seem to like them better. Either way you cant go wrong because they both meet all the requirements to meet your rats nutritional needs.  
Link to REGAL RAT BY OXBOW:
http://www.oxbowhay.com/Shop/showProduct.sp?PRODUCT_NO=75

Dont worry though, this isnt all your rat is allowed to eat. He can have plenty of other things too. There are several wonderful homemade rat diets out there that are all great for rats and the rats seem to like all of the ingreidents and they dont tend to pick out certain pieces and favor just one thing.  
Here is a link to a site that sells the food already made for you and it is great for rats too:

http://www.ratzrealm.com/id25_htm.htm

Just an idea of what some of the mixes contain,from grains to pastas, peas, beans, fruit, natural cereals, whole wheat etc...

I also use unsweetened cereals such as rice chex, puffed rice and puffed wheat, crazy mac (the colored pasta that contains spinich and I believe carrots or tomato pasta..I just drew a blank on that one!)

Rats can have alot of fresh fruits and veggies with the exception of peanut butter due to a dangerous choking hazard, and also oranges which can cause cancer in males.

Avocado (high in fat, but healthy fat)
Spinach
Kale
Turnip greens
Brocolli
Brussels Sprouts
Carrots
Tomato
Cauliflower
Turnips
Corn (cooked)
Peas
Green beans
Eggplant (with skin)
Sweet Peppers (all colors)
Squash (with skin, if possible)
Lima beans (cooked)
Black beans (cooked)
Kidney beans (cooked)
NEVER RAW BEANS!!
Oats or oatmeal
Millet
Blackberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Strawberries
Red grapes
Peaches
Apricots
Plums
Kiwifruit
Cranberries
Mango
Papaya
Banana
Watermelon
Cantaloupe/melon
Apple


I truly think that your rat has some hot spots though for sure and this is from the high protein diet.
You can bathe him using dawn dish soap and gently washing his rump area and apply plain NEOSPORIN to the red area of the skin.  The spots should come off over time. If he hates the bath, skip it and just use the neosporin. Rats are prone to skin infection and thats what we want to avoid.

I hope this helped some. Feel free to contact me through a follow up.

good luck!

Sandra






---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Sandra we will start to change his diet.
We did a process of elimination this morning and I think we are going to find a better vet (1 who has more experience with rats). We noticed that he seems ok for a little while (10 mins) then he'll squeak and go back into his hunched, fluffed up and slow way.
We noticed he was very interested in his penis when he squeaked and kept trying to hump my partners hand before hand :/. This is unusual behaviour for Jasper and I'm actually wondering if he is getting aggressive as some male rats do, but the illness characteristic he displays (hunched etc) doesn't add up.
His behaviour has completely changed within a day.
We will find another vet and get a second opinion (as opposed to the vet we have just seen, not you :) ).
Cheers.

Answer
Males can turn a bit more aggressive when they reach puberty, around 8 months of age...but with his other problems, his just may be grumpy period.  Also, check his penis to be sure there is nothing clogging it. Sometimes a waxy plug can build up and cause some pain and irritation. This is often removed by the rat, but you can also assist if you think you can handle him.

Finding a vet with more experience is really the best idea. Its such a big weight off of a rat owners shoulders to know that you have someone that knows what they are doing when it comes to rat care...so many rats lives are lost due to Vets that dabble in exotics but do not have the proper implements in their office to be able to accomodate the small animal thus in turn can lead to big problems, especially during surgery.  They also dont seem to have the proper medications on hand for these animals and use substitutes, which is not good enough when it comes to our pets. We expect them to get the proper care they deserve!  A vet that knows understands the needs these animals have and is able to meet them properly is your best bet.

Keep me posted...hope he feels better soon!

Sandy