Staph Aureus?

Question
Hi Cathe,
I'm concerned that two of my older bucks, both feeder rescues, might have a staph infection on their tails. They both present with pustules of varying sizes (one has significantly more than the other), from pinhead to nailhead, and most of the pustules have had pus in them at one time or another. They tend to dry up but the scabs don't go away and the surrounding area of the tail becomes hard and stiff.

I've tried cleaning with ChlorHex, a round of antibiotics, cleaning with gentle soap, etc.

Any suggestions?

Answer
Hi
Male rats get acne. I have four bucks at the moment who  have similar  symptoms to what you describe. It's very common for bucks to have secreted oils that end up as part of their tales/tails. It sounds like you've done all the right things to clear up any infections, but you may have also aggravated a basic acne condition, which is why it's not disappearing.

Once a week or so gently clean the rat tails with a diluted anti-bacterial soap. This will help keep the flaking down. You can't stop the guys from sleeping on their tails, so there will always be oils available.

If the rats aren't showing any obvious signs of itching, as long as the pus doesn't have an acrid, sulphur odor, then the simple tail baths should help. Abscesses form fairly easily in the tail, so you may find some green or  cake-dough like secretions from these bumps.

You can tell if the rats actually has the staph infections through other tests. The vet can do a simple blood test, and check for antibodies. If your rats aren't showing sings of fever, lethargy, or poor appetite, it's likely not an infection. Staph infections often show themselves by giving the appearance that the rats have bloated bellies. The gas from the pus gathers in their blood and sweels them a bit. Also, you'll notice a sweet smell, almost too sweet, from their breath.

I'm glad you've been so cautious. It sounds like you're the best rat parent these guys can have! You should take at least one in for a blood test, but again, it's not likely to be anything more than tail acne. Some rats even get black heads around their necks and backs, so you may gently groom them and see if that is the case.

Keep their bedding dry, soft, and clean, and it will help. Just like human acne, it's often just a matter of hormones, so there won't be much you can do other than the great job you've done!

Cathe