I have a male beige and white hooded rat who is going to be 4 months old in early November. I noticed a few days ago that he has scabs on his body. One on his belly, one on the underside of his neck and one in his armpit area. I heard that rats can get bugs but I haven't noticed any unusual scratching. I also heard that they can get scabs from eating too much protein, and I give them cat food along with their regular food. He has a brother as a cage mate and I haven't noticed any scabs on him what so ever. I have checked both for little black specks in their fur but haven't seen anything. Is it anything to worry about?
It could be that your rats have mites, and if one has them, they both will. I would substitute the cat food for low fat dog food instead. They don't need a lot of protein unless they are pregnant. I haven't heard of high protein levels causing scabs, but it could be possible. If they are a few larger scabs as opposed to many little ones, it may not be bugs. It could be that they are fighting, as they will be reaching maturity and trying to establish dominance . Keep and eye on them, if they are fighting, you may need to separate them.
i think you should monitor the situation, make sure his cage mate isnt fighting or playing rough with him and if that doesnt seem to be the case make sure he isnt biting his skin.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com if more scabs appear you should possibly take him to some sort of vet or consult someone familiar with rat diseases.
i cant be much more help than this because ive owned all sorts of rodents like mice, gerbils, hamsters and guinea pigs but have yet to own a pet rat:)
