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Loki's got scabs and itches and two bald spots on his face

2K views 15 replies 5 participants last post by  Camelle 
#1 ·
Alright so Loki has been scratching and he's got some scabs around his shoulders and face he may have more on his back but I haven't seen or felt them and I gave him a bath yesterday. He normally gets them and al over like they're from scratching (seriously i mean like every other week or so) So I give him a bath and cut his nails and think he's good to go. But since it's happening so much I'm starting to think well maybe it's not just that. He's had this one bald spot on his face for a bit and I've been waiting for it to grow back but when I came back from the beach he had another bigger one on the other side of his face and a paw print shaped scab on his face and I thought well maybe Thor power groomed him and then he scratched it too hard but my mom said she thought it looked like Thor ad done it so now I'm starting to rethink everything and maybe it's Thor whose been doing all the scratches and not loki because Loki's nails get trimmed regularly and Thor's don't because he squirms too much. Now I'm starting to wonder what if it's something else like mites or something? I don't have 100+ dollars to take them to the vet for check ups I wish I did. What do you guys think? Do you have any ideas on what you think this might be? Thor doesn't have any scabs on him that I can tell except for this one that's on his thigh. It's not really attached all the way it sort of matches his hair color and it's long cause I thought it was something just stuck in his fur so I pulled but it wouldn't come off and I didn't want to hurt him so what do you guys think? Am I just overreacting here?
 
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#2 ·
If this is recurring continually, chances are it's mites, scabs on the face/neck and particularly the chin are a common sign of mites, as is patchy places on the fur. I'd be less inclined to think his friend Thor is doing so much damage if you haven't seen them behave especially hostile with each other, although it'd be a bit strange if they're cagemates for Thor to not have the same symptoms. You could treat them both for mites and give the cage a deep clean, you can buy ivermectin to apply to their fur, I'm not sure of the dosage though so hopefully someone else will come in and help with that. If that doesn't help, your best option would be to try and get them to the vet asap since it's probably uncomfortable for Loki, maybe someone you know could help you out, it'd maybe be best in the long run for a vet trip now to sort out something before it potentially got worse and ended up being something more expensive to fix later.
 
#3 ·
Actually they have been a little more hostile lately. The night before they got dropped off at my neighbors house they woke me up squealing at each other and Loki's back heel was cut open. It wasn't super bad and it's all healed up now but now there's also this. If it is mites why is it just Loki that's showing signs? Why isn't Thor showing signs too?
 
#4 ·
I assume your rats are scratching a lot...

Nickel tour, it sounds like you have mites. It costs about $20.00 for all the revolution you will need to treat it. There's enough to treat several rats in the same tube. Treat everyone.

Over the counter sprays don't work and will cost you just about as much anyway. Just buy the med through your local vet. It is commonly used for preventative treatment so I can't see why your rat's would need a visit. It will do them no harm if you are wrong.

As to why some rats don't show signs of infestation, I can't say, but Amelia never scratched and brought mites in with her that infested Fuzzy Rat in about 3 weeks.

Bite the bullet, treat with revolution and be done with the mites... there's lots of info on other threads on how to apply it.

As soon as I see my girls scratch, I treat $20.00 is pocket change for peace of mind. I've seen mites kill mice and it isn't pretty.
 
#5 ·
Agreed, sounds like mites. When I noticed my girls started getting scabs on their shoulders & neck, I figured it was power grooming. This forum told me it was likely mites, and after some research I determined for sure that was what it was. Chardonnay began developing big nasty scabs on her cheek, neck and underarm, but she was the only one scratching to that extent. After a lot of reading up, I found two straightforward and trusted solutions: Revolution for Kittens and Ivermectin Dewormer paste for horses.
I purchased some Ivermectin at my Tractor Supply co., mixed it up properly, and dosed all of my ratties. It was only $4 and I'm already seeing an improvement. Easy, quick, and safe (when done correctly). I found that solution easier for us; you need a prescription for Revolution and I have five rats, so a vet visit would be very costly on top of the meds themselves. (plus only two vets in my area see rats and oh my god they are ridiculous)

Do some reading up online, it's much less drastic and easy to treat than I thought!!! Sort of like fleas for dogs. Uncomfortable and when left untreated can cause serious problems, a slight pain to get rid of but nothing too out of the ordinary.
 
#6 ·
Thats mites... Charlie had a bald spot on his rump, and a few scabs like what you describe, he went to the vet, and it was mites.... time to get him to vet for Revolution, or do as i do and use ivermectin
 
#9 ·
I'm pretty sure I use the second size up and save the rest in a sealed bottle in the fridge. All of the sizes cost about the same, so you want the largest size with the lower concentration. Try not to get hit up for a vet visit. Revolution can be used preventative. So you don't really need a diagnosis.
 
#12 ·
Just in case someone forgot to mention it, ivermectin can be overdosed with lethal results... and some rats have very bad reactions to it. I've never paid for a vet visit to get the revolution, it seems unnecessary as you might be buying it as a preventative.

Yes, you could have the vet check your rat for mites, then you know for sure. But so far, if my girls were scratching and had scabs, the revolution worked, the scabs were gone and so was the scratching... Honestly, my eyes are old and I've never personally seen a mite. I suppose if the scratching and scabs didn't stop then I would have had a vet look into it.
 
#13 ·
Rat mites are super tiny and not visible to us so you wouldn't see them, it's generally considered a bit of a given that scratching and scabbing means mites. As has been said, getting the dosage right is very important. Self-medicating your rats isn't obviously always a good idea but in the interest of saving a fair bit of cash that you can't afford, it's worth trying something that has been known to work very well and you'll most likely find helps, if it doesn't then you can maybe think about ways that you can try and manage to sort out a vet trip.
 
#14 ·
I just wanted to let you guys know that Loki and Thor got their first dose of ivermectin on monday and are currently doing VERY well. They are so much better! The two bald patches on Loki's face are almost completely grown back now and they aren't itching anywhere near as much! Thank you all so much for your help! I appreciate it very much and I know my boys do too!
 
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