What coulld be wrong with my rat? skin infection?vit c lack?

my rat is coming up to 2 and he has lost alot of fur around all his paws mostly from, and they are red amd a vit swallen, he itches and scratches them alot. he also has a a bit on his nose, is it a skin infection? do rats get exma? allergy? i did clean the cage out with somthing similar to bleach last time could that be it? his mate is fine and they both live together





he is a male

What coulld be wrong with my rat? skin infection?vit c lack?
This sounds very much like a fungal infection and requires a vet's diagnosis. May require a skin scraping to confirm.


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My first thought might have been a mite infestation, but the pattern doesn't fit. Since rats produce their own Vitamin C that would not be the problem, but a lack of Vitamin A will cause skin problems.





Yes, rats do get allergies from their bedding. Yes, it could be a bleach burn if the cage was not rinsed out well, but I would think the other rat would be affected as well.





Please, do not separate the rats. Unlike other animals, rats become very stressed, when they are separated from their cage mates. Stress can lead to a Myco flare-up for both of them.





There are more rat-keepers who know more about rats then vets do. I am in the process of teaching my vets about rats. Try to do as much research as you can so that you will be well informed when you take him to the vet.





Edit:


Dang, just as I suspected, a vet that knows nothing about rats. Let's not give up. Can you send a few pictures to spazrats@yahoo.ca? I can get a better idea of what you are dealing with if I could see him. I can also ask people on my other rat-only forums and they might be able to help.





spazrats


"my life has gone to the rats"
Reply:the first thing u need to do is seperate the rats. the skin infection may spread!
Reply:Take him to the vet. He seems to have some sort of infection or allergy. If the other rat is ok, it probably isn't the bleach thing but maybe your rat that's sick is more sensitive to stuff like that than your other one is. But always remember, NEVER try to diagnose an illness yourself. If your pet seems sick, take it to the vet. it's their job, not yours.





Good Luck!





It's a rat's world