Rash/bald spot (?) under chin

Hello, new here. My boys name is Rocko, he’s a little over a year and a half old, neutered. A few days ago I noticed a patch of fur under his chin that looked like he had lost in a scuffle and it was growing back. Today I looked and noticed that it’s now completely bald with some little red spots. I would assume this means whatever it is, he’s scratching at it and removing the hair. The red spots may be small scratches, it’s hard to tell. Of all my rats he’s the laziest (and not the most coordinated) but he has always been like that and his behavior as of late is 100% normal. In the video I woke him up from a nap and forced him out of the spacepod so he’s a bit groggy. He is totally a floppy potato though. Anyone have any insight about what this might be or how to treat it?

I assume he has a cagemate? That looks like he was pinned down an barbered. Barbering is when a rat chews the fur off itself or a cagemate(s). It's a compulsion but generally harmless.

lilspaz68 said:

I assume he has a cagemate? That looks like he was pinned down an barbered. Barbering is when a rat chews the fur off itself or a cagemate(s). It's a compulsion but generally harmless.

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Yes, he had 2 sisters and one brother, one sister passed earlier this year. They all live in a double critter nation. I adopted a younger dumbo female (intact) and she has a lot of energy. I love her to death but she’s crazy haha. She does like to mess with the other rats on occasion and Rocko being the squishiest and most non-confrontational makes him an easy target. I have found him with minor scrapes and cuts from her before. But I also find them cuddling each other and being friends as well.

Also, we were recently displaced from the Woolsey Fire in Southern California for a week and they had to spend all their time in a transport crate. I gave them as much attention as I could and kept their cage clean but they were definitely all pretty bored.

I wouldn't worry too much, its obviously not bothering him and feisty little girls often beat down their bigger older male cagemates LOL. I personally find it hilarious!

I am sorry you were displaced by the Woolsey Fire. I hope your home was intact when you got back to it.

Thank you! It’s all good, the fires burned right through our neighborhood but the firefighters protected all the structures.

I have 2 neutered males, Rocko and Widget (brothers) and 2 intact females Zoey (who is likely sister to Rocko and Widget but not positive) and the younger dumbo female I adopted who is about 7 months old now. She doesn’t have an official name but goes by Crackhead, Crackers, Crackerhead, Crackerjack, Psycho, and Crazy haha. Zoeys sister Lucy who passed away earlier this year had a lot of energy and the two sisters played constantly. So when she died I adopted Crackhead in the hopes of giving Zoey a new playmate. Oh man.... I thought Lucy had energy.... no no no. Nothing compares to the mischief Crackhead gets into. EVERYTHING is a chew toy, she shreds and destroys all the fleece, all the hammocks, all the wood toys, all the space pods and hideaways, every bridge ladder and rope, she has pulled 2 of my hats into the cage from my desk and ripped them to shreds, as well as countless other things that I USED to store on the top of the cage. I literally can’t keep up with her needs to destroy and have constant stimulation, cardboard boxes are worth their weight in gold, because I can throw one of those in there and she will work on it for days. She’s FINALLY starting to mellow out a bit but in the past she has loved to pick fights with the others. Widget and Zoey fight back and will actually pursue her. Rocko on the other hand runs away in fear till she tackles and pins him. I had earlier this year found a big gash in that same area, and then a month ago a big scratch across his muzzle through his whiskers. Sometimes I have serious doubts about her since she picks on him, but then I see them cuddling happy together.

I love her to death, and her mischief just makes her more unique and entertaining, keeps me on my toes. I just wish she didn’t beat up my sensitive potato boy. Rocko is like my spirit animal and soul mate.

Caught her doing it to him just now in that exact spot. It looks like she’s starting to break the skin a little bit though and he obviously doesn’t like it. Is there anything I can do to help her kick the habit? Maybe a little pump of air from those little hand pump things you use to clean dust off computer parts?

In the meantime I’m going to try and find even more ways to enrich her. So far I’ve got a billion chew toys, cardboard boxes, I modified a 12” wheel to spin on a bearing so it’s really smooth and fast, she’s got tons of things to climb, lots of scraps of fleece to carry around and make nest areas, a ping pong ball pit, accordion tubes, long rope toys to run on, lots of hideaways and challenging climbing spots. Running out of ideas!

do you have a wheel in the cage?

Yes, I have a 12” wheel that I cut the center out of and mounted a bearing into, so it spins true, fast and smooth.