Help with rats biting each other

[Kelsey Parker]

Up until recently I had four bonded rats in a VERY LARGE CAGE, definitely big enough for four rats. Recently two of my beauties passed away after long lives of 2+ years. Since their deaths, the remaining two ratties seem to be acting out, and the little tiny skittish one has been biting the hell out of the bigger one. All of the scabs are on her upper back and her face, which seems like it might be a dominance struggle? I'm really concerned about her, as the bites look pretty deep and I don't want her to be in pain or get an infection. I also hate to separate them because then they will both be alone and that's a little heart breaking, especially after having just lost their other sisters. I never see the biting take place, though once in a while I'l hear a distresssed squeak. Other than they spend all of their time snuggling.

The two remaining rats are biological sisters, have never fought before (that I know of), and are about 1.5 years old. One is a huuuuge fatty rattie and the other is tiny. Both females. The larger one who is being bitten sometimes bites me if I reach into her cage, but doesn't bite in any other situations. The larger one who is being bitten is also blind or seriously vision impaired.

Does anybody have any advice or experience with this?

 

[Dena]

Are you SURE they don't have mites? You won't be able to see the bugs. The itching is really bad, and will cause sores. It'll also cause their attitude to change. Once I treated for mites, my grouchy, fat boy became really lovable and cuddly. He would also squeak in protest of he was groomed, or pet in the area of the sores. Can you post a pic, so we can see the sores?

 

[Kelsey Parker]

I took her to the vet to be sure it wasn't mites and the vet said definitively that it is not mites.

 

[Dena]

Did they do a scraping, or scotch tape test? I had a vet do this (mites on other animals are visible, but on rats they aren't), and told me mine definitely didn't have mites. Two months, and many sores later, I treated with kitten revolution that I had for my bunny, and like magic the sores on all my rats disappeared. So did all the scratching, and attitude problems from the itchiness.

 

[SQ]

Mites are too small to see, and when rats have scabs on their head and shoulders, mites are usually the problem http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/ectoparasites.php
Try treating them with revolution …. the amount placed on the back of the neck is based on weight and is a very tiny amount
See http://ratguide.com/meds/anti-infectives/selamectin_revolution.php

 

[jorats]

This is 100% mites. Most unexperienced vets will not see anything and will say it's negative.

 

[lilspaz68]

Here's an article I created. Compare the pics just in case. Testing for mites can often get you a false-negative as they are naturally in our rats skin, but it's when there's over exposure to mites that you end up with these infestations. Mites can make a rat very uncomfortable and cranky.
http://lilspazrathospice.blogspot.com/2016/11/whats-on-my-rat-ectoparasites.html?m=1

 

[RebeccaRP]

(asked on another post as well) I'm also experiencing this with my girls. I have five girls in one very large cage, three of which are biological sisters. They are 14 and 19 months old and have lived together since last September. One of the sisters has become a bit aggressive lately. She nipped at me a few times. About a month ago, the shyest abs blindest sister (they're albinos) started getting scabs on her face and side. We separated her for a week and got antibiotics and steroids from a vet. Vet said it's not mites, it's fight wounds, but we werent sure. Things started looking better, so we put her back in the cage. Within 2 days, she got a bunch more scabs on her side and on her neck. It looks like a slash on her neck. By the time i see them the next morning, they're not fresh wounds, they're scabbed up. Also, the two that aren't related to these girls have been getting barbered behind their left ears. And none of the other girls have scabs or bumps or anything in them I've separated the one we think is doing it, but what do we do now?

 

[jorats]

Yeah, that's probably not mites. I wonder if the one rat is trying to barber the rats are trying it on her too but it's affecting her with lesions. I don't think that's a bite. Puncture wounds doesn't look like that. can we get a picture of the slash on the neck?

 

[RebeccaRP]

Yeah, that's probably not mites. I wonder if the one rat is trying to barber the rats are trying it on her too but it's affecting her with lesions. I don't think that's a bite. Puncture wounds doesn't look like that. can we get a picture of the slash on the neck?

I keep trying but all of my pics end up blurry.