What are these scabs on my rat's back?

[jorobin]

My elderly rat Emily has had scabs on different places on her body for a while now. There are never any open wounds, she doesn't scratch and her sisters don't break her skin either. It's not mites because the scabs are too big for that and she was treated for them just in case (twice). The vet doesn't know what it is either. I'm quite sure it is some kind of disease and not an injury.

The first one appeared more than six months ago, on her back a few centimeters above her tail. It didn't bother her so I left it. A couple of months later I noticed her getting a few bald spots in other places so I took her to the vet, who didn't know what it was. A few weeks later scabs appeared in these places as well. She has seen a vet a few times since but nobody knows what it could be. Then again, these vets know more about cats and dogs than they do rats so they might miss something. She did have a small tumor removed from a mammary gland recently but she is otherwise perfectly healthy, eating, drinking and playing as usual.

Does anyone know what this could be? Might it be some form of skin cancer? Thanks in advance for your time!

 

[Ratrick McMischief]

Pics?

 

[jorobin]

Here she is! The large bald spot on her side is just because of her tumor removal.

 

[Ratrick McMischief]

Hmm, the only thing I've seen even remotely similar to this was on the face of my late hairless boy. He ended up with very aggressive cancer on his face and it resulted in many large cystic tumors and odd scabs similar to these.

My best guess is this some kind of cancer, but to be clear, this is just a guess. I wish I could be more helpful

 

[jorobin]

Hmm, the only thing I've seen even remotely similar to this was on the face of my late hairless boy. He ended up with very aggressive cancer on his face and it resulted in many large cystic tumors and odd scabs similar to these.

My best guess is this some kind of cancer, but to be clear, this is just a guess. I wish I could be more helpful

Thank you! I hope it's not that but it might be, since it's not anything contagious or parasite-related. Sorry about your boy...

 

[mwp051699]

My elderly rat Emily has had scabs on different places on her body for a while now. There are never any open wounds, she doesn't scratch and her sisters don't break her skin either. It's not mites because the scabs are too big for that and she was treated for them just in case (twice). The vet doesn't know what it is either. I'm quite sure it is some kind of disease and not an injury.

The first one appeared more than six months ago, on her back a few centimeters above her tail. It didn't bother her so I left it. A couple of months later I noticed her getting a few bald spots in other places so I took her to the vet, who didn't know what it was. A few weeks later scabs appeared in these places as well. She has seen a vet a few times since but nobody knows what it could be. Then again, these vets know more about cats and dogs than they do rats so they might miss something. She did have a small tumor removed from a mammary gland recently but she is otherwise perfectly healthy, eating, drinking and playing as usual.

Does anyone know what this could be? Might it be some form of skin cancer? Thanks in advance for your time!

Looks to me like a superficial infection due to over barbering.

 

[mwp051699]

Looks to me like a superficial infection due to over barbering.

Or .. possibly abscesses that have ruptured. If theres 2 or 3 big black wounds, its likely abscesses