# Rat going bald



## manic rose (Mar 12, 2011)

After a bit of advice. My little rat Cooper is developing bald patches, especially around the backs of his ears, and in general his fur seems to be thinning. He hasn't been too well in the past few months. He has been to the vets a few times as he sounds quite wheezy and has had a few courses of baytril. At the moment his breathing is better than it has been but he is not completely better as he still sounds wheezy at times. I dont know if his fur thinning is due to age (he's about a year and a half) or illness. I've tried a mite treatment on him to see if that was the cause but it had no effect. I'm fairly sure it cant be diet as his brothers haven't got this problem. Help!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Your boy sounds just like my coley.
Cole is 16 months old a black dumbo and he is thinning around his back and round his eyes and nose. He too along with the other lads gets treated reg for mites with beaphar spot on. So it's def not that! Also they are all fed the SD diet along with fresh fruit and veg and cooked meats etc.
Cole gets respy too and he gets snuffly and just like your boy was treated with AB's but he's still thinning. He's ok in himself eating drinking playing fine.

I think as long as your boy is ok in himself and not haunched up or side sucking or generally looking miserable I think he's fine just like my boy.
Maybe old age comes to some rats quicker than others.
Cole was a [email protected] rat so not the best of health.

Scritches to your little man x


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## manic rose (Mar 12, 2011)

blade100 said:


> Scritches to your little man x


Thanks 

These three are the first rats I've had so I'm not sure of bald patches are generally something that can happen to them later in life.

His sides do seem to go in and out a bit too rapidly at times but he has been treated with baytril before and it hasn't affected it. He still climbs about with his brother Biffy and is happy to come out for cuddles. Am just getting especially worried as I'm off on holiday soon and so he will be stopping with my mum. I would be heartbroken if something happened to him whilst I wasn't there


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

If he looks like he's breathing hard and his sides go in quite a bit when he breaths I'd say he needs some more AB's. If he only had baytil and it didn't touch it then I'd ask for doxycycline and baytril together. I used doxy a 1/7 of a tablet crushed onto a tea spoon with some spread.
What was the baytril dosage per day?


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## manic rose (Mar 12, 2011)

blade100 said:


> What was the baytril dosage per day?


0.3ml once per day for a week the last time he had some


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Only once? Hmmm it's normally given out twice a day.


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## spoiled_rat (Mar 24, 2008)

Blade, If rats have thining fur round the eyes etc, then you need to examine their diet as it's 95% a vitamin/copper deficiency.

Manic Rose, is Cooper rex by any chance?


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## manic rose (Mar 12, 2011)

spoiled_rat said:


> Manic Rose, is Cooper rex by any chance?


Yea Cooper is rex. Does that affect things? Are they more prone to going bald?



blade100 said:


> Only once? Hmmm it's normally given out twice a day.


Yea I did think that a little odd but it's what it says on the bottle.


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## LostGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

Yes rexes fur thins and goes abit patchy totally normal  my double Rex is nearly bald now and my normal Rex has patches and thin bits they look abit moth eaten somedays lol

I do have a girl go barbered herself before I go her and her fur never grew back! X


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Laura it isn't that as my other 9 boys would have the balding of the eyes too. 
They get daily essentials twice a week as well as fresh fruit and veg,cooked meats,other cooked foods etc. They are fed the SD diet too.


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## manic rose (Mar 12, 2011)

LostGirl said:


> Yes rexes fur thins and goes abit patchy totally normal  my double Rex is nearly bald now and my normal Rex has patches and thin bits they look abit moth eaten somedays lol
> 
> X


Phew. Glad is a normal thing for Rex rats. Am going to take him to the vets tho and see about getting him on the other medication that Blade mentioned.


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## spoiled_rat (Mar 24, 2008)

blade100 said:


> Laura it isn't that as my other 9 boys would have the balding of the eyes too.


Sorry but that's not correct, simply as each individual absorbs nutrients/vitamins/minerals in their own fashion, some do it efficiently (most common in healthy, well-bred younger rats) and some don't (ill, stressed, from a poor background, or those getting old etc).

It's the same way you can have a fat rat and a thin rat in a cage full of normal sized rats, each one is very different, and dietary absorption will be processed in their own individual way.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

So how do I go about giving him extra copper.
I'll try get a pic of him tomorrow.
He isn't bald as such just more fair hair around his eyes. And his coat hair is thin in general.


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