Rats going bald!

[Jame0223]

I have two rats...and I noticed that they're both starting to lose hair on their backs. They're both males. I got the first one 3-6 months before I got the second. I kept them apart for the first week or so and then put them together. Ive had them for over a year now..but now theyre losing hair. My guess is that they have been pulling EACH OTHERS hair out! They fight a bit...but not really bad fights..But one seems to be getting worse...I live in AZ so I never had a flea problem with my dogs or cats...but is it possible for my rats to get them? Im not sure if theyre fleas but I do see small red specs on them...so Im not sure if they are fleas or just scabs. I think they may be scabs because they don't seem to move, but it may just be that the scabs are falling off and looks like theyre moving sometimes. Is there something I can use or do to deture them from ripping their hair out? Any advice is much appreciated!

[Jame0223]

Thanks a lot! I was afraid I would have to take them..I was thinking it could have been some sort of mange...

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Ireneo is probably right.

Rats have their own personal brand of fleas and mites and other skin parasites that cause itching.  Scabies mites cause horrific itching in all species and are transmissible to people.

Ivermectin is the drug of choice, but it is a prescription item.  If they are very scabbed up they may also have secondary bacterial infections which should be addressed.  It would really be best to take them to a vet for a definitive diagnosis and treatment.

[ireneo]

I've had chipmunks develop mange. You may need to take them to the vet for a skin scraping to see if they have tiny mites. Then the vet can prescribe the proper med at the proper dose. My two female rats wrestle a bit with each other and the older one is dominant but there's no hair pulling