| Ratties seem to scratch a lot - CLICK HERE for the Pet Manual Forum Home Page |
| Hank stalica |
Is that normal?
When they are in their cage it seems like they scratch a bit. When I
take them out, it's less, but they still occasionally do it.
At what point should I get worried?
Thanks,
--Hank
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| Tiger Spot |
On Mon, 10 Apr 2006 13:13:12 -0700, Hank stalica <me@nospam.net>
wrote:
>Is that normal?
>
>When they are in their cage it seems like they scratch a bit. When I
>take them out, it's less, but they still occasionally do it.
>
>At what point should I get worried?
The usual sign of trouble is suddenly scratching more than is normal,
but if you don't have an idea of what's normal to compare to, that's
not very useful. Instead, look for other signs of discomfort: do they
have any scabs? are they eating and drinking normally? any stool
discoloration?
If they are scratching a great deal, they might have parasites. Not
many rat parasites are visible to the naked eye, so if you're
concerned you might want to have the vet check things out with a
microscope.
--Theresa
http://tiger_spot.mapache.org
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| Phlip |
Tiger Spot wrote:
> If they are scratching a great deal, they might have parasites. Not
> many rat parasites are visible to the naked eye, so if you're
> concerned you might want to have the vet check things out with a
> microscope.
Stop squirming!!
--
Phlip
http://www.greencheese.org/ZeekLand <-- NOT a blog!!!
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| Tiger Spot |
On Mon, 10 Apr 2006 21:41:42 GMT, Phlip <phlip2005@gmail.com> wrote:
>Tiger Spot wrote:
>
>> If they are scratching a great deal, they might have parasites. Not
>> many rat parasites are visible to the naked eye, so if you're
>> concerned you might want to have the vet check things out with a
>> microscope.
>
>Stop squirming!!
Heh. :)
Usually you'd get a little fur or skin sample with something like
Scotch tape or a small scraping implement rather than try to get a rat
to hold still enough to be useful.
--Theresa
http://tiger_spot.mapache.org
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| Hank stalica |
Well, they are about 5 weeks old, so this may be normal for them.
They seem to be drinking and eating normally. I haven't found any scabs.
The stool looks like normal little rat raisins as far as I can see.
They seem to be plenty active.
Maybe I'm justing being a worry wart.
Best Regards,
--Hank
Tiger Spot wrote:
> On Mon, 10 Apr 2006 13:13:12 -0700, Hank stalica <me@nospam.net>
> wrote:
>
>> Is that normal?
>>
>> When they are in their cage it seems like they scratch a bit. When I
>> take them out, it's less, but they still occasionally do it.
>>
>> At what point should I get worried?
>
> The usual sign of trouble is suddenly scratching more than is normal,
> but if you don't have an idea of what's normal to compare to, that's
> not very useful. Instead, look for other signs of discomfort: do they
> have any scabs? are they eating and drinking normally? any stool
> discoloration?
>
> If they are scratching a great deal, they might have parasites. Not
> many rat parasites are visible to the naked eye, so if you're
> concerned you might want to have the vet check things out with a
> microscope.
>
>
> --Theresa
>
> http://tiger_spot.mapache.org
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