So, I've finally gotten a moment, and here's the newest on our little Dumbo rat.
After 2 months of trying to diagnose and treat the problem, our little rat keeps grooming herself to shreds. Granted, she isn't as scabby as she was when we got her, but she's still developing new scabs every week.
We thought her diet might be to blame. We brought her home and immediately put her on a new diet lower in protein and rife with fresh veggies. And of course, 1 or 2 yogies a day. That did nothing for her, except help to fatten her up a bit (which she needed anyway) and introduce her to new foods. So, not a total loss.
We thought it might be because her skin was dry and irritated.
- The first thing we tried was putting a great wheat germ/vitamin e salve that worked wonders for our other rat's dry skin. And if they licked it off, it was all natural, so no harm done. Not for this little girl. Sugar could not stand the salve on her skin, and wound up tearing herself up worse than we have ever seen, even when she first came to us. After 1 try of that, we ditched it.
- Then, still thinking it was dry skin, we bought a new, fancier humdifier (the old one was ultrasonic and this one is evaporative). We used it for a month with no noticeable change, other than her fur was softer and silkier.
We thought it might be that her nails are too long. We trimmed them, and that made a little bit of a difference, but she sharpened them up right away, so we have to keep on them every few days.
Then we figured it might be neurotic. I thought she might be bored, since she doesn't have a cagemate, and might be self-destructing. So, I started bringing her out more each day. She's getting 5-6 hours out instead of 2-3. She's content to find a hole and go to sleep.
I also cannot get her to play for anything. She doesn't have the playful spirit I'm familiar with. I figure that may part of it, so I've been trying new things with her to encourage her to play, explore, use her brain, etc. I think boredom may be a big part of her problems; she sleeps all the time, and is happier in her igloo than coming when I open the cage door so she can come out. To counter this I'm trying new training techniques and seeing if I can teach her new tricks.
She is a slow learner, but once she gets something she wants to do it over and over again. She's a good shoulder sitter, she'll run up my arm if I put it out for her, and she's learned to respond to her name. She still won't always come when I call her, which is why she isn't allowed to free range. If I can't find her, she needs to come when I call. I know it can be done, because of the success with my other girls, but like I said, she's a slow learner.
*Side Note* If I've ever seen an argument for buying rats in pairs, this is one. I honestly think that being isolated has done a great deal to affect her psyche. She didn't know how to nest, how to climb cage bars and has never had a buddy to cuddle with, fight with, groom or teach her things. (She did learn to nest and to climb cage bars, so that's good.) So, always, ALWAYS get your rats in pairs. *End Note*
Anyway, we're still working on her. The scabs have greatly diminished, but they're still there. I'm trying my hardest to figure out what is causing them. The combo of trimming her nails, making her work for her food and basically forcing her to exercise and the humidifier are what we've got her on now.
She may always be like this, but of course, I'd like her to be scab free. She's also got a patch of very thin hair on her left side, and it's just not growing back in. I don't think she's over-grooming, but I think she's a slow hair-grower (is that a word?) like Coda. I'm not sure what the inital hair loss is from, but it doesn't seme to be getting worse.
The Good News
She has discovered the amazing world of food. She's got a ton of new favorites, the top being cheese. She will do just about anything for a piece of cheese, so it's a great training tool.
She's also thoroughly pleased with her new food mix we started her on when we got her. She has started hoarding peanuts and her favorite crunchies. That's a great rattie trait she didn't have before.
She is extremely particular about her nesting now. Now that she's got a place to hide and plenty of bedding, she shores up the sides of her igloo with bedding nearly to the top and works countless hours perfecting it.
She has also potty trained herself incredibly well. She will not go, not even piddle, when she's out of the cage. And in the cage she will only go in a particular spot, so after 5-6 days it smells absolutely foul and I have to clean the cage. I cleaned the cage every 7 days with 3 girls! But she piddles in the same spot over and over until the bedding is soaked through. However, it's nice to cuddle her and not get a big wet spot.
All in all, it's a good thing to have her. I'm still trying to decide if we should attempt a buddy for her, or if she'll be more calm by herself. Maybe if I find another single rattie.
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