Is it normal for pet rats to scratch alot?

I have a 7 month old female pet rat and she scratches behind her ears alot. Is that normal? Also i just found her a cagemate which is another female but she is about 2 months old and i just introduced them a couple days ago and now they are in a cage togeather. How do i know if they are fighting or just playing? They look like they are wrestling then my older rat holds the other one down and cleans her. Is it just wrestling?Is it normal for pet rats to scratch alot?
You should definitely look into it. Excessive scratching that leaves scabs and scratches usually means that there is something wrong. There are a couple of things that it could be:


-lice


-mites


-diet


If it's lice or mites you can ask your vet for some Ivermectin to clear it up. You will have to treat her a couple of times in case the parasites have laid eggs that will hatch later. As soon as she is treated (along with her cage-mate just in case) clean their cage thoroughly with a bleach solution and make sure it is dry and their is no smell or residue before you get your girls back in there. You are going to have to freeze your bedding and any toys as well, which is usually a good idea anyway since they can come from the pet store infected with parasites or pick them up along the way.





If it's diet related you'll want to remove any high protein foods from her food (soybeans, sunflower seeds, other seeds and nuts). There are some really great home-made rattie recipes online that are higher fiber and cheap to make in bulk!





Best of luck!





P.S. to non rat lovers: please be respectful and do not speak unkind words about our pets who we love! If you think that rats are dirty, stupid or disgusting then perhaps you should do a little research instead of just stereotyping. It's just as prejudiced as calling all blonds stupid or all African Americans criminals.Is it normal for pet rats to scratch alot?
CongRATulations on getting Best Answer Atilla :)

Report Abuse

i don't know either.I just got a female rat and I've also noticed the scratching.I wonder if it's lice.
Check for lice!
My hamsters scratch alot, it's normal. They are just playing, mine do the same thing.
check for lice.....
Rats love the water fill tub and give him a good bath w/h


some formulated shampoo for Rats skin allergies.


He could just have bad skin.That is something you can cure by the diet he's on.Good healthy food makes for healthy skin and coat:)Good Cheers!
Its normal for rats to scratch themselves allot. You can always check if she has lice, and if she does you can treat it.





When rats are wrestling with each other their is a way to tell if its play full or signs of dominance. When they are playing they will pin down one and other and often clean each other. Mutual cleaning is very common and good since the other can get the hard to reach spots. The other rat may squeak to say ';that's enough';. When they are fighting and stand still and go nose to nose they are simply showing who is the dominant one. This is fine as long the the dominant rat doesn't make the other rat bleed.





Just keep an eye out for injuries but it sure sounds like your rats are just being very play full.





Grats on getting him a cage mate :)
eeewwwww rats? they are :





-nasty


-stinky


-harmfull


-stupid


-noisy


-snake food


-ugly


-creepy


-idiots


-pieces of sh1t


-dirty


-full of diseases


-cat food


ect.....





i hope i helped