# Red scaley tail



## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

This cutie has a problem on her tail. this isn't a great pic...it's rough, flaky and red, and none of the other does have a sign of the same thing. She's in a separate little tank as of last night, while I consider the problem and figure out what to do.

She's going to get a corn and wheat free diet. I've seen this sort of thing before, and the first thing I'm doing ois treating with Iver-On, which should take care of any tiny live stock or mange. The other thing I'll consider is fungus...this would need ointment, not powder, I think.

Any thoughts?


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

When we bred rats, we'd see this every now and then, when it got really dry. Tail rot and ring tail in rats seems be be caused by really low humidity. I'd be really surprised if that's your problem, but it looked too similar for me not to say something.

That said, it seems odd to get a fungus on the whole of the tail, and not under the fur. Perhaps bitter-tasting lotion with the powder mixed in would work as a way to deliver the meds if it is the problem, though.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Yes, dry tissue disease is one of the things I thought of also. It's caused by low humidity, and infections are secondary and completely opportunistic. I had this with some meeces years ago, and it can become a real problem when it spreads to the trunk. I also suspect it's aggravated by something in the diet or bedding, which is why I said I was changing her diet. I might try her on shredded newsprint if she doesn't improve in the next couple of days.

Thanks for your consideration of my problem.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

This young doe's tail has improved quite a bit with the wheat free diet and the anti-itch creme I'm massaging into it every day. It seems to absorb quite thoroughly, but I keep her out and distracted, running around on my person for 20 or 30 minutes after treating her. Besides she's living alone, and needs the company. Then I wipe the tail gently a bit, and put her back in her tank.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Oh, wow! That does look really good, compared to how it did! Do you know which helped more? Will you try to put her back on the old diet once she's healed up, to see if it comes back?


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

I'm not sure about the diet; I might discontinuing using wheat entirely. I'm going to treat her with ointment but I might switch to using just plain petrolatum. Her sisters all have little reddened scratches on their tails, but no inflammation like she had. I don't know where those little wounds are coming from and they aren't just cracks in the skin, which would go straight across, they are at all different angles. There's not a lot of that, but enough to make me wonder.


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