The Rat Room

All rats secrete an oil on their skin called sebum. In the rat community we call that buck grease as it’s way more common on males. This usually occurs when the male is very hormonal or is feeling a general malaise and has stopped grooming himself. This is not a sign of bugs or high protein, it’s too much oil secretion. You could gently clean your rat but constant bathing will actually make him produce more buck grease. Giving your little guy some olive oil once in a while can help him keep a cleaner, shinier coat.