another question for seasoned rat owners

[f1rocky]

Hello all,
I have a male rat who will be 2 years old in January. I was told to expect his health to decline around this time in his life, but he seems to be as chipper as ever. The one troubling thing these days is his skin condition. He has always been prone to "hot spots" so I try to keep him from eating too much protein in his diet. He used to have about 2 to 5 "spots" that he would scratch a lot. Now he is covered in little red soars. He scratches all the time and doesn't appreciate my petting him like he used to. I don't know if he is in pain, but he sure seems uncomfortable. He also seems to be balding and I don't know if this is from age or the spots. Is there anything I can give him or take out of his diet to help this? Is it possibly stress? he does have four younger brothers. Maybe I should separate him from the other guys? Are there any skin treatments out there that may help relieve the itchiness for him? PLease let me know if your ratties have ever experienced this and what you did to help.
Thank you so much
-Sarah

[ratty_ratkins]

my rats once lost hair and got scabs, but that was because they had mites. I have heard that scabbs on rats my be due to a food allergy. older rats do tend to lose hair. i dont know if you should Separate him from the young ones or not. You don’t want him lonely. Does it seem like the little rats pester him at all?

[f1rocky]

Yes the little guys do pester him, but he is tough and fights right back. They all look up to him to teach them the ways of the house. They follow his lead on adventures and wait for him to investigate new toys.
I guess I should take him to the vet to check and see if what he has is a mite infestation? I don't see any, can you see the mites? Is there an over the counter medication? none of the other guys have the scab problem. How do you figure out if your rat has a food allergy and how do you go about feeding them all differently? seperate them during dinner time
Thank you for your reply, I appreciate the help
-Sarah

[Christy]

Hi Sarah,

I would have him checked for mites. Mites are not visible to the human eye, but lice are. Are the scabs mostly around his neck and head area? If so then it most likely is mites. If he has them all your boys will need to be treated, even if they aren't showing symptoms.