Hey! Looking for anyone with rat knowledge at all.
I recently picked up three 11 week old female rats from a breeder. At least I was told they were all female.
One seems to have a suspicious bugle at the base of the tail (that wasn't noticeable the first two days I had him/her) is it possible the rat is female and in heat? Or still just growing? Only weighs 84 grams and is tiny.
If male I will be going down the route of neutering, so my second question is how safe is the procedure? Sometimes you hear horror stories about rats going under.
All advice is much appreciated. Thanks!
Pic related
i just got my rat neutered and it's not as easy as i thought it would be. he was pretty miserable for awhile. and now after 6 weeks he developed a sterile abscess which is pretty common with neuters. he's going to the vet tomorrow but idk, this whole thing sucked.
There's already a rat general you could've posted in.
You would definitely know if they were male by now. It's likely an abscess, tumor, or similar. There's really nothing you can do about it besides taking them to the vet to determine if it's malignant or not.
Also, don't neuter small animals unless you have to. It really isn't worth the money, is pretty risky, and it puts a lot of unnecessary stress on the rat.
>>2086559
>risky
How can they fuck up snipping off some balls that bad.
One of my rats got sick and his cage mate ATE his fucking balls overnight.
Woke up to a limp and wheezing rat with a bloody hole on his ass.
He fucking recovered and lived to 4 years in all.
The psycho cannibal ended up snake food after he mangled another rat's hand out of nowhere.
>>2086564
>How can they fuck up
Hmm, let's see.
>experienced small animal surgeons are common and easy to find
>putting animals under anesthesia is perfectly safe
>putting animals that weigh less than a pound under anesthesia is safe
>performing surgery on something less than a pound is easy and safe
Also, what happened was more likely the rat ate his own balls off because of his illness. He was probably in pain. Rodents will also chew themselves up if they're housed inappropriately, given nothing to do, stressed, or their needs not met.
>>2086576
>ate his own balls
Not saying you're wrong but psycho rat was actively munching on the last 1/4 of a nut while sick rat twitched and squeaked when I got up.
Also psycho was a dumbo. I can't stand dumbo rats.
>>2086564
Anesthesia is the riskiest part. These guys are extremely small to be put under and easily die under the knife. Anesthesia isn't just one shot and then done, you have to continue it and monitor it. Then there's the whole risk of the reversal, too
>>2087007
Or, y'know, local and a very tiny burdizzo.
>>2086994
Dumbo isn't a breed. Dumbo rats are all different. It has literally zero to do with the rat's temperament. It's like saying you can't stand dogs with floppy ears.
>>2087112
You just tried to argue that my irrational dislike of a phenotype is wrong because of an incorrect assertion that I did not make.
I know it's a meme and all, but are you actually autistic?
>>2087863
You made it sound like you thought dumbo rats had a certain personality. You're the one who's fired up about rat ears.
>>2086557
This thread is getting pretty off topic. There is indeed a rat general here you can post in :)
Never gotten a rat neutered or spayed but I've heard good things, see if you can find a good vet. You can try contacting rat breeders or shelters and see if there's a vet they use.
If it was male you would have known. Take her to the vet as it's probably a tumor or abcess, most rats don't get tumors until they're older so you might want to talk to the breeder. I wouldn't buy from them again.
This is probably de fact general now. I need help. I just examined my rat and found a hairless, blooded patch on her neck. What could it be? First my other rat died from cancer and now this?
>>2089276
>I need help. I just examined my rat and found a hairless, blooded patch on her neck. What could it be?
Mites.
http://www.ratfanclub.org/skin.html
>>2089410
Looks about right. But there's no vet nearby that specializes on rats. Would over-the-counter dog or cat medicine help?
>>2089498
Break its neck and get a new one.
>>2089223
It reached bump limit.
I really wouldn't suggest it. It's risky and extremely stressful to the animal. It's not fair to make an animal go through that and risk death just in the hopes that it *could* get along better with female cagemates.
>>2089276
You should google before you ask people. It's a very simple google search and a very common ailment. But yes, it's probably mites or lice. You can treat it with oral ivermectin paste made for horses. The dose is about a grain of rice sized bit.
By the way, I hope you're planning on getting the remaining rat another friend.
>>2089719
Yes, I googled some medicine recomendations, but I wanted a second opinion.
I plan on buying my rat a new friend, but I'm not sure it's wise until I deal with mites so they don't spread.
>>2089718
Seconded, I wouldn't bother getting a rat nuetered and definately not spayed, not unless they were extremely hormonal and aggressive. Possibly also if I had a lone male I wanted to introduce to other females. They're too small and fragile under anesthetic for it to be worth it otherwise.
>>2089719
If they came to you with lice I'd definately not go to them again, what sort of "breeder" were they? People use the term to cover anything from "oops" litters to breeding for snake food. Did you get to see the conditions they were bred in or the parents?
>>2089733
If you meant to reply to my post about buying a new friend, I don't think she came with parasites, unless lice have hibernated for nine months. My older rats never shown any signs either.
>>2086557
Our rat just died yesterday.
Post picture of bulge?
I was in a similar situation OP, thought I had females but within a couple weeks one of them got a testicle-like bulge near the base of the tail. It turns out she had megacolon, the bulge was constipated shit. Had to put her down, was pretty sad.
>>2090071
Or just post a picture of the whole genital area, it's pretty easy to tell gender even without taking balls into account.
>>2089747
Well, for the living ones, you need to cover up those wire levels.
>>2089733
Lice are pretty common. Regardless, I'm sure where OP got them is better than where petco gets them. Some rats never show symptoms and lice can live in bedding, hay, and can survive off the rats for a pretty long time. All rats from petstores have lice, usually.
Since my rat itched herself to actually have visible sores, would you advice disinfecting them? They dried, no bleeding already when I noticed them, but still.
>>2090334
You can use plain old (unscented) antibacterial soap and water. Most of the time, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol betadine or similar is extremely unpleasant and unnecessary for all but serious wounds. It's unlikely your rat will have any problems; rats heal fast and unless they're very bad, you shouldn't really have to do anything for them. If you notice anything particularly inflamed (redness, puffiness, oozing puss), you can apply a thin coat of neosporin on them twice daily after gently cleaning them with soap and water.
It's much more important you handle the source of the itching than the wounds. She'll probably be just fine.
>>2089719
Ivermectin is good stuff. Very cheap, just visit a farm supply store.
Word of caution: it's very easy to give them too much, so be very careful.
>>2090374
I opted to borrow a drop from my mom's dog, if I'm not mistaken it's called Revolution in US. Some forums recommend it. Will see if it does any good.
>>2089498
get some ivermectin (like durvet ivermectin horse dewormer). decanter into a container and stir, as the ivermectin isnt uniformly spread throughout the gel.
Once stirred, take a q-tip and rub a tiny amount behind the rats ears. ivermectin, while harmless in small quantities for rats and humans alike, turns the blood toxic for any creature that feeds on blood. Remember to change their bedding and dose them one more time a week later to ensure that any hatchlings get killed as well.
>>2090407
you can also use the gel orally (as previously mentioned by another poster).
>>2090334
Do you have any idea why she itches? It could be mites, or she is bored. Does he have a cagemate? Rats sometimes self-groom too much when they're left alone, causing missing patches of fur and sores.
They heal super quick though, you won't need to do anything if the area isn't infected.
>>2090389
I would use the cat formula, as it is a lower concentration and you should only need a drop or two. Be sure to look up dosages.
>>2091323
Pic related.
