Rat - strange cut and bump

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I didn't know if you knew things about rats, but the other veternarians are on vacation, and I couldn't find anywhere else to turn to.

Before I go on saying anything else, I need to tell you about our vet in the next town over.  First of all, they charge around 100$ just for a checkup, and then keep adding on from there, whether it be for using pieces of material (gauze, antibacterial stuff, etc) or whether they do tests or things like that.  It will probably rack up to more than 200$ and I can't afford that. I have no job (I'm injured and have no income) and I just don't have the money to spend on "just a checkup" when they ended up killing two of my rats the other times.  Which leads me to another point, they "don't do" small rodents.  They won't accept rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets, you name it.  They take random guesses on what they should do for a small rodent if it's brought in.

Anyway, my question is this.  I have a male rat, he's between two and three years old, very healthy (although a bit over weight and has dandruff problems), and a very happy rat.  His cagemates died a few months ago, and I didn't want to get any more rats, since it's like a never ending cycle where they get sick, die, then you get more. The one I have now has the early signs of the upper respiratory disease, which is how almost every other rat I've had has died.

When I was cuddling him tonight, I picked him up to put him back and I noticed that he has a bump and a superficial cut close to his penis. I couldn't get a really good look since he was struggling in my hands, but it almost looked like an abscess or maybe a piece of skin that had been bitten or pulled up.  There wasn't any blood or anything, and he didn't seem like he was in any pain or anything like that.  Since I can't afford the 200$ + for the vet in the next town, what would you suggest I do..? How can I clean it without whatever I use hurting him or making him sick, and what should I watch for to make sure it isn't an abscess or a tumor? Are there any other tips or suggestions you can give me for this problem? And if you can't help me, or don't know what to do in this situation, is there a way that you can get someone else to help me? It's really important.. :(

Thankyou for your time and patience.
Sincerely;
Julzy

ANSWER: Hi Julzy,
I know it's tough finding a vet nowadays that will do anything for a pocket pet. And the prices that they charge are incredible. I worked for a wonderful man for 17 yrs that would charge a kid $5 to see his rat, but the child had to pay for it himself-Mom couldn't help. He was teaching some very responsible lessons that way.

We saw a lot of tumors in rats, and they generally look like big fatty lumps on the rat.
If he has a cut near his penis, then the lump could be an abscess forming or just some irritated tissues. Remember that I am not a vet either, so I am only guessing what might be going on.

If you can gently clean it with a Qtip dipped in some warm water you might be able to better see what is going on with it.
It is risky putting anything on a cut like this that the rat could lick off. A little Vaseline jelly on it won't hurt the rat and might make it heal faster by keeping it soft.

One thing you might want to do is call or take your rat to a pet store and ask them what you can do with something like this. The pet store owner here is pretty knowledgeable about how to care for rodents so you might want to give that a try- or at least call one.

That is about all I can tell you at this point. Don't use any peroxide on it or any creams or ointments with things that could be toxic to the rat.

I hope you find an answer and please let me know how he is doing in a few days.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello,

Thank you very much for your answer :3  I WAS able to take him to the vet, and it so happens that a friend of mine was working there, and she told me to use peroxide and water (1 part peroxide, five parts water) to clean his wound, and then to use polysporin on the cut. She said that if he licked it off, the worst it would do was give him the runs, but he's a little chubby so he couldn't reach down there anyway lol.

It's been almost a week, and with antibiotics twice a day, and two cleanings/polysporin changes a day, he's doing fantastic.  He's back to eating, he isn't as lethargic as he was (there was a point in time you could really tell he was sick - he was moping, didn't move around, and just kind of slept when i had to clean him up) and he looks quite happy.  The cut is almost all healed up, and there shouldn't be any more problems with it.  I think it may have been an abscess.

I've also bought three baby rats for him, since his other cagemates passed away and he's quite lonely.  Once he's all healed up and better, I'll introduce them to him, and hopefully he'll perk right up and now be so depressed and down any more :3

Anyway, thanks again for your advice and help.  Where I live, there aren't many rodent owners, so the only people I can rely on for help are on the internet.  I just thought that I'd thank you and let you know how he was doing in a followup, since I can't send personal emails or anything.  He's fine, and doing great :) Thank you again, for everything <3

Sincerely;
Julzy <3

Answer
Thanks for letting me know. I am very glad that he is doing better. I can't tell you how fond I am of rats. I just love them. My daughter had one growing up and I sobbed when I had to put her down. It was so hard on me. That is why I don't keep one myself.

I think that was sweet that you bought him some friends, just make sure they are not females!! I have to be careful what I "suggest" to anyone in here since I am not a vet. If I told someone something and their animal was harmed by it that would be very bad for everyone concerned.

Anyway, you are welcome but thank you for writing back.
Jana