tail tumor??

Question
Hello, I have three female mice that I have had as pets for about 11 months. On Tuesday, I was peeting them and playing with them, all was fine. On Wednesday eveining, I was feeding them and noitce a growth on ones tail at the end. It is not hard but not soft either and it came on very fast within 24 hours. It is the same color as the tail and about a pinky tip big. Any sugestions on what this might be or how to treat it?  Thank ou so much for your help.

Answer
Hi JoNell,

It would surprise me if the bump was a tumor, especially since it came about so quickly, and my guess is actually an internal injury resulting in swelling and an accumulation of body fluid.  Is there anything in the cage she might have caught her tail in and broken or injured it?  Even if there aren't any marks on the skin, she could have hurt it internally.

I would recommend keeping a close eye on it and phoning a vet if it does not go down over the next two weeks, grows, or starts to look infected (if the skin breaks or if it starts to discolor).  Since it's all internal at the moment and very localized at the one spot, her body should just take care of it on its own.  If it continues to grow very quickly, it *could* be a tumor, in which case I would recommend calling your local vets and seeing if anyone would be willing to remove it, but I really don't think it's cancer since it did happen so quickly.  Check your cage for any spots that might pinch or catch a tail in the meantime, and she should be okay.

Hope she feels better soon!
-Tam