Pet Rat Strange Growth

Question
My Niece has a pet rat that she has had for a long time now. In the last couple of weeks, the rat has grown a strange growth on the left side of her nose. It started out like a small red scab looking growth but now has grown into a giant black-red infestation. I was thinking a type of cancer but was very unsure. It is covering her left eye now. What is this and what can we do about it?

Answer
Dear Scott,
thank you for your question.
Please see a rodent vet with the rats as soon as possible. If it really it a tumor, there a good chance that it has already grown inwards, putting pressure on the eye and possibly the brain. The rat may be in pain, even if it behaves normally (they hide pain instinctively).
Only a vet can tell you what exactly is wrong and what to do about this. You can find good rat vets here:
www.rmca.org/Vets
http://www.ratfanclub.org/vetref.html
I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer