My Rat Herbie

Question
I recently bought a 1 yr. old rat from a pet store and he has been a joy to have and loveable too. a week after i got him i noticed he had a pea size lump on left side of belly by left leg. the next week it had gotten bigger, its about the size of a golf ball almost. its slightly firm but a little soft and has a light purplish color. Ive had one person tell me it looks like a hernia yet im not sure if its that or and abcess or what. it hinders his movement some but doesn't seem to bother him and he also sleeps alot. is there anything i can do to help him until i can find a vet that has knowledge about rats. thank you Donna from wisconsin

Answer
I've actually never heard of a hernia on a rat.  It sounds to me like either a tumor or an abcess.  It's not perfectly clear but it sounds like you were saying it grew from a pea size to a golf ball size in about a week.  If that is the case, it's more likely an abcess since tumors are a little slower growing (a tumor would normally grow from a pea to golf ball size in about 2 months).

I hope for your sake and his that it is an abcess as it can easily be drained by a vet or may drain naturally on its own.  But you do need to take him in as soon as possible to a good exotic vet.  If it turns out to be a tumor, it needs to be removed or he will die within the next couple of months, based on it's current size.  Even though most tumors that rats get are benign, when they get to be very large, they pretty much suck everything out of the rat and take over his body.  It's very sad to watch this happen to your beloved pet...I recently went through this with my female rat and I had her put down before the tumor got too large and only when I saw that her quality of life was gone.  Be aware however that tumor surgery can run you anywhere from $200 to $300.

There is really nothing you can do for him right now at home to help him except if his walking is hindered, make his home as comfortable as possible by moving all his food and water where he can easily reach it without having to go too far.

If you need help locating an exotic vet in your area, please tell me what city you live in or the nearest large city and I will be happy to check my sources for you.