wound licking

Question
hey there!
i have a 2 year old male standard named Gimpy. months ago a lump started forming on his left side just about on his hip area. it has gradually gotten larger, but thats not what i concerned about.

what concerns me is that he has taken to licking the bump and now it has turned in to a large open sore. i try my best to keep it clean and apply antibiotic ointment to it but he just licks it off!

im extremely frustrated at this point and am at a loss as to what to do next. i just spent hundred bux at the vet for another rat and frankly, i dont have another hundred to spend.

do you have any suggestions for what i could do to stop him from licking the wound long enough for it to have tie to heal over?

please and thank you in advance :)

Answer
This sounds like a tumor that has abscessed. What you should do is have it removed by a qualified vet...but for now, since you have stated that it may be a bit tough to swing as far as seeing a vet goes, you need to clean it out. I see your using the ointment, so what you should do is also clean it out using an antiseptic solution such as hibiclens *found at Walmart at a good cheap price!*  DONT USE PEROXIDE unless you absolutely have no choice, and if you do, dilute it using a cap of the peroxide and three capfuls of water. Not diluting this can cause damage to their delicate tissue.  Anyhow, make a soapy solution for the rat using hibiclens. Take a cotton ball, squeeze it out over the wound, rinse it doing the same thing (squeeze cotton ball saturated with clean warm water) repeat again if you need to. Apply the neosporin ointment and keep him busy for at least 5 minutes for the stuff to absorb. Dab off the excess (it wont hurt if he licks it) but the part about him licking it wont really hurt as long as you keep using the hibiclens. Do this at least three times a day.  Also, keep his cage super clean. Remove all litter/bedding from the cage bottom and make him a litter pan, keeping the litter ONLY in the litter pan/tray.  Should he poop outside the box, put the little turds in the litter pan. He will soon get the idea. No matter how old they are, they can be litter box trained. Refer to my site, sandyscrittercity.com for info on rat care along with info on tumors, abscesses and litter box training too.