Lump on belly

Question
today when i went to pick up my rat on the right side of its stomach it had 2 lumps 1 of which was very large in size. the lump was covered in hair and has just appeared in the last week. what would this be and will it need taken to the vets.
i have another 2 rats in the cage with her all sisters and are all albino rats. i also have a another female rat living in the cage above hers.

yours sincerely
Courtney

Answer
There are two possible things these lumps could be.

1) tumors, which are very common in female rats and are generally fast growing and usually benign (not always the case, but usually). They can be removed through simple surgery that usually ranges in the $100-$400 price bracket. I suggest having your doe spayed while she's under, to help prevent the re-growth of tumors.

2) cysts/boils, which are basically an infection that has begun to swell up that localized area. Your vet will be able to tell the difference by aspirating the lumps to see if they are fluid filled or matter filled. If they're cysts/boils, they can be lanced (popped), cleaned out, and your rat will be started on antibiotics to prevent reinfection.

You can do some self-sleuthing by feeling these lumps and determining if they're soft and squishy or hard/firm to touch. Soft and squishy but non-painful to the rat generally means it's a type of fatty tumor, painful indicates that it's probably a cyst or boil, and hard is usually a tumor.

Good luck.