Male Rat Problem

Question
My 6 month old male rat Ben has one testicle up in his abdomen. Is this normal? My other male rat Beezy has both of his down by his tail. Should I be concerned? You can definitely see the bulge in his lower abdomen especially when he stands up in his cage. He is eating, drinking, and playing fine. What should I do? Thanks

Answer
Hi

He needs a vet and probably neutered.  His testicle is undescended which can present problems in the long run. Its better to get it taken care of before trouble starts. Rats have an open inguinal canal so its easy for their testicles to be drawn up. Sometimes both are drawn up and can confuse a novice rat owner into thinking they have a female rather than a male!  Neuters can also be done either through the abdomen or scrotum because of this, also.

The vet MUST be very experienced with rats and rat surgery for the neuter but all in all, its pretty routine.  If you need names of good vets please let me know your location and I will happily give you names of good vets to help you little guy.