my pet rat, Mrs. BIbbelsworth

Question
I just sent a question to the other name and I forgot to include that my rat has been sneezing  blood from her nose, since I got her,  my son was taking care of her but he wasn't cleaning her cage enough and he developed allergies to her so I took over since I have been caring for her she has not been sneezing blood from her nose and I have cleaned her cage every week and she gets a gentle bath, then I apply anti biotic ointment on sores she gets on her back.  I t has spread down to her tail and she now has a sore on her nose as well as worse sores on her back,  She also has a cyst  or clogged gland, it is a lump in one of her tits.  What can I do?  Thanks so much

Answer
That sounds like a mammary tumor as well as probably mites, which is causing the itching, which is causing the scabbing. Clip her toenails and take her into the vet to have a skin scraping done to check for mites. When it comes back positive, they'll put her on anti-parasiticals and that should take care of the major skin issues. The lump should ideally be removed; and I'd suggest asking for a quote on that. The porphin (blood-like substance) from her nose may be from the stress of these two things at once, or it could be the beginning of an upper respiratory infection. Either way; I suggest a wellness check at your vet, who can help you with all of these things.