Rat lumps

Question
I have two male rats and one has two lumps a small one on his shoulder and a large one behind his front leg. i have been to the vets and they have said the smaller one could be a cyst and the larger one could be a fatty lump and to go back if they change, the small one has now scabbed and the big one is getting bigger, i dont want to take him back to the vets as he is old and does not like to be handled so it is very stressful for him. I was just woundering if you can give me any advice please.
Thank you

Answer
Sounds like he may have an abscess (the one that is scabbing over) but the one that is growing is probably a mammary tumor.

The one on the shoulder would be the abscess.  THe one behind the front leg is in the prime spot for mammary glands and this is what he probably has.  They are easily removed, almost always benign and not cancerous, and in males, they dont usually grow back like they do in females.  However, I would let only a skilled exotic surgeon remove it.


I would be leary about returning to a vet that cannot tell the difference between an abscess and a mammary tumor and compare them with cysts and fatty lumps.  These are not commonly seen in rats like mammary tumors are.   If you would like the opinion of a vet that knows more about exotics I would be glad to give you some names.

As for the one with the scab, try to remove the scab and let me know if pus doesnt come gushing out.  If so, it needs cleaned with saline solution and antibiotic ointment applied.  Let me know what happens.