Help my rat is sick!

Question
I have a boy rat about 3 months old and I left for a day and when I came back he had what I first thought was a piece of poop stuck in his hair, but I realized that was on a bump! My first guess was tumor so I began to fret, my immediate reaction was to read up on tumors. So I did, and I decided it might be an abscess due to how quick it appeared. My other question is he has this dark dark scab over it like it popped partially so... What do I do, I can't afford the vet and yes I know you might say "you can't afford the vet you can't afford the pet" I am 13 and my parents are pre occupied with my dogs vet bills (he had heart worm) I am worried I don't want him to suffer but my dogs treatment cost like $800! I told them I would ask for nothing more and then I got rats and I only have like $40 to my name and I was wondering if you can put like ointment on the wound and maybe soak the wound in Epsom salt? Would that help? I also was wondering about another thing with this rat, he was fine one day and the next he was on a respiratory rage is there anything I can do to treat this inflammation in his throat? I am currently saving to get my female spayed so it's one or the other the girl or the boy? I really can't deal with this I'm only 13! Please help I'm scared and I don't know what to do!

Answer
I wont say that to you about affording the vet.  Your 13, I dont expect you to be able to afford to pay for vet bills. I admire you for taking care of your pets the best you can.  I am sure if your rat was very sick Mom and Dad would help out.  I am sorry your dog has heart worm. With treatment they can usually live a fairly normal life but it can add up in bills, thats for sure.

It sounds like the boy has an abscess like you thought! You want to remove some of the scab though, its dead tissue from the abscess. It will pop easier after that.  Also, if you can press under the lump and get the pus out, you can clean it with clear water, not anything else unless you have a bit of peroxide.  If so, add a spoonful of peroxide and three spoonfuls of water and put it on the wound once you get the pus out.  You have to press UNDER the lump to get the pus out.  You can pat it dry and add some antibiotic ointment to it like you asked. Do this a few times a day.

You said you have a girl rat you want spayed?  I hope you dont have them together, right?  

Spaying is several hundred dollars so its admirable you want to save for this, but if the rat has a respiratory infection, its more important you get medicine for that instead and worry about spaying a bit later, as long as you keep the two of them apart at all times. It only takes a few seconds for rats to mate and even if you are there and try to pull them apart, the damage may be done already.  I am sure you know this already since it sounds like you have done alot of reading to learn about rats, which is good!!   What makes you think the rat has something wrong with his throat?  Let me know and I will try to help you as much as I can.

You can read my website about rat care too.  I think you may like some of the pictures of the rats I have up. I also put pictures up of rats from people that write to me, and if they have something wrong with them, I like to use the photos to show people so they can learn from the photos on how to treat the problem too.  If you can take a photo of the rats abscess for me that would be great. You can send the pictures to my email at Sandyscrittercity@yahoo.com.  Even if you want to just send cute pictures of your rats thats fine too!