female rat with vaginal bleeding

Question
hello sandra, i have a female blue rat who is about a year and some months old. she's always been very healthy, about a week ago i noticed that her vaginal area smelled funny after i held her and smelled my hands. it's very swollen, i thought maybe she was in heat, i wasn't sure if rats go through that. sometimes it leaks this yellowish green secretion which is what causes the smell i think. today i wiped it and it proceeded to bleed a little. after wiping it again there was no more blood but i'm worried she might have some kind of infection. and if so, how did she get it? i don't have the funds to get her medicine so i am hoping it will clear up on its own. if not, are there any home remedies or over the counter human things that i can give her?

Answer

Hi Maressa


I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but for starters, female rats do NOT bleed when in heat. They go in heat every 5 days so therefore there is not enough time for the lining of the uterus to build up in order to be shed during menses, so this in turn means no bleeding or discharge at all during heat.

The bad news is that female rats that remain intact (Unspayed) are prone to a very dangerous infection known as pyometra. This causes vaginal bleeding, discharge and odor along with severe pain and swelling. It is a very disturbing infection to allow to go untreated and almost always will result in a painful death for the female that is not treated.  Treatment includes aggressive antibiotic therapy and sometimes once that is cured, spaying the rat to prevent relapse. The most important thing is to get her the right medication or she will no doubt suffer horribly.  I know times are tough for many people right now, but this is something that really needs attention and if not, you should consider putting her to sleep so she doesnt suffer. Most vets will do this for free if you truly cant afford the fee for euthanasia in order to put her out of misery.  I wish you the best and am sorry that there is no over the counter treatment for her but for something this serious, she needs medical attention from a vet that is well versed in rat care.