umbilical hernia

Question
Hi Sandy!  My rats are actually on your friend list on myspace.  I had Velvet and now Wednesday and Cashmere plus 2 new babies.  One of the new babies just presented with an umbilical hernia.  I am able to push it back in but it pops right back out.  It is quite big for you tiny size. I'm wondering if surgery for these on rats is successful.  I see the vet in a couple days, but I am curious.  Thanks for your knowledge!

Answer
Hi Breanna!

Yes I remember beautiful Velvet!! She was so lovely!!

I have to ask, how old is the baby rat that your asking about?
Usually umbilical hernias subside before birth but in some cases,they dont.   Its not common though for these to occur, but they usually are not harmful at all.

The vet may just want to watch it for a while because anesthesia at a young age is very risky.  I would only use a vet that has uber experience with rodents.  Exotic vets are the best bet in most cases but even a vet that has an extreme interest and devotion to exotics, namely companion mammals, may have the proper implements needed to care for a rat this young.  Again, I doubt they will risk anesthesia at this age and just watch it for now.  I would be leary otherwise about letting them operate at all, since they usually correct themselves as the rat gets older.

My advice is of course if you want to get it checked, thats fine, but letting the vet operate to fix it is pretty much unheard of.