pet rat skin

Question
I adopted Gus three weeks ago. He had been kept with a few other females. I noticed right away he had a few bites on his neck area. It seems worse now. There are black scabs and his skin is reddish. I am concerned this could be more than a small laceration. Should he see the vet soon? Other than that he seems just fine, no other symptoms.Doesn't seem to hurt when i touch it. Thank you for your time!

Answer
If there's no noticeable infection at this time; try to keep the area somewhat clean (free of bedding/debris and crusted on gunk) and try not to bother it too much unless it begins to ooze, change colors, swell, or look overly "angry". If any of those symptoms appear, or if he develops new symptoms like coat change (standing on end, puffy), respiratory distress, excessive mucus/porph, change in eating or drinking habits or mood swings (aggression or lethargy), you should see a vet. Most minor bites tend to heal without much maintenance.

You can dab a bit of triple antibiotic cream on it to help it heal a bit faster. If it seems to be infected (which right now it just seems a bit angry, not necessarily infected); course of action is oral antibiotics that can be obtained from your vet.


Good luck!