Rat - Bruised Tail???

Question
Hello, my rat had his tail pinched in his cage door about 1 week ago, only for a second.  (Poor guy :-( )  Last night I noticed that the bottom 2" of his tail is very bruised looking (dark blue) and the very end seems flat, not rounded.  His feet are nice and pink and he has a good appetite and is drinking well and does not seem to be bothering his tail, but I am concerned and not sure what to do.  Could this just be a bruise that will heal eventually or is it a more serious problem?  He is an older rat, but in good health overall.  Any suggestions?  Thank you so much!

Answer
Hi Shannon

Its hard to say if it is a bruise but keep an eye on it. Tails are really an extension of the rats vertebrae so we are dealing with some bone here too.  What can happen with an tail injury is that it can become degloved, where the skin may sheer away from the bone and tissue and it can turn black, which is necrotic, or dead tissue. This will dry up and fall off leaving your rat with a bit less of a tail and proably a blunt end to it as well. Is it sore at all? Notice any rawness to the end?  You can apply some antibiotic ointment to it and watch it, but the vet will just want to amputate the end off and it most likely will dry up on its own and fall off as long as there is no infection it should be ok.