Self-Sabotage?

Question
QUESTION: My rat is a little over two years old.  Her sister/companion from the same litter was put down two months ago for having a large mammary tumor.  This rat, however, has no noticeable tumors.  But, do rats go crazy in old age?
We noticed two days ago that she had what looked like dry blood on her paws.  We thought she was biting them.  Today, we noticed her neck is completely raw with pus all over it, and now her neck is swollen.  I'm not sure if she is hurting herself or not, but that is our concern: do rats self-sabotage in a good, safe, environment?

Thank you very much.

ANSWER: Hi Brianna

Your little old girl rat needs a vet right away. It sounds as if she has a staph infection of the skin or possibly an abscess that has opened and is taking over her chest. I wish I could see a photo so I can really say what it may be rather than try to get a visual in my head.

Rats usually can mourn and be depressed after losing a cagemate which in turn lowers their immune system. Self mutilation is not common, however, unless,for example, an animal has found itself trapped by its leg or tail and the only chance of survival is to chew through their own limb to free themselves, but to actually chew their own skin up etc...other than over grooming themselves is pretty rare in a healthy normal environment as you stated above.

Also, your rat is not that old. A two year old rat is equal to a 55 to 60 year old human, so actually she is not even that old. If she were 3 years old she would be 90 years old which,in that case, I would say you would see signs of being a senior rat, such as being tired or becoming tired easier than normal, their fur is not as shiny and full and may be balding, even their bone structure seems to change a bit and it is not uncommon for them to have problems with their hind legs and decreased mobility. They may also have impaired vision, such as cataracts. Being senile to the point they forget their way or do not recognize their cage mate or owner has never been documented and being senile to the point of self mutilation has also never been documented so I would have to say its just not a common thing in rats. Birds are known to do something like that, but not rats.

Either way, she needs treatment. I would clean her off really well using an antiseptic such as diluted betadine, or a special cleanser such as novalsan or even hibicleanse which is over the counter. Dilute it of course in water and saturate a cotton ball, wringing it out over her chest. The pus, are they coming from lumps? Could she have an abscess on her chest that has opened and that is what your seeing?

Is there an odor? What color is the pus/drainage?
Next, rub her with neosporin or a generic triple antibiotic ointment.

Let me know how it looks once its cleaned up...if its an abscess that is draining, she probably will heal with at home treatment, but if this is related to a skin disorder, it could be a very dangerous skin infection such as pyoderma, and this needs treated by a vet or it could prove deadly.

Check this photo out below (from THE RAT GUIDE,respectively)
Is what she has anything at all like the rat in the photo?

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j71/sugarfoxx/MY%20SPACE%20%20SHIT/pyoderma.jp

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I cleaned out her cage and noticed she has lost a considerable amount of weight.  Also, when I picked her up, she would squeal softly, as if she had achy or painful joints.  She has no open wounds or ulcers like the picture you linked but her face is noticeably swollen and is very wet and saturated under her chin and neck area.  There is a very foul odor in the room where she lives.  I think she is having trouble eating because her mouth sounds swollen and I dont think she can even open it anymore.  She now drinks water by pushing the ball in the water bottle up with her nose and I guess slurping up whatever comes out.  I even put a bunch of shredded cheese in her cage and she doesnt seem to be eating it.  The foul odor and swollen face, which seemed to have appeared almost overnight has me very worried.  I'll try to include some pictures to help you clarify this for me.  Thank you very much for your help and insight.

Answer
Brianna

This is a pretty nasty infection probably from an abscess. Do you see a lump anywhere that is draining?

She should get to a vet pretty fast or this can turn into sepsis and take her life pretty fast. Oral antibiotics should do the trick (broad spectrum aggressive treatment)

If you need a vet please let me know and I will find one for you right away.