Brown Growth on Belly

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I have two rats that are almost 2 years old. They are both male, living in a wire cage with bedding made from recycled newspapers turned into pellets (called Yesterday's News).  I just noticed tonight that the dumbo rat has a brown growth on his belly next to his rear right leg.  I am assuming it's a tumor because I have heard that a lot of rats die of cancer.  Other than taking him to a vet, is there anything else I can do?

Thanks

ANSWER: Hi Marianne

Besides mycoplasmal respiratory disease, more pet rats die of kidney failure than any thing else, and this includes cancer.  Most rats that develop tumors are mammary in nature and usually benign, so the case of cancer being a high cause of death in rats is unwarranted, so you can rest easier.

Now about this growth...is it flat on the skin or do you feel a mass under it? Is the brown spot flat or raised and is there a texture and is it smooth? In other words, is it flat like a freckle or is it raised up and lumpy, like a piece of , say, cauliflower. Ew....that was not an image I wanted to instill in anyones head, but its a pretty good analogy  I think....LOL!

There are alot of things it could be, from a cyst or abscess to squamous cell tumors....so for me to be able to form a visual of what this growth looks like I need to ask those few questions first. A photo would be great too so if you have one, you can email it to Askcritterkeeper@yahoo.com

I will check back later on for your response and we can go  from there.

Hang in there

Sandy

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

QUESTION: Hi Sandy,

Can a male rat develop a mammary tumor?

It's a lump, definitely not flat.  It's got some texture to the top of it, and it's somewhat hard.  It's about the size of a junior mint.  I tried taking a picture of it, but I only have my cell phone camera so it didn't come out very good.  Let me know if there's any more info that would be helpful.

Thanks,

Marianne

Answer
Hi Marianne

Thanks for the pictures. They were a bit blurry but I am leaning toward an abscess.  As for mammary tumors and males, yes they can get them (same as human males can) because male rats have mammary glands, minus the nipples. Its not half as common as with females though.
Anyhow, is the black on there like a scab? Here is what you can try to do....hold a warm compress on it and see if the black loosens up (only if your sure it can be a scab or some form of layer that grew on top of the mass) Give a gentle squeeze using firm pressure at the base of the mass....see if anything comes out. I have a feeling this is an abscess.