Skin sore

Question
My rat spazza seems to suddenly got a large "mole" on his back that is brown red. His coat is shiny and hes eating well and it looks nothing like mite sores that my other rats have had. What could it be?

Answer
Hi Maggie

Hopefully you didn't have to wait long for a response.  Your question was found floating in limbo not addressed to anyone particular so I took the question hoping to help

The sore on your rats back, is there a scab on it?
You said that you suddenly see a large mole, so I assume that you didn't notice it while it was small and watch it grow for a week or so, but instead, it just seemed to appear out of the blue?
Is it raised or flat? Does Spazza respond if you touch it,as if it were painful to the touch?

If it is raised, has a scab on it and seems painful, it could be an abscess.

Also, there are several types of cancerous and also benign lesions that rats get but usually they grow slowly.

I would begin by applying a warm, soothing compress on him several times a day (if there is a scab) and see if the scab loosens up and begins to fall off. If it is an abscess, it will get a little bit bigger as it fills up with pus and the warm compress will draw the infection up to the surface. When this happens, you can either express it yourself by gently pressing down around the base of the mass, or allow it to drain on its own. Sometimes the rat will do this himself but reaching it may be difficult since it is on his back.  If the warm compress doesn't help and nothing changes, he should see a vet for evaluation. Hopefully it is an abscess and will burst on its own.

Please keep me posted by doing a follow up and good luck!!

Regards

Sandra Todd