Q & A

Also, be aware that post surgical antibiotics are very necessary after rat neuter surgery. Many vets do not agree with this, but we have seen several rats die from abscesses discovered later that were connected to the neuter surgery. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and paying a little extra for an antibiotic such as Cefa-Drops is well worth it. It’s very important that you insist your vet prescribe antibiotics after the surgery!

I went back and the vet doesn't seem too optimistic because he said that the wounds should have healed by now - it’s three weeks later and four weeks after having the injections.

Ben's wound is really bad and it looks as if an abscess has formed too, which my vet said was a growth! He obviously doesn't know that rats tend to get tumours with old age, but mine are still babies. He has given me something else to apply but they are actually eye drops which confuses me really!

I am going back for a re-visit on Monday but I am dreading what the vet is going to say. I think he is thinking that they will have to be put to sleep and it is breaking my heart especially since they are still so young and have had no life at all. I am so worried about them and wondered if there is anything that I can do at all?

You may also want to try daily cleanings with Hydrogen Peroxide. That may help to slough dead skin and dry up the weeping sores. The ointment may have actually prolonged or worsened the sores because it would keep the sores wet and may have actually made the rats scratch at them even more. I have also had really good luck using Blu-Kote (or Blue Lotion) on weeping wounds. If you have anything like that available at your local feed store (farm animal type store), you may want to try it. It's very drying.

If it wasn't Baytril that your vet injected, he may have injected something they have had a reaction to, or he might not have gotten the needle all the way under the skin. If you release the drug directly into the skin it will create a really nasty sore. That can happen anywhere on the rat’s body, not just on the neck. I don't give shots anywhere but on the neck and I've never had any rats have problems unless the injection was given wrong (I have messed up in the past!).

The vet may have given you eye drops because it contained an antibiotic or anti-inflammatory drug that he wanted you to use topically that wasn’t available in an ointment.

Whatever you do, don't let the vet convince you that the rats need to be put to sleep. Try all treatment options, and if you still have problems, contact us again. No animal should be put to sleep without a fighting chance!

However, if this is her first litter and she is over a year old, she could have problems with the birthing process. It's never a good idea to breed a rat for the first time after eight months of age. The risk of losing them during the birthing process goes up quite a bit. Talk with your vet prior to her due date and be prepared to get her into the vet hospital in a hurry if the need arises.

I have also heard that forcing them to climb up a piece of brick to get to their water bottle of to another favorite or necessary spot in the cage helps to keep nails trimmed.

Perhaps other breeders/pet keepers could write in with their solutions to this problem.

Mouse answer by Roxanne Fitzgerald
Rat answers by Mary Ann Isaksen

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