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I just went to clean out my rats cage- I have two of them, they are brothers, I’ve had them since they were babies (they are almost two now) and they are the sweetest things- and I noticed when I picked them up, that one of them, Nibs, has a very large tumor hanging from his abdomen/tummy. Its huge, bigger than a golf ball, and it must have just popped up because I didnt notice it the last time I held him (and I would have).
He dosnt appear to be in any pain at all, and hes eating and drinking like normal, but I’m freaking out. Ive never dealt with this kind of thing before. Nibs is the sweetest of the two rats, and has always been my favorite. I’m very worried, and I couldnt even look at him for a while after I noticed it, I was so upset.
My husband and I are taking him to the vet tomorrow and I’m trying to stay positive. I am just in need some good wishes/prayers thrown his way and knew that the animal lovers here would be able to sympathize.
Here a few pictures of Nibs;
^The last two are of him and his brother Socrates.I’m no fan of rats, but a pet is a pet and I really hope the tumor is non-lethal, and that Nibs is okay. Hugs.
Good luck, I hope the tumor is easily removed and that he recovers quickly.
*hugs* They are adorable, I really love the last picture with the two in the box.
Kyrin
Greater Basilisk wrote:I’m no fan of rats, but a pet is a pet and I really hope the tumor is non-lethal, and that Nibs is okay. Hugs.
Yeah I’ve known a lot of people who didnt like rats at all- either hated them, were scared of them, etc, my mom being one of them. After she met my rats though, she wanted some of her own and almost got herself a pair, she always asks about them whenever I talk to her now. 🙂
I got mine at a rat rescue center run out of a womans house in San Jose- a woman had bought a female rat from a pet store and then found out it was pregnant, contacted the center and they told her just to go with it and hand raise the babies, then give them over to the center when they were old enough to leave their mom- so she did, and as a result, they are extremely friendly and very used to people.Thank you for your sweet thoughts- you too, Kyrin! And I’m glad you like the picture, its one of my favorites too.
My mother wouldn’t allow them. But I always liked the white lab rats.
If it was one of my kitties…Yes, I would have them there ASAP. So, yes, by all means take him. I hope everything is alright and that if he has surgery it goes smoothly and he is all better.
*hugs for you and Nibs* 🙂 <3*A few warm fuzzies and prayers for good measure* 😀
I hope the vet can just remove it. If its benign they will probably just tell you to leave it be. Its not as big as all that… I cant even see it in the picture. 🙂
Lots of hugs and good thoughts for Nibs! He’s a cutie patootie…they both are. Let us know how things turn out…
Awwww! What sweet babies! I hope Nibs recovers well and quickly. *Hugs to you and Nibs* I used to raise hooded rats and they are my favs in terms of rodentia. *Love ’em!*
twindragonsmum
tdm
It may be a benign tumor known as a mammary gland fibroadenoma. Even male rats get them – they are extremely common. In spite of the fact they tend to be benign it should be removed – they will often keep growing until they are half the size of the rat. I’ve seen rats with tumors so large their foot on that side couldn’t reach the ground!
The other possibility would be an abscess, usually from a bite but they don’t look as if they fight.
I love rats. Two of my favorite pets were hooded brothers – Hope and Cosby. I had their mom and she had a litter of two. So I handled them from the time they left the nest – they were great rats!
If your vet isn’t comfortable handling rats or doing surgery on one you might ask for a recommendation for one that is – or ask the rescue lady.
Kyrin wrote:They are adorable, I really love the last picture with the two in the box.
Kyrin
Yes, I agree with Kyrin. It almost seems like they are saying “SURPRISE!” when they are pictured like that. 😆
It might just be benign so I would think positive and wait until you see the vet before worrying. 😉I use to have a rat, so I know how sweet they can be. They’re good friends/pets.
I hope it turns out to be nothing serious…Ddvm is right: rats are very prone to that kind of tumor, and although it is benign it does need to be removed. Generally they tend to be straightforward to remove, and so long as the rat doesn’t pick at his sutures, they heal well. Rats are very tough little critters. 🙂 There are good pain medications that can be used post-op, too, so you don’t have to worry about that. And if your vet is used to working on rats, then he or she probably has the right anesthesia and the small surgical instruments that make the surgery go much more smoothly. If he’s not used to rat surgery, there may be a surgeon nearby, or like ddvm said the rat rescue is a good group to call and ask.
FYI: the faster a tumor grows, the more important it is that it be removed right away. These things can grow really fast when they’ve a mind to. 🙁 I know this isn’t a good time of year to have vet bills, but a bigger tumor costs more to remove than a smaller one.
Good luck!
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