Rat has bloody wound, nickel sized on skin, and continuously picks at it

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michael

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with snout. Help? I am not sure how long he has had this, but after I gave him a bath today, I noticed blood on the cage, which could have just come from it getting wet. This stopped very quickly which is why I believe it is was not bleeding at the moment. I looked for the source of it and found a nickel sized wound that looked bloody and maybe scabby. It was red and black.

My main concern is that he seems to be picking at it quite often now, and I am afraid it will not heal. It is located on his belly, slightly above his testicular region. If needed, I can probably provide a picture, but as of yet I have not gotten a very good look at it because he is being very skiddish when I pick him up right now, and I am afraid I am hurting him in doing so.

My first hypothesis as to how he got this is that he and his brother got into a fight, he got a scratch or cut, then picked at it till it got to the size it is now. Otherwise, a few days ago when I was letting the two of them run around my room for exercise, with my Dad inn the room to help assist me in making sure they do not go under my bed, where they like to "leave presents". While this was occurring, he went under my desk, where my cell phone charger had fallen, I caught him as he was chewing it, but it did not look to damaged. Regardless I am afraid he may have bitten through more of it than I thought and gotten an electrical burn from exposed wires. Remember, those are just theories.

Any ideas what I should do at this point, or just wait to see how the wound progresses?
 
it's more than likely from getting into a fight with his brother. he's being skittish but some adult rats still let you scruff them and sometimes it's easier to hold them that way, especially for baths. keep it clean with lukewarm water and but neosporin on it. once you put it on him watch him for awhile and keep him away from his brother. make sure he's not licking it off right away so at least some of it helps. check it multiple times a day and clean it every time you check, even if it seems to be getting better! if you want other suggestions perhaps calling the vet would help, then you don't have to pay for a visit unless he would rather see your boy.

the only other thing i could think of would be a parasite like lice or mites. but then both boys would be scratching a lot. just keep an eye on it and keep it clean and it should work itself out. maybe even separate the boys for now so it can heal without more fights and/or rough playing.
 
Hello,

My first thought was to take him to the vet, but if you can't do this I recommend you:

Some tips:

1. If you have other rats remove them from his cage to relieve stress.
2. Do not handle him a lot, but if he starts bothering his hurt area just touch him, or distract him from it.
3. Take him to the vet as soon as possible and ask the vet if they can cover the wound some how to wear he can't hurt himself more.

Hope I helped.
 
It is most likely from his brother. Put some neosporin on it and watch him closely for a while. Keep it extremely clean. You may need to clean it several times a day (do not use soap though, just lukewarm water). It should get better soon enough. If it doesn't, he may need a trip to the vet. If you are not able to keep it clean, he could get a pretty bad infection. You should probably keep him away from his brother until it heals as well.
 
I'd say definitely get it checked out by the vet if possible, because electrical burns can be very deep. However, I doubt that that is his problem.

He probably got into a fight with another rat, which could get infected. What I've found that works (and trust me, I have used it too many times to count) is this:

1. Get some gauze or a folded up tissue.
2. Get some surgical tape or masking tape.
3. Apply manuka honey (or any type of honey will do) onto the wound. He certainly won't like it, but the honey works better than many anti-bacterials (I use it on my own infected wounds).
4. Put the gauze/tissue over the wound and secure it with tape.

It should work!!
 
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