I think my rat has a tumor.

[MrLang]

One of my hold back females has developed a large marble sized lump on her throat. I don't know when it first appeared but it is now very noticeable and I feel it must have developed quickly. There is no sign of any injury that would have formed an abscess, though I suppose it could be inside the throat. I'm not taking it to a vet and I suspect I won't be criticized here for it. If she shows signs of pain I will put her down. My sister is a vet and can help me determine specifically what it is.

What she probably can't answer is this: Is this a heritable trait? Should I assume the offspring of this pairing are more prone to tumors? If the tumor does not kill her, should I avoid breeding this rat or does it not matter?

[txcoker]

I don't know if it would be something genetic, but I would not risk my colony for one. I know you have been working hard to get your colony established. That's just my thought.

[satomi325]

Is it a Rex? I know they're prone to cysts because of the different hair growth/ingrown hairs.
I've had a Rex male develop a cyst on his throat that was pretty large. It popped and went away. Never came back.

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[MrLang]

It's not a rex. She just became sexually mature recently, which I read is when the tumors are likely to form. Throat is one of the common places they will form. My sister who is a vet told me an abscess forms in days and a tumor can take weeks. Based on this I'm inclined to say it might be an abscess since it seems to have formed overnight. She's telling me to drain it and disinfect it and hope for the best. She said if I put a needle in it I can tell if it's an abscess or tumor based on what comes out. I guess that's my next course of action.


If it's a tumor, any idea if this is a heritable pre-disposition or if all rats are equally prone to them?

[carlson]

Is she from a litter you produced? Just wondering cuz if she is an you've had more litters from that pair have any of their other babies had them and do they?

[MrLang]

She is from a litter I produced. The dad is the healthiest rat I've ever seen and the mom seems quite healthy as well although I don't interact with her a huge amount. I'm gonna check the mom out. The sister of this rat is one of my other holdbacks so I'll inspect her tonight. The mom just had another litter of 14 and they're all healthy so far but are only 2 weeks old.

[Rhasputin]

Never breed from an animal with tumors if you can help it. You should cull them from the line as soon as you notice them. They can be passed through the line genetically. There are in fact, lines of mice and rats specifically bred for labs which are nearly guaranteed to grow tumors, so they can research them.

Sad, but even the show breeders will cull important rare genetically gifted animals with tumors, because they can ruin lines.

The puncture technique is smart, if you get dark blood, it's probably a tumor. If you get nothing, or some clear fluid, it's probably a tumor. If you get green, white, tan, or cream coloured bloody gook, it's probably an abscess.

[carlson]

I'd keep an eye on the siblings and see if the parents are throwing the problem, if more start forming it I would use different mates see if I can narrow down which one was causing them. That's assuming its caused by heredity tho ill admit not sure how else they would form tho. Try an pop it an let us know if your able to drain it. Good luck I'm sure she won't enjoy it

[aldebono]

Sounds like an abscess to me honestly. It could very well rupture on its own and drain out, you could medicate with neosporin and keep the area clean if the rat can't reach to clean itself. I would start a course of antibiotics now to help. Without a vet, no way to treat specifically for one type of bacteria or another, but a full round of antibiotics wouldn't hurt in my opinion.

I am in your boat. I love my rats too, but can't justify taking any (except one) to the vet as they are meant to be feeders.