My rat keeps scratching his painful wound. How can I help him?

Just make sure to keep an eye on it and try to clean it very gently at least once a day with warm water and a mild soap, you can use a gauze pad to do this. Dry it carefully and then apply your topical treatment. However, if this stresses him out too much, just continue as you have been doing. Make sure his toes stay pink and warm and he keeps getting better. If anything at all changes for the worse, swelling, weeping wound, loss of appetite or activity level, if his toes change color or get cold, get him back in to see your vet right away. It sounds like you're doing a good job caring for his injury.

Hello there! This does sound like a reasonable dose that's on the high end of the recommended range, however, there are better pain reliever choices available through your veterinarian that run less risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in rats than ibuprofen does. While this is unlikely to occur with one dose at this amount, the longer it's used, the more GI irritation will occur. I strongly suggest bringing Liquor to the vet for evaluation of his twisted or broken ankle as soon as possible, especially if he is non-weight bearing (not putting any pressure on it at all) or if the area appears swollen. It looks like there's a vet near you that sees exotics: Links Road Animal and Bird Clinic 41 The Links Rd, North York, ON M2P 1T7, Canada +1 416-223-1165 At the vet's office, he'll get a full physical exam, and they may recommend an x-ray to detect any fractures. In the meantime, try to keep Liquor confined to a small space, and make sure his food and water are easily accessible. The more rest he gets, the better he'll heal. Good luck, and I hope that Liquor feels better soon!

It sounds indeed like your rats may be suffering from a mite or louse infection. Treatment usually consists of applying an avermectin such as Revolution or ivermectin available either in pet shops, your vet or over the internet. You can use the Revolution for dogs up to 5 lbs, at a dosage of 0.1 ml/lb of rat (you will need a 1ml syringe to measure out the dose correctly. Of course it would be easier to have the treatment done by your vet after he or she verifies whether this is indeed a mite infection/louse infection. Make sure you remove and destroy all bedding and disinfect all cages and toys.

A better bedding would be Carefresh or Aspen pellets. Rats are very sensitive to dust in the bedding and it can lead to respiratory infections. Minor wounds may not require any human attention. Since rats groom themselves, you can not apply any topical ointments. You can gently wash the area with soap and thoroughly rinse it if needed. If it gets worse, have Percy seen by his veterinarian. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there! Fur mites are relatively common in mice, especially if they are from a pet store. There are other conditions that can cause hair loss and skin lesions, but many times the most damage done is self-inflicted. I strongly suggest trimming little Rosy's rear toenails if you can, especially if the skin lesion is at a location that she can scratch at (like the back of her neck, or between the shoulder blades). A tiny scissor or a human fingernail trimmer is good for this. In albino mice, you should be able to see the small, pink vein in the nail - avoid cutting past this. If you do accidentally nick a toenail, don't worry - a small bit of corn starch should stop this up. In a pinch, scratching a bleeding nail on a bar of soap can help, too. Usually, simply putting pressure on it for a minute or so is enough to stop the bleeding, too. Once her nails are trimmed, I suggest cleaning up any skin lesions with a mild soap and water solution, then placing a protective ointment (like the antibiotic ointment you have) on the lesion before applying the mite spray. Most rodent mites live in the fur, so protecting the skin lesions shouldn't decrease the effectiveness of the mite treatment. Do avoid the eyes, nose, and mouth, and follow the directions on the box or bottle carefully. If the toenail trim and mite treatment doesn't help, it might be time to visit the vet to check for ringworm. This is unlikely, but possible, especially if the skin lesions have a crusty or flaky center. Be sure to practice good handwashing after handling Rosy as ringworm is contagious to humans. Good luck, and I do hope that Rosy recovers quickly!

Hello. I am just so sorry, but this site strictly prohibits giving out any medication recommendations. There are other veterinary answer sites that can offer more help, mainly because you are in an active chat with them. In the meantime, keep Chester warm & very well padded. Try to have him increase his fluid intake as much as possible to keep his bladder flushed out. I would keep calling all the vets in your area everyday to see if they can fit you in sooner, as this is considered an emergency. I do hope Chester is doing better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for reaching out. Scratching to the point of bleeding and wounds, is likely fur mites, which are difficult to see with the naked eye. A veterinary visit is recommended to take a skin scraping and examine under the microscope. If positive, both mice need to be treated. Good luck.