Why is my rat squealing when I touch her tail or butt area?

Thanks for reaching out about Luna. Sounds as if she needs to be seen by a veterinarian to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Back injuries respond better to earlier intervention, than later. Remove all platforms, or anything else she could fall from to lessen chance of re-injury. Good luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be a benign or malignant growth. This could even be an infection. This cannot be completely assessed just by looking at pictures and usually requires sampling such as fine needle aspiration to determine its origin. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

If she hasn't been mated, a rectal prolapse is a more likely cause of the bleeding than the 2nd most likely cause...a vaginal prolapse. A rectal prolapse would look like an outpocketing of tissue from the anus. Application of neosporin and Preparation H ointment (alternating) twice daily each may be helpful. With some cases you can actually manually reduce the prolapse by pushing it back in. I recommend examining the area closely and if the above steps do not improve her symptoms, perhaps a friend can take her to a vet with you.

Hi Natalie, i have a feeling she might have injured her tail, try checking for a wound or a cut on the tail. if this is not it, it might be a urinary infection. in both cases she will need to be seen by a vet and she will need a course of antibiotics.

This usually happens when there is something painful in the pelvis or lower spine. This can be due to arthritis in the area, nerve pinching, or infections around that area. In order to narrow-down the cause of this and get some good treatment, I recommend having her evaluated by a veterinarian sometime soon within the next week or so. I hope that helps and Askher gets better soon.

Based on what you are describing it does sound as if Lucy is very ill. I would recommend either having her rechecked at your veterinarian or asking for a referral to an exotic capitalistic that can perform more specialized tests on small mammals like blood work, x-rays, and ultrasounds. Based on the age of your rat she may have something more serious going on like an internal infection or cancer. In the meantime, try to encourage Lucy to eat as best you can by offering her her favorite foods and/or syringe feeding her some baby food. I'm sorry to hear that she is not doing well and I hope your vet can help you find answers. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm so sorry to hear about Luna - it sounds like she has had a rough go of things lately. Diarrhea is a very non-specific signs so I'm afraid the possibilities are numerous. Intestinal worms, inflammatory bowel disease, food sensitivity, allergic reaction, colitis from stress, diet charge or indiscretion (stealing people food, etc), toxin, or others are all on the list. For tonight, just gently clean her up with a baby wipe or tissue. You can apply a little lanolin or olive oil to soothe the rump. A little ice pack (wrapped in a paper towel or thin kitchen towel) pressed to the anus can help with the pain and inflammation as well. Best of luck to you and Luna!