My rat keeps getting tumors. How common is this and what can I do?

Hello. Unfortunately, rats are very prone to cancer. If there is already a tumor on her body, there is also a very good possibility that there has been metastasis to the intestines. If you can have her seen by a veterinarian, this would be best, otherwise keep her as warm & comfortable as possible. Feed her whatever she will eat, but if the bleeding does not stop soon, she may not survive long. I hope you can have her seen. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor Oreo. Unfortunately at this age it is common for them to develop masses or tumors. There is no good home remedy to make them go away. I would have your vet look at it to see if it could be surgically removed if needed. Your vet should be able to look st it and let you know if this is cancerous, benign, or an infection. Your vet can also prescribe some pain medicine if ou feel he is uncomfortable. I hope this helps.

Thanks for reaching out about Yuki and including photos. Soft masses in the axilla or inguinal areas, are often mammary in nature. Most mammary tumors in rats are benign but not all. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a treatment plan. A second possibility is a fatty tumor (lipoma) which are also benign. Good luck.

I'm sorry Lorenzo has a tumor. Unfortunately, rats in general, especially older rats, have a predisposition to developing tumors both benign and malignant. His prognosis depends on the type of tumor as well as its location. To determine either, he would need to be physically examined by your veterinarian and have diagnostics performed. This could include blood work, x-rays, abdominal ultrasound or a fine needle aspirate of the mass. Once you have this information, you can discuss all options with your vet. 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!

Thank you for your question about Shadow. The most common tumors that occur in the belly/leg regions of rats are mammary tumors. Based on the location that you described, this may be the case with Shadow. The reason I bring this up is because it is very common for these tumors to be like a ball under the skin, and only have a small string of tissue that connects it to the body. So, when they are removed surgically, they shell out very easily once the skin has been cut. There is the potential that after the skin become necrotic that the tumor was able to "fall out" of the defect left in the skin. The other alternative is that it could be becoming very heavy and stretching the areas of skin to make it appear like it has pushed itself out. I would recommend taking Shadow back to your veterinarian, as they may be able to remove this more easily now. This may be a good idea regardless, due to the necrotic tissue that you had described. I didn't see if that was still present now, but they can provide her with antibiotics, if they are indicated, at the same time. I hope that helps to answer your question, and congratulations on having a three year old rat. It says a lot about your care of her.

In my experience these type of tumors are very aggressive and I would say the survival without treatment may be up to 6 months. Usually surgery is suggested and even very large masses are generally well tolerated by rats; however, early surgical removal is recommended. Euthanasia costs around 40£.