So, Archie's got a manky bit on his neck. He's had a scab there since before I bought him. I didn't know what it was at the time, I could see a raised ruffly bit on the back of his neck when I first looked at him, but I thought that was just the way he was standing, and he was too wiggly to check closely for the first three or four days.
When I finally do get to look through his fur, it's clearly a thickened area of skin (and lots of MITES, ugh), but fur is growing through it. I thought it was healing, and just kept an eye on it. A few days later, the scab falls off and there's a big manky sore on his neck. I whisk him to the vet. She gives me some antiseptic-antibiotic-steroid cream. I apply it for five days (max reccommended time), but he's still scabby.
The area is clean and dry (not oozy, like it was before). Archie will happily let people paw at it, so it can't hurt. He seems in perfect health, apart from this gross scab. It's about 2cm square. Does a bigger wound just take longer to heal? Can I help him? I'll whip him back to the vet if he looks like he's getting any worse, but it's £35 a pop, so if there's anything else I can try, I'll happily take suggestions.
Urgh! I wish there were more good rat breeders around here. I may get a cat next time, poor Archie and Roland were clearly just scooped out of some mill or backyard breeder. All my rats have been so sweet and charming, but it doesn't seem right to support these lousy genetics...
PS, They've all been treated for mites now.
When I finally do get to look through his fur, it's clearly a thickened area of skin (and lots of MITES, ugh), but fur is growing through it. I thought it was healing, and just kept an eye on it. A few days later, the scab falls off and there's a big manky sore on his neck. I whisk him to the vet. She gives me some antiseptic-antibiotic-steroid cream. I apply it for five days (max reccommended time), but he's still scabby.
The area is clean and dry (not oozy, like it was before). Archie will happily let people paw at it, so it can't hurt. He seems in perfect health, apart from this gross scab. It's about 2cm square. Does a bigger wound just take longer to heal? Can I help him? I'll whip him back to the vet if he looks like he's getting any worse, but it's £35 a pop, so if there's anything else I can try, I'll happily take suggestions.
Urgh! I wish there were more good rat breeders around here. I may get a cat next time, poor Archie and Roland were clearly just scooped out of some mill or backyard breeder. All my rats have been so sweet and charming, but it doesn't seem right to support these lousy genetics...
PS, They've all been treated for mites now.
