Another rat?

It's hard to say what would be a good answer. Younger rats can sometimes overwhelm and aggravate older rats. On the other hand, a slightly older or adult rat could be seen as a threat by Bob and Jay, which could lead to scuffles. Personally, I don't think bringing in a new rat would comfort your boys - it would probably just upset them/stress them out. Though, you could definitely give it a try, but remember two things:

1.) Quarantine the new rat for 2-3 weeks in a different apartment/house to make sure they don't have any viruses or ailments. It has to be a completely different airspace, so it can't be in the same house that Jay and Bob are in.

2.) If introductions don't go well, you'll have to get a second cage, and the new rat a friend of his own.

I can't believe just seeing if it's a tumor or abscess costs $50 Usually all they do is aspirate it (poke it with a needle) and then look at the contents under a microscope. Takes about 5 minutes.

Abscesses sometimes develop a dark spot on them, so look for that also. Warm compresses work wonders to bring abscesses to a head.

For an aspirate, my vet doesn't even charge me for it. But, for something like a biopsy that *does* need to be sent out to a lab, it's $83.

My vet's insane. She doesn't even charge me for x-rays

I think she does this because, between myself and my friend Kaia, she's learned a whole **** of a lot about rats. I first went to her when my regular vet wasn't in (they work at the same clinic), and I liked her so much that I started taking all of my rats to her. Then I got my mom to take our lab, Chloe to her, then the cats... the rest is history. I've recommended her to NUMEROUS rat owners in the area, so she's quickly becoming very popular and is learning more and more. I love my vet