[xColbyJackx]

Hi everyone! My boy,Jack, got surgery on Wednesday to remove a mammary tumor. I’ve had him separated and he’s starting to get depressed. The vet told me to keep him separate from his brother for a week and it keep him in his cage.

He’s been eating well but I don’t see him drinking much water. I’ve been giving him some snacks with high water content (broccoli, blueberries, watermelon). He is in a body wrap so he doesn’t get around great but other than that he seems to be recovering well so far.

I’m just wondering does anyone have any tips on getting him to perk up and drink more. I just feel bad because he’s obviously very upset and he’s been with his brother since birth (he’s a 1yr old now) so it seems like he’s taking it hard.
Medication wise he’s on Metacam and Smz-Tmp.
Any advice on this would be amazing!

 

[SonicRat]

You could let them out for a little supervised free range,even if it is just on a bed so they can keep in touch?Speedy healing to your boy......🌟

 

[Tinytoes]

Agree with @SonicRat, exercise is important and helps physical and emotional healing. Let them out together, supervised and see how it goes!

 

[PeekaBoo]

I had a girl who went through four mammary tumor removals throughout her life (she was spayed, but she just kept getting these tumors anyway). I tried the route of keeping her separate with the first surgery, but she was so down that I eventually put her in with her buddies and kept a close eye on things. She did fine, and after that I just let her stay with the other rats after surgeries. On the medication, sometimes the meds can make the rats queasy and less likely to want to eat/drink. I’ve generally cut the pain med off after the first day — it sounds counterintuitive to help him heal by stopping pain meds, but it keeps the queasiness down, and if the rat is not noticing discomfort in the area of the surgery he’s more likely to climb or jump and possibly reopen the wound. Having a little soreness will help him avoid doing things that might tear the stitches. (This was recommended to me by the vet and by the local small animal rescue she was adopted from.) Good luck with your boy!

 

[PeekaBoo]

Also if you are worried about Jack getting enough nutrition and fluids, you might try a bit of Ensure (my rats prefer vanilla to the other flavors). I’ve used it with rats who were ill and it seems to be well tolerated digestion-wise, and they really like it.