[Pomperella]

Ok rat emergency.

said before introductions did not go well with my adults and babies. never saw it happen even though i was watching but baby E.T got sliced on her belly by what i can only imagine to be Adukl Ellie's teeth. nasty cut but she seemed ok, i treated her with some anticeptic and it closed up.

just now the girls have been getting on famously for a week. bigger cage, all sleep together snuggle in the igloo. let them free roam for a few hours in my room. picked them all up off the floor, no one struggled. diidn't notice anything amiss but got out Kudjo to give her a kiss and cuddle and she was wriggling (like normal), managed to catch glimpse of almighty gash on belly same place as E.T. Again didn't see it or hear it and they were in range to hear, i think it was ellie, she has always been mroe moody with them.

i have taken adults out to other cage and Kudjo seems ok she is licking it. it's massive though. the cage is on many levels i am worried about her splitting open. i am cooling salt water to treat it but it's 11pm i have to be up for work at 6am, like i have to go it's my second day but luckily finished at lunch. can the vet stitch it for me? i don't think it's open as such but i am so worried about it opening, it's about an inch long. i know the other girl was fine but i am so worried. if she was in distress i wouldn't care what i had to do i would get to a vet in the middle of the night, i am just worried about infections you know?

i feel sick, i am not good with blood and i am nearly gagging.

is there anything i can do until i see the vet if i need to?

it looks like i'll have to permanently seperate the 5 girls, only have them together at play times and i'll have to supervise that too by the looks of it. i like to give them free time without a human as i like them to keep a bit of their rattiness but now i feel responsible.

the adults don't have much in their cage tonight except lots of space as i took all the decoration in to the new improved cage...but i am so cross with them so they can wait til tomorrow. i find it hard to be cross but i am upset i suppose and disappointed, even though it is just instinct.

it hurts that such a lovely rat to humans can be so vicious to her own kind.

as their was no noise do you think this could have been meant in play and went too far?????


i'd appreciate the advice! i am living alone and really scared for kudjo :?

 

[Taru]

Re: RACK ATTACK! some advice would be most helpful

From ranfanclub.org:

"The body skin of rats contains few pain receptors, and minor wounds usually bleed little and heal quickly. Rats heal so quickly wounds less than 1 ½" long do not need to be stitched. Just apply a topical antibiotic to prevent infection. I recommend using an antibiotic ointment which contains a topical anesthetic, such as Neosporin Plus. (This is also helpful for treating scratches rats sometime inflict on humans!) A rat with an open wound must be kept in a spotless cage with only rags or shredded paper because litter may contaminate the wound."

I'll post more as I find it...

Emy

 

[Pomperella]

Re: RAT ATTACK! some advice would be most helpful

Taru: thank you so much *hugs* x 1000! she doesn't seem to fazed i think it is just mum (me) that is stressing, i am actually in tears and that doesn't happen much with me. their cage is clean but i will remove the litter. i put something comfy for her to lie on to encourage her to stay in one place.

i am so glad that they have few pain receptors, it looks gross.

thank you taru for such a swift reply. i think i was too shocked to realise i could look online...thanks for being there xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Pomperella]

Re: RAT ATTACK! some advice would be most helpful

in fact comfy bed just encourages more play. damnit.

i love my girls so much i would be devasted if something happened.

thanks for putting up with the hysterical nut in the corner.

also, apologies for my spelling, i am balancing a keyboard on an arm rest, hence the typos.

 

[Taru]

Re: RAT ATTACK! some advice would be most helpful

No problem! I'm glad she's ok...one thing I did is make a book of all importnat information that I could find on the internet and organized it by topic, I have a section on cleaning cages, one of nutrition, and one on first aid, I also have the sites where I found the information listed with it, so I went to first aid, saw the site and copied off the page. Maybe this weekend, if you have some time go info hunting on the net and make your own little "Rat Bible" :-D

Emy

 

[Pomperella]

Re: RAT ATTACK! some advice would be most helpful

that's a great idea! i am annoyed at myself for feeling so inept, but for example you looked up rat first aid...that is a great idea. i was looking up "rat fights", "rat bites" and so on and finding nothing! i need a lesson in googling!!!


i read so much about ratties in general but didn't look up one of the most important things: first aid. i have learnt my lesson though, thanks again so much for all the tips

 

[Taru]

Re: RAT ATTACK! some advice would be most helpful

:-D glad I could help

 

[Pomperella]

Re: RAT ATTACK! some advice would be most helpful

i squirted some saline at it in a little syringe thing and dabbed it once with cotton wool, she liked the salt water?!! it's the bset i can do for now, i was trying to get a pic so i could post it so poeople could see "in situ" but she was too wriggly so i was defeated.

i have to go shower and hair wash cos no time in the morning now!!

 

[Taru]

Re: RAT ATTACK! some advice would be most helpful

Do you have any antibiotic ointment you can put on it? Even if it's just stuff you use, I think that would be the best to avoid infection and abcesses.

Emy

 

[Pomperella]

Re: RAT ATTACK! some advice would be most helpful

oooh yeah i do, i have germolene and savlon...i might go for the savlon as probably the weaker of the two. she will probably lick it though, i hope thats not bad for her! i go to the cage and they start jumping about...silly girls, they need to go to sleep!

 

[Taru]

Re: RAT ATTACK! some advice would be most helpful

Just read the back of hte tube, and see if it's ok for people to injest in small amounts, the same should be true for your girl! If the stuff has numbing qualitites that's even better. The site I looked at said that neosporin was ok, and that is a human antibiotic ointment, so other should be ok as well as long as they aren't toxic to people...:-D

Emy

 

[Pomperella]

Re: RAT ATTACK! some advice would be most helpful

i don't think neosporin is in the UK, but i think it is either under a different name or very similar to savlon (us Brits always have different random names for things!) from what you have described.

i will go do that then off to bed as it's midnight! the girls do pick their moments!!!!

 

[Pomperella]

Re: RAT ATTACK! some advice would be most helpful

update: kudjo is healing nicely. split the babies from the adults for the 5 days i was away on hols and my friend was caring for them. they are next to each other in the seperate cages.

tonight i put them all free ranging in the bedroom paying close attention. kudjo was nervous about coming out so i coaxed her and she was better.

ellie (who i suspect was the culprit) was being pounced on by the other two girlies who were trying to mount her and she was taking it without aggression (she was in heat).

supervised for nearly an hour then left them for 10 mins. all seemed fine.

have placed them in seperate cages again but gonna keep introducing them and hopefully they can live together!