[ratbusters]

Hi there. One of our little rat girls (6 weeks old) accidentally had the plastic cage lid dropped on her arm a few hours ago. We have spoken to our vet, who was able to prescribe pain relief until tomorrow and see how she is in the morning. She has eaten the pain relief. Her arm is a little swollen, she is weight bearing (used it to jump on roof of hide) but often holds it up off the ground. My question is, is it safe to put her back in with her group? She normally lives with her mum and 9 sisters. At present she is in a small bin cage with 2 sisters, but 6 weeks is quite young to be away from mummy and co. Any advice? Thanks.

 

[Rex the Rat]

Poor girl! I wish her the best!!
I don't have any experience with this, but I would think the main worry would be that another rat would try to play fight with her and accidentally hurt her in the process. Maybe you can start by putting them together in a neutral area to see how they react to the injury?

 

[Willow&Whiskers]

I agree with @Rex the Rat, it depends on how the other rats react to the injury. If they pick at it or play roughly it might not be best to house them together for now, but if they are gentle and leave the injury alone then it's definitely best for your rattie to stay with her friends

 

[ratbusters]

Poor girl! I wish her the best!!
I don't have any experience with this, but I would think the main worry would be that another rat would try to play fight with her and accidentally hurt her in the process. Maybe you can start by putting them together in a neutral area to see how they react to the injury?

I agree with @Rex the Rat, it depends on how the other rats react to the injury. If they pick at it or play roughly it might not be best to house them together for now, but if they are gentle and leave the injury alone then it's definitely best for your rattie to stay with her friends

Hi there,
Thank you for that advice.
I did put her back in her cage overnight and the other rats didn't bother her arm.
She is actually looking a bit better today.🐭

 

[ratbusters]

Thank you for all your advice.
She is all better and is still as active as ever.