Q. My Rat's Toe is Red and Swollen. Help!

Posted by Mia Carter Jan 14, 2009

On January 14, 2009, I received the following question on my article titled Signs of a Sick Rat: "My rat (Candy is her name) came home with me five days ago. She seems happy but I noticed her finger was red at the tip by the finger nail. It looks as if it is bleeding underneath the skin i didn't think much of it first but it began to travel up, toward her palm and is a bit swollen.

"I also want to ask you: I got a rat with Candy (Sugar) she seems unhappy she sleeps all day and sits in her nest night she looks a little depressed. I'm not sure if she is sick or unhappy. if you could answer these questions it would be great!"

I can absolutely answer your questions! Let's begin with Candy...

A Foot Injury in a Rat

It sounds like Candy injured her toe. Maybe she was climbing on her cage or maybe she caught her little toe in the cage - it's actually quite common. When she caught her toe, it's possible she broke the skin, ever so slightly. It's likely that this allowed bacteria to enter her foot, leading to an infection. (This is part of why we must clean a rat's cage daily! But even with daily changes, bacteria can still exist, but it does lower the chance of infection in these cases.)

If you said that her toe was just a bit red and swollen, I would not be too concerned, as long as she was still walking and eating. But an injury should improve with time; the fact that the swelling is getting worse and traveling up her foot tells me that she probably has an infection.

I've seen this occur in two of my rats and the swelling can get very extreme within the matter of a day or two. You'll also see bruising in most cases. I've seen another rat in the shelter where I worked for a period of time who had to have a foot amputated due to swelling that damaged the blood supply to the foot, so you don't want to let it be.

Fortunately, this should be easy and fairly inexpensive to treat, but you will need to visit the vet because Candy will require antibiotics. In addition to suffering damage from swelling, the infection can also spread and enter the blood supply, causing a deadly condition called sepsis. Is this something that will improve on its own? My bet would be no - not if an infection is to blame.

There is another, less likely scenario that I should mention: it's possible that the initial swelling in her toe made it difficult for her to maneuver the foot, which may have gotten caught on her cage and re-injured. If this is the case, you should see improvement within 24 hours. So try this: photograph the foot. Wait 12-24 hours and photograph it again. It should be improving. If it's remaining the same or getting worse, you have an infection.

Help for a Lethargic Rat

Now, moving on to Sugar...

It's difficult to tell what is wrong with Sugar. It's very possible she is frightened because she's in a new home, with new sights and new smells. Some rats are simply more shy than others. But she should be improving as time progresses, so I would keep a very close eye on her.

I would purchase a kitchen scale and start weighing your new rats twice a week, or once every other day if you suspect one is getting sick. This is the best way to monitor their health, as a sick rat will lose weight before you start to see any obvious symptoms. Watch Sugar to see if she is losing weight. I would also make sure she's eating and drinking. If her weight is stable and she's eating and drinking properly, then it's likely she's just a bit frazzled being in a new place. If you start to see warning signs like weight loss and a refusal to eat, I'd get Sugar checked out.

If you do end up taking Candy to the veterinarian - which I would recommend - I would bring Sugar along as well. That way, you can have them both examined and you should only have to pay for one office visit. I always recommend getting a new rat checked out anyways - it's simply good practice, as many of the rats that come from shelters or pet stores can be sick (the exposure to other rats provides a good opportunity for spreading illness and the stress that the rats endure in a shelter or pet store environment makes them more susceptible to illness) or carry parasites like mites.

I hope Sugar and Candy are doing better soon! Rats make such wonderful pets, though just like any cat or dog, they do get sick or injured on occasion. I'm sure they'll both be doing better soon.

If you have any additional questions, feel free to post a comment under this post or send an e-mail to Mia.Carter@Suite101.com and I'd be happy to provide you with any additional information I can.

You can also check out my Rat Care Page for information on how to care for a sick rat.

Disclaimer: I have extensive experience in caring for animals, including sick and special needs animals, but I am not a veterinarian. I can provide information and advice based on research and my many years of experience with pet care and training, but it's not a substitute for seeking medical attention from a veterinarian.