PSA: Surface Wounds

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Overview

Surface wounds are typically caused by either your rat getting cut on something in the cage or purposely inflicted by another rat. Surface wounds can also be caused by excessive scratching due to external parasites. They are generally not life threatening, and shallow wounds typically won't require vet intervention. If your rat does have a deep wound, or the wound seems infected, then please your veterinarian for assistance.

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Bleeding

For minor bleeding, corn starch or flour can be use to help the blood clot. Examples of minor bleeding include nails that have been clipped too far and small cuts. However, if the wound is bleeding excessively, you'll want to obtain a clean towel and apply pressure to the wound. This should slow down the blood flow while you seek veterinary treatment, which is absolutely essential in this case.

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Disinfection

The very first thing you should do is take the rat out of their cage and, if necessary, cut away any excess fur that gets in the wound. Then you'll want to clean the wound with a disinfectant solution, non abrasive soap can also be used. Hydrogen peroxide is not safe for your rats and as such shouldn't be used to disinfect the wound. If the disinfectant is labeled for children, chances are it should be safe to use.

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Healing

If the wound is open, you'll want to keep the rat in a clean spare cage for a day or two while the wound heals, or until it scabs over. It's essential you keep this cage especially clean as to not infect the open wound. If the wound is considerably small or if it has already scabed over, it's safe to return your rat to their mischief, as long as the wound wasn't directly caused by a cagemate.

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Prevention

Make sure the cage doesn't contain any notably sharp objects or toys that your rat could potentially accidentally cut themselves on. If the wound was inflicted by a cage mate, it's best to separate the rats and begin basic introductory steps. If the problem preists, you can attempt to get the aggressor (male) neutered. If nothing works, it may be best to consider rehoming. Then again, if the wound was caused by external parasites, treating those will prevent any future scab wounds from manifesting themselves.

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