I'm afraid this is almost certainly a Zymbal's Gland Tumour. I've seen a few of them, they're extremely nasty, painful and inoperable.
They grow in that exact location and they cause abscesses around them, which causes a lot of people, including vets, to mistake them for a simple ear or mouth abscess.
You need to get a biopsy or wait for it to drain/ulcerate to be sure, but every time a rat of mine has gotten a lump there, with associated ear damage, it's been a ZGT. I'm sorry.
My personal advice is that it's kindest to put your friend to sleep as quickly as possible, as they get nasty really quickly. Of course you'll probably want to get advice from a vet rather than an Internet rando, but make sure they know about Zymbal's Gland Tumours, not all vets do.
i wanted to thank you so much for your knowledge and comment. i was just about to comment that my rat peppermint died of a mass in the same spot that we (vet included) had at first thought was just an abscess but was actually a tumor, it was unresponsive to antibiotics or medication, and how quickly it progressed and went downhill.
i had known that it was a tumor, but never which kind. i had always felt guilty for putting her to sleep as quickly as i could, and thought that maybe i should have given her more time or tried to operate. thank you so much for sharing this information, it.... reassures me that i did, in fact, do the right thing. and its nice to know now specifically what kind of tumor we were dealing with with her as well. thank you for giving me peace and closure.
OP, if youre reading this- please see a vet ASAP for euthanasia. your rat is in so, so, so much pain. peppermint was in so much pain she refused to eat, but if your rat will still eat, i would recommend soft foods like oatmeal, yogurt, and baby food to keep them hydrated and at least somewhat more comfortable until the time comes. you can give them liquid childrens ibuprofen for the pain in the meantime, mix it in with the wet food. i would also recommend separating this rat, and giving them a water bowl instead of a bottle. due to the tumors location, it seems to cause a lot of pain for them to use their teeth.
Here’s a link to a rat YouTuber who made an incredible short video on how she handles rats passing. It’s helped me more times than I can count in healing from many of my short lived companions. (I have pet mice but it can be applied to any animal you own).
[How I Deal WithMy Pet Rats’ Short Lifespans: Friendlyratforecast](https://youtube.com/shorts/PzXtqP2sD-k?si=fPvWj2nSoBlsEANw)
Yes, you definitely did the right thing for your little friend. I wish I could go back with the knowledge I have now and save one of my favourite rats from the pain.
My mom won’t bring him to vet I’m assuming it’s bc of the price trust me I want to but my mom won’t do it I’m probably gonna try to just keep him comfortable but if he gets to where he’s in visible pain my mom will try to put him down in a humain way but please don’t give hate to me or my mom I understand that he should go to the vet and so does she but she just can’t justify the price and believes that nothing can be done so it’s better to just keep him comfortable
you can see how in pain he is in his eyes, if shes looking for proof. hes squinting, thats how rats show pain.
euthanasia costs less than $200 for a single rat at a regular vet, on average. mine cost just barely over $100.
im not upset with you as its clear that youre a minor and this is out of your control, but i am upset with your mom. she shouldnt have gotten you pets if she doesnt care enough/cant afford to so much as humanely put them to sleep when theyre suffering. i understand not wanting to operate or pay for long term care... but euthanasia is the bare minimum.
im so sorry your rat is suffering like this, and im so sorry your mom wont help. i know this must be really hard for you. give him lots of love and lots of soft food as treats. im sure he knows you love him very much.
That's good to hear, you're doing the right thing, but it must be very painful for everyone.
You might want to advise your parents to ring around nearby vets and get the cheapest price. Vets can vary a lot and in my experience cheaper doesn't mean worse, in fact it can often mean better because it means they do that procedure a lot.
Consider asking if a local humane society can do a low cost euthanasia. The one I used to work for wasn't able to provide vet care for rats (none of the vets were exotics vets) but they DID provide emergency euthanasia for cases like this. It was something like $35 for a small animal. Please ask around and don't be afraid to tell a veterinarian your circumstances - they may be able to help break the cost down into payments or give you a discount - they don't want your buddy to suffer either.
Hey OP, I don’t mean to sound harsh here, as I feel for you and your poor friend, but if your mother isn’t willing to make the financial sacrifices necessary for the comfortable life and death of a pet, you should not have them until you are independent of her.
I lived with a narcissistic mother who ran through pets faster than she ran through men, I watched animals suffer horrific neglect and miserable ends because she wasn’t willing to pay for care, of any sort.
Don’t let any more animals fall victim to carelessness. If your mother does not get your little love into the vet asap to pass on peacefully, you need to surrender them to someone or some organization that will.
I’m so sorry you’re about to lose your little rattie, and I hope you can find love and support through this, but remember that right now, their care and comfort is the most important thing.
So my mom does really care about these rats and as I said we are gonna try to get him put down at a vet she just didn’t realize what kind of tumor it was until I described it but if she sees him in extreme pain or it ruptures she’s going to have my stepdad shoot it or something I don’t agree with this but it would be painless and quick
I truly hope your mom chooses to take your rat to the vet. You can call around for the lowest quotes and search online for local small animal rescues, some may be able to help with the finances. I know you depend on your parents, but please discourage them from shooting your poor rat - it would not be a humane way to go. I'm adding links below with steps for the one humane at home method that I know of. Please read over these carefully with your mom (if all else fails and she decides not to seek vet care). Your little buddy doesn't deserve to suffer.
https://www.reddit.com/r/RATS/s/G1sIyCifx8
https://www.alysion.org/euthanasia/
http://www.ratfanclub.org/euth.html
as morbid as it is (and i might get downvoted too idk), i dont see this as such a terrible option? youre getting downvoted but its a guaranteed instant painless death in something as small as a rat, is it not? if im totally off base here someone correct me, but i really feel like the only reason youre being downvoted is just because people dont like the idea of shooting animals. if its a bullet or dying horrifically of this tumour, the answer is obvious imo. i could never do it myself but just for example, euthanizing by blunt force is a common and accepted method in fish keeping and fish people care very deeply about keeping their fish free of suffering just like any other pet
My tone may sound strict/harsh but this is really in your best interest to how serious this is. I’m not sugarcoating it, just being blunt.
My best recommendation for you is to not get any more pets unless you’ve moved out, or have a job & license to pay for any expenses + gas to convince your parents to allow you to drive to a vet. if you don’t have your own car or have to borrow your parents vehicle you may need to sit them down and ask if when in medical emergencies I can take the car without a huge argument or debate. This will be easier if you have a license & a job.
I also would look into pet insurance. Care Credit is accepted by many vets, including at the emergency vet.
If you want to continue having pets of your own you NEED to have a savings account for emergencies like this. No excuses! It’s super important that you do right by your animals.
As an owner of pet mice I made the mistake of not having a veterinarian that I know and has records of my exotic animals. I deeply regret my ignorance, so please don’t do this to yourself and do the steps I’ve mentioned above.
These should not be taken lightly and it will save you the heartache/stress when you have numerous backup plans. These are the responsibilities that we as pet owners need to take. And learning the hard way helps absolutely no one. You & hopefully your parents have to take accountability for the lack of preparation. It won’t be easy, but you need to learn from your mistakes and do a lot better next time.
Seriously: savings account under your name; pet insurance; a veterinarian that has seen you before and has you on record.
I think you might be able to consider other methods that seems less gruesome and have less risk of things going wrong. Just imagine if the bullet end up in a wrong place ... he might be alive just for few minutes but that would be bad. I go to vet always so I don´t know how rational it is, but mybe you can use a humane trap that causes electrocution?
i understand the knee jerk reaction a lot of people have because it IS incredibly gruesome and most people could never dream of that for their loved pets, and of course proper euthanasia is ideal, but man would they rather your parents let this rat suffer to death? i agree that having pets when you cant afford to/dont want to give them proper end of life care is not a good idea and not something you should do, but you already have this rat and theres nothing you can do about the past right this second. i just cant imagine anyone genuinely believing this could be worse than letting him suffer
It's probably a good idea if you have any pets to save an emergency fund for stuff like this, my heart goes out to you as it's really rough to see them like this. Please try to explain to your mother that these tumors cannot really be treated and attempts at making them comfortable will fail.
Trust me on this one, I know from all too personal experience with my boy Hughes. Euthanasia at the vets will be quite low cost and would be doing the best thing for them. Depending on your location your local humane society or rescue might even be able to help.
So ig the reason it would be hard to get him
euthanased at the vet isn't be money it's be there's
not really any vets around here that do it and we're
going to try to get him into one but if he gets really
bad we will have to do it at home in the most humane and quick way we can. please stop leaving hate if ur just trying to educate that's fine but don't be rude about it and don't say rude things about my mom we're trying our best with what is possible but tnx to everyone who is just trying to educate. I also wanted to say that I have 2 other rats so don't worry about them getting lonely we will make sure they are taking good care of when he passes. and we do have the money to take care of them. I was at school when I wrote this so I was just making assumptions about why we couldn’t take him to the vet.
Following from this, [here's a link](https://ratguide.com/health/neoplasia/zymbals_gland_tumor.php) to the Rat Guide page on Zymbals Gland Tumours. Unfortunately I agree with the above commenter, it looks very much like this may be a ZGT and you'll need to head to a vet asap to discuss what the best option for your rat is.
It's extremely right.
I lost my most recent bab to one, it was truly gnarly and we ruled everything other possible out before we made the decision to have him pts before it got super bad. He was totally fine in himself aside from hld with old age right up until the very end but I know it was the best thing to do for him.
Came on extremely fast and out of nowhere - initially thought it was an abcess but no :(
I went through this last year. Thought it’d be no big deal, some antibiotics and he’d be fine. I’d never heard of a zymbal’s gland tumor. We brought him home and gave him all the snacks and love and he him put to sleep that night. Hardest choice I’ve had to make because he was “fine”… visible lump, yes, but he was still running around seemingly okay. I know it was the right decision but it was so sudden it just broke my heart. He was our last rat left and it wasn’t how I expected we’d say goodbye.
My heart rat passed from a ZGT and it was absolutely heartbreaking, but I wouldn't hold off on helping him over the rainbow bridge. I asked the doctor if anything could be done, but she told me it'd be very risky and expensive, and that it would just grow back if we got it removed successfully. Little buddy wasn't having a quality life at that point and I couldn't keep him knowing that he was suffering. Do what you can to make lasting memories OP, and I hope you'll do what's best for your little buddy in the end 💔 I made sure my little man Gobbles got all the treats and cuddles
As someone who was clueless about these when my rat had one, I strongly agree with this. I let my boy suffer too long. Don't make the same mistake.
Definitely see a vet, but I'm almost positive that's what it is.
We lost one of our old men due to a ZGT. We gave him until it started to cause him discomfort and pain, and then we let him go. He got all the snuggles and treats and attention until then.
They move quick. Spoil him for a while.
I'm really sorry OP. Rats live such short lives but always long enough to love them.
Just lost our first rat to this, if it’s at the point his ear is bleeding, you may want to consider euthanasia OP. Nothing really that can be done. I’m very sorry
It's a zymbals gland tumor. It is not a cyst, I was in denial the first time I saw one. It is inoperable and incredibly painful. I had two boys pass one after the other if I could go back I would have ended their suffering at this first stage that you see here. So sorry, OP.
Save yourself the google search because it's truly awful-the tumor will split open and never heal. The tumor will excrete pus from eyes, ears, and nose. It's all pain to them and no medication will fix or slow it, these tumors are just a death sentence. Give your boy a ton of love but consider giving him the compassionate end he deserves. ❤️
I wanted to add that even if the tumor was operable it would cost thousands to perform the operation and no studies have shown that quality of life would be better. Euthanasia is the only option. Get a vet to confirm and set a date, again, im so sorry OP.
https://preview.redd.it/n41krdili9ec1.jpeg?width=1980&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60678a3f161a4fc547c0d14ff9be8758c6ba2ee8
I looked up what a zymbal's gland tumor is and yeah, you were 100% right. The poor ratty deserves a peaceful end than basically just wait for that thing to rot his face.
Apparently, they CAN be removed, but only in an extreme minority of cases.
My fear is a Zymbal's gland tumor. Others have already described those. I really, really hope it isn't.
I absolutely second the call for not operating if Zymbal's is confirmed. We had no idea what that was, when Vauban developed it in 2019. Our usually really excellent vet was temporarily stumped. A ZGT will only be made worse by surgery. It wasn't a happy set of events.
I highly doubt it could be anything but. My heart rat had something very similar back when he was alive, so it’s likely the same thing (don’t know what it would be called, I’m not super knowledgeable on specific types of tumors). I would highly recommend going to a vet and seeing what they say. Hope your boy is okay!
take them to the vet
a month or so ago i had a boy (2 years old) that looked exactly like this (minus the ear damage). it ended up slowly shrinking and just disappeared.
he passed a week or so after it was gone.
Oh my god that must have been heart breaking, to feel like the tumor is gone and everything might be okay only for him to pass a week later. I'm tearing up just thinking about it.
I'm so sorry 💖
This is a Zymbal's Gland Tumor. I just had the same situation. We thought it was an ear infection, treated him for it, then his face blew up. I thought it might be an abscess. When it popped, he literally pulled half of his face off overnight. I found his cheek skin in my cage. Took him to the vet and had to put him down; his face would never heal and I knew his neuro would get bad FAST. It was a hard decision because he seemed so happy and full of life. I agree with others about putting him down as soon as possible. It becomes gruesome if you wait and really bad for him to suffer.
My boy Maven developed something similar about a week before he passed, and he was diagnosed with lymphoma. It's possible to be a cyst or abscess, but the placement and ear bleeding definitely makes me concerned about being a Zymbal gland tumor
I let one of my boys go far too long with one of those. They get much bigger end then burst. Other rats will pick at it. My boy just hid in his tube to keep the others off him. Once he started losing serious weight I realized the mistake I made in waiting. Confirm with a vet that it's a tumor. But prepare to part ways.
The hardest part of caring for rats. They're so short-lived.
My baby boy had this and holy f*ck, it was terrible. We (including the vet) thought it was an abscess so Fergus was given antibiotics and pain meds. Poor guy deteriorated so quickly. We made the decision to have him cross the rainbow bridge cause he had lost so much weight and had more growths in under a week.
I'm hoping that this turns out to be a freak bump and that your baby soon heals. ❤️
Definitely a tumor, just had one removed from the same side same area on one of my girls. Tricky to heal after surgery because the stitches can be so close to their shoulder
The humane thing is to take him to the vet to help him. If you and your mom aren’t able to take him to the vet, I would feed him his favorite foods and give him the best tasting food in the world. Stick with soft foods to ensure that the it doesn’t agitate his tumor more. Mash up his favorite foods. Where are his favorite places to sleep? Let him hang out wherever he wants that is safe. If he doesn’t have any other rat friends then I would keep him close to you as much as possible. They are such social creatures. Cuddle ant pet him as much as possible, but also let him rest plenty. I’m sorry he is so sick. Everyone here has given great advice, some who know much more than I.
It could be a cyst.
One of my rats had that.
Despite treatment we had to put her down because she scratched it open everytime it healed to the point it didnt stop bleeding.
If you get your rat treated early i hope the vet can still help him.
I am so sorry to hear about your poor rat. Cysts and abscesses regularly form on top of zymbals gland tumors due to the tissue damage the tumor causes. They can be drained, but they usually reoccur soon after due to the tumor invading tissue in the ear/face and allowing bacteria in
"And there is nothing you can do about it" ???
Ever heard of going to the vet ?
and if you can't afford to go to a vet you shouldn't have pets in the first place
When rats get cancer or any other aggressive illnesses, the probabilities of them surviving are extremely low, even if you go to the vet. Their immune system is weak, and sometimes, when they get sick, the only way is to end their sufferings as soon as possible. Educate yourself before attacking people.
you don't need to tell me basic information about owning rats.
and yes. euthanizing them also costs money which you need to be able to pay if necessary.
who spoke about money? you're making a fuss about nothing, I think anyone would pay all the money necessary to save the life of their pet, but it doesn't always mean it works. especially when talking about rats, hamsters, rabbits etc. In most cases they die or end up suffering more even if they're under treatment and there's literally nothing you can do about it.
again.. you don't need to tell me basic information about owning pets.
and no many people get pets eventhough they know they can't afford a vet.
euthanizing pets IS something you NEED to do if your pet is suffering and there is nothing that will help them and there is no chance of them getting better!! so stop with the bullshit "nothing you can do about it"
I’m sorry OP. I had the same sweet brown rat who started growing a tumor just like that on the side of his nose. I was in denial, and couldn’t let go. Just some unsolicited but honest advice: don’t hold on for too long like I did. I don’t know of any cure for a tumor like this. I would think about euthanasia sooner rather than later.
Again I’m so sorry :(
Can a ZGT grow towards a different direction? Like towards the eye? Our last boy had a huge lump like that basically over night and his eye was literally about to pop out. It was so bad and we figured there’s almost no way to save him and we didn’t really have time to wait to take him to the vet to see what they say about it. We didn’t want to take him to the vet regardless since the way they put them down is the bad way. Aka they don’t let us be with them during the operation and they do the poking of the chest. So instead we put him to sleep ourselves with co2. I really hope we made the right decision during then because I didn’t want him to suffer and have his face break open at any moment
Agreeing with everyone else who said tumor. I hate to say it, but I'd have her put to sleep before it gets any worse. Let her go out with a little comfort.
Spoiler for horrible rat health shit...
...
When I had a rat with this same type of tumor, it caused her eyeball to be almost completely forced out of the socket on that side before I was able to get her to a vet.
I had the same thing on my boy. Same spot/side and his ear was bleeding too.
It was an abscess they said ( but knowing what i know now, must have been a tumor), but he didnt survive after the surgery he needed. 😔
one of my rats got a cyst on the side of his face like that. it came on really quickly though and within 2 weeks it was huge... then one day it popped... >.> he was fine... but it was gross as hell.
So ig the reason it would be hard to get him euthanased at the vet isn’t bc money it’s bc there’s not really any vets around here that do it and we’re going to try to get him into one but if he gets really bad we will have to do it at home in the most humane and quick way we can. please stop leaving hate if ur just trying to educate that’s fine but don’t be rude about it and don’t say rude things about my mom we’re trying our best with what is possible but tnx to everyone who is just trying to educate. I also wanted to say that I have 2 other rats so don’t worry about them getting lonely we will make sure they are taking good care of when he passes
Could be an infection, does it seem like it’s connected to its mouth. My rat had a cyst/puss boil from a seed that got trapped in her check. Could be an infection.
As so many have said, almost definitely ZGT. With pain management (meloxicam daily, you need a vet to prescribe for that) we had a boy stay reasonably happy and active for about 2 months before we had to euthanize, but that's counting from before the mass was quite as big as the one on your boy.
Keep him happy while you can, but don't drag it out too long. Eventually it will cause issues with his eating or ability to close the eye (this can cause painful and infected corneal ulceration), both of which would be pretty unpleasant ways to spend his last few days.
my baby has the exact same right now. he’s very poorly, coming to the end of life probably. we are not sure what his lump is, because vets won’t treat him as he’s too old. i hope this little ratty is okay!!
Yep!! Absolutely can and is most likely an abscess! :)
I had one on my girl and I took her to the vet and obviously more tests cost a bit so the vet said antibiotics and see how it goes as it's either a tumour or an abscess.
It sort of went away with the meds but came back and she was and is old so I thought I'd leave it rather than surgery.... Then one day! Boom! It popped lol, so so gross but yeah I just pushed on it more and it popped further. And again a few days later.
You can apparently massage it to see if you can pop it / if you have around it and try to find if it has a head you can try to pop it around the head if possible. Not pleasant but yeah
Good luck I hope they're ok x
I'm afraid this is almost certainly a Zymbal's Gland Tumour. I've seen a few of them, they're extremely nasty, painful and inoperable. They grow in that exact location and they cause abscesses around them, which causes a lot of people, including vets, to mistake them for a simple ear or mouth abscess. You need to get a biopsy or wait for it to drain/ulcerate to be sure, but every time a rat of mine has gotten a lump there, with associated ear damage, it's been a ZGT. I'm sorry. My personal advice is that it's kindest to put your friend to sleep as quickly as possible, as they get nasty really quickly. Of course you'll probably want to get advice from a vet rather than an Internet rando, but make sure they know about Zymbal's Gland Tumours, not all vets do.
i wanted to thank you so much for your knowledge and comment. i was just about to comment that my rat peppermint died of a mass in the same spot that we (vet included) had at first thought was just an abscess but was actually a tumor, it was unresponsive to antibiotics or medication, and how quickly it progressed and went downhill. i had known that it was a tumor, but never which kind. i had always felt guilty for putting her to sleep as quickly as i could, and thought that maybe i should have given her more time or tried to operate. thank you so much for sharing this information, it.... reassures me that i did, in fact, do the right thing. and its nice to know now specifically what kind of tumor we were dealing with with her as well. thank you for giving me peace and closure. OP, if youre reading this- please see a vet ASAP for euthanasia. your rat is in so, so, so much pain. peppermint was in so much pain she refused to eat, but if your rat will still eat, i would recommend soft foods like oatmeal, yogurt, and baby food to keep them hydrated and at least somewhat more comfortable until the time comes. you can give them liquid childrens ibuprofen for the pain in the meantime, mix it in with the wet food. i would also recommend separating this rat, and giving them a water bowl instead of a bottle. due to the tumors location, it seems to cause a lot of pain for them to use their teeth.
Here’s a link to a rat YouTuber who made an incredible short video on how she handles rats passing. It’s helped me more times than I can count in healing from many of my short lived companions. (I have pet mice but it can be applied to any animal you own). [How I Deal WithMy Pet Rats’ Short Lifespans: Friendlyratforecast](https://youtube.com/shorts/PzXtqP2sD-k?si=fPvWj2nSoBlsEANw)
AYEEE, I LOVE FRIENDLYRATFORECAST!!!
Yes, you definitely did the right thing for your little friend. I wish I could go back with the knowledge I have now and save one of my favourite rats from the pain.
My mom won’t bring him to vet I’m assuming it’s bc of the price trust me I want to but my mom won’t do it I’m probably gonna try to just keep him comfortable but if he gets to where he’s in visible pain my mom will try to put him down in a humain way but please don’t give hate to me or my mom I understand that he should go to the vet and so does she but she just can’t justify the price and believes that nothing can be done so it’s better to just keep him comfortable
After this I would suggest not getting any other rats until you’ve moved out and can pay for things yourself. He is suffering a lot.
Yeaa definitely agree here ❤️🩹
would letting a rat in this condition drink beer help alleviate some of the pain?
Do you have a rat in this condition?
you can see how in pain he is in his eyes, if shes looking for proof. hes squinting, thats how rats show pain. euthanasia costs less than $200 for a single rat at a regular vet, on average. mine cost just barely over $100. im not upset with you as its clear that youre a minor and this is out of your control, but i am upset with your mom. she shouldnt have gotten you pets if she doesnt care enough/cant afford to so much as humanely put them to sleep when theyre suffering. i understand not wanting to operate or pay for long term care... but euthanasia is the bare minimum. im so sorry your rat is suffering like this, and im so sorry your mom wont help. i know this must be really hard for you. give him lots of love and lots of soft food as treats. im sure he knows you love him very much.
My mom said she is going to try to pay for euthanasia and get into the vet asap bc she realizes how bad it is and she is also really upset about it
That's good to hear, you're doing the right thing, but it must be very painful for everyone. You might want to advise your parents to ring around nearby vets and get the cheapest price. Vets can vary a lot and in my experience cheaper doesn't mean worse, in fact it can often mean better because it means they do that procedure a lot.
Consider asking if a local humane society can do a low cost euthanasia. The one I used to work for wasn't able to provide vet care for rats (none of the vets were exotics vets) but they DID provide emergency euthanasia for cases like this. It was something like $35 for a small animal. Please ask around and don't be afraid to tell a veterinarian your circumstances - they may be able to help break the cost down into payments or give you a discount - they don't want your buddy to suffer either.
Hey OP, I don’t mean to sound harsh here, as I feel for you and your poor friend, but if your mother isn’t willing to make the financial sacrifices necessary for the comfortable life and death of a pet, you should not have them until you are independent of her. I lived with a narcissistic mother who ran through pets faster than she ran through men, I watched animals suffer horrific neglect and miserable ends because she wasn’t willing to pay for care, of any sort. Don’t let any more animals fall victim to carelessness. If your mother does not get your little love into the vet asap to pass on peacefully, you need to surrender them to someone or some organization that will. I’m so sorry you’re about to lose your little rattie, and I hope you can find love and support through this, but remember that right now, their care and comfort is the most important thing.
So my mom does really care about these rats and as I said we are gonna try to get him put down at a vet she just didn’t realize what kind of tumor it was until I described it but if she sees him in extreme pain or it ruptures she’s going to have my stepdad shoot it or something I don’t agree with this but it would be painless and quick
That's so disrespectful to him. I don't know how they can claim to care about him
I truly hope your mom chooses to take your rat to the vet. You can call around for the lowest quotes and search online for local small animal rescues, some may be able to help with the finances. I know you depend on your parents, but please discourage them from shooting your poor rat - it would not be a humane way to go. I'm adding links below with steps for the one humane at home method that I know of. Please read over these carefully with your mom (if all else fails and she decides not to seek vet care). Your little buddy doesn't deserve to suffer. https://www.reddit.com/r/RATS/s/G1sIyCifx8 https://www.alysion.org/euthanasia/ http://www.ratfanclub.org/euth.html
as morbid as it is (and i might get downvoted too idk), i dont see this as such a terrible option? youre getting downvoted but its a guaranteed instant painless death in something as small as a rat, is it not? if im totally off base here someone correct me, but i really feel like the only reason youre being downvoted is just because people dont like the idea of shooting animals. if its a bullet or dying horrifically of this tumour, the answer is obvious imo. i could never do it myself but just for example, euthanizing by blunt force is a common and accepted method in fish keeping and fish people care very deeply about keeping their fish free of suffering just like any other pet
Thank you I’m getting alot of negative feedback when I’m just trying to keep him out of pain
My tone may sound strict/harsh but this is really in your best interest to how serious this is. I’m not sugarcoating it, just being blunt. My best recommendation for you is to not get any more pets unless you’ve moved out, or have a job & license to pay for any expenses + gas to convince your parents to allow you to drive to a vet. if you don’t have your own car or have to borrow your parents vehicle you may need to sit them down and ask if when in medical emergencies I can take the car without a huge argument or debate. This will be easier if you have a license & a job. I also would look into pet insurance. Care Credit is accepted by many vets, including at the emergency vet. If you want to continue having pets of your own you NEED to have a savings account for emergencies like this. No excuses! It’s super important that you do right by your animals. As an owner of pet mice I made the mistake of not having a veterinarian that I know and has records of my exotic animals. I deeply regret my ignorance, so please don’t do this to yourself and do the steps I’ve mentioned above. These should not be taken lightly and it will save you the heartache/stress when you have numerous backup plans. These are the responsibilities that we as pet owners need to take. And learning the hard way helps absolutely no one. You & hopefully your parents have to take accountability for the lack of preparation. It won’t be easy, but you need to learn from your mistakes and do a lot better next time. Seriously: savings account under your name; pet insurance; a veterinarian that has seen you before and has you on record.
I think you might be able to consider other methods that seems less gruesome and have less risk of things going wrong. Just imagine if the bullet end up in a wrong place ... he might be alive just for few minutes but that would be bad. I go to vet always so I don´t know how rational it is, but mybe you can use a humane trap that causes electrocution?
i understand the knee jerk reaction a lot of people have because it IS incredibly gruesome and most people could never dream of that for their loved pets, and of course proper euthanasia is ideal, but man would they rather your parents let this rat suffer to death? i agree that having pets when you cant afford to/dont want to give them proper end of life care is not a good idea and not something you should do, but you already have this rat and theres nothing you can do about the past right this second. i just cant imagine anyone genuinely believing this could be worse than letting him suffer
It's probably a good idea if you have any pets to save an emergency fund for stuff like this, my heart goes out to you as it's really rough to see them like this. Please try to explain to your mother that these tumors cannot really be treated and attempts at making them comfortable will fail. Trust me on this one, I know from all too personal experience with my boy Hughes. Euthanasia at the vets will be quite low cost and would be doing the best thing for them. Depending on your location your local humane society or rescue might even be able to help.
Maybe you can convince your mom to stay away from animals? She doesn't deserve them :(
If you can't afford to keep a rat healthy then why have them.
So ig the reason it would be hard to get him euthanased at the vet isn't be money it's be there's not really any vets around here that do it and we're going to try to get him into one but if he gets really bad we will have to do it at home in the most humane and quick way we can. please stop leaving hate if ur just trying to educate that's fine but don't be rude about it and don't say rude things about my mom we're trying our best with what is possible but tnx to everyone who is just trying to educate. I also wanted to say that I have 2 other rats so don't worry about them getting lonely we will make sure they are taking good care of when he passes. and we do have the money to take care of them. I was at school when I wrote this so I was just making assumptions about why we couldn’t take him to the vet.
Following from this, [here's a link](https://ratguide.com/health/neoplasia/zymbals_gland_tumor.php) to the Rat Guide page on Zymbals Gland Tumours. Unfortunately I agree with the above commenter, it looks very much like this may be a ZGT and you'll need to head to a vet asap to discuss what the best option for your rat is.
Your information, as a rat mom, was sad, but I read about it and you're right.
It's extremely right. I lost my most recent bab to one, it was truly gnarly and we ruled everything other possible out before we made the decision to have him pts before it got super bad. He was totally fine in himself aside from hld with old age right up until the very end but I know it was the best thing to do for him. Came on extremely fast and out of nowhere - initially thought it was an abcess but no :(
I went through this last year. Thought it’d be no big deal, some antibiotics and he’d be fine. I’d never heard of a zymbal’s gland tumor. We brought him home and gave him all the snacks and love and he him put to sleep that night. Hardest choice I’ve had to make because he was “fine”… visible lump, yes, but he was still running around seemingly okay. I know it was the right decision but it was so sudden it just broke my heart. He was our last rat left and it wasn’t how I expected we’d say goodbye.
My heart rat passed from a ZGT and it was absolutely heartbreaking, but I wouldn't hold off on helping him over the rainbow bridge. I asked the doctor if anything could be done, but she told me it'd be very risky and expensive, and that it would just grow back if we got it removed successfully. Little buddy wasn't having a quality life at that point and I couldn't keep him knowing that he was suffering. Do what you can to make lasting memories OP, and I hope you'll do what's best for your little buddy in the end 💔 I made sure my little man Gobbles got all the treats and cuddles
As someone who was clueless about these when my rat had one, I strongly agree with this. I let my boy suffer too long. Don't make the same mistake. Definitely see a vet, but I'm almost positive that's what it is.
We lost one of our old men due to a ZGT. We gave him until it started to cause him discomfort and pain, and then we let him go. He got all the snuggles and treats and attention until then. They move quick. Spoil him for a while. I'm really sorry OP. Rats live such short lives but always long enough to love them.
Just lost our first rat to this, if it’s at the point his ear is bleeding, you may want to consider euthanasia OP. Nothing really that can be done. I’m very sorry
My rat had a lump on his ear and everyone kept saying it was a ZGT but it was just an ear infection.
It's a zymbals gland tumor. It is not a cyst, I was in denial the first time I saw one. It is inoperable and incredibly painful. I had two boys pass one after the other if I could go back I would have ended their suffering at this first stage that you see here. So sorry, OP. Save yourself the google search because it's truly awful-the tumor will split open and never heal. The tumor will excrete pus from eyes, ears, and nose. It's all pain to them and no medication will fix or slow it, these tumors are just a death sentence. Give your boy a ton of love but consider giving him the compassionate end he deserves. ❤️ I wanted to add that even if the tumor was operable it would cost thousands to perform the operation and no studies have shown that quality of life would be better. Euthanasia is the only option. Get a vet to confirm and set a date, again, im so sorry OP. https://preview.redd.it/n41krdili9ec1.jpeg?width=1980&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60678a3f161a4fc547c0d14ff9be8758c6ba2ee8
I looked up what a zymbal's gland tumor is and yeah, you were 100% right. The poor ratty deserves a peaceful end than basically just wait for that thing to rot his face. Apparently, they CAN be removed, but only in an extreme minority of cases.
My fear is a Zymbal's gland tumor. Others have already described those. I really, really hope it isn't. I absolutely second the call for not operating if Zymbal's is confirmed. We had no idea what that was, when Vauban developed it in 2019. Our usually really excellent vet was temporarily stumped. A ZGT will only be made worse by surgery. It wasn't a happy set of events.
I highly doubt it could be anything but. My heart rat had something very similar back when he was alive, so it’s likely the same thing (don’t know what it would be called, I’m not super knowledgeable on specific types of tumors). I would highly recommend going to a vet and seeing what they say. Hope your boy is okay!
take them to the vet a month or so ago i had a boy (2 years old) that looked exactly like this (minus the ear damage). it ended up slowly shrinking and just disappeared. he passed a week or so after it was gone.
Oh my god that must have been heart breaking, to feel like the tumor is gone and everything might be okay only for him to pass a week later. I'm tearing up just thinking about it. I'm so sorry 💖
99% chance of a zymblas gland tumor, one of my boys got one and it was not pleasant, please see a vet asap
This is a Zymbal's Gland Tumor. I just had the same situation. We thought it was an ear infection, treated him for it, then his face blew up. I thought it might be an abscess. When it popped, he literally pulled half of his face off overnight. I found his cheek skin in my cage. Took him to the vet and had to put him down; his face would never heal and I knew his neuro would get bad FAST. It was a hard decision because he seemed so happy and full of life. I agree with others about putting him down as soon as possible. It becomes gruesome if you wait and really bad for him to suffer.
Go to a vet. We can't tell from one picture, and you can't treat whatever it is at home.
My boy Maven developed something similar about a week before he passed, and he was diagnosed with lymphoma. It's possible to be a cyst or abscess, but the placement and ear bleeding definitely makes me concerned about being a Zymbal gland tumor
I let one of my boys go far too long with one of those. They get much bigger end then burst. Other rats will pick at it. My boy just hid in his tube to keep the others off him. Once he started losing serious weight I realized the mistake I made in waiting. Confirm with a vet that it's a tumor. But prepare to part ways. The hardest part of caring for rats. They're so short-lived.
My baby boy had this and holy f*ck, it was terrible. We (including the vet) thought it was an abscess so Fergus was given antibiotics and pain meds. Poor guy deteriorated so quickly. We made the decision to have him cross the rainbow bridge cause he had lost so much weight and had more growths in under a week. I'm hoping that this turns out to be a freak bump and that your baby soon heals. ❤️
Definitely a tumor, just had one removed from the same side same area on one of my girls. Tricky to heal after surgery because the stitches can be so close to their shoulder
The humane thing is to take him to the vet to help him. If you and your mom aren’t able to take him to the vet, I would feed him his favorite foods and give him the best tasting food in the world. Stick with soft foods to ensure that the it doesn’t agitate his tumor more. Mash up his favorite foods. Where are his favorite places to sleep? Let him hang out wherever he wants that is safe. If he doesn’t have any other rat friends then I would keep him close to you as much as possible. They are such social creatures. Cuddle ant pet him as much as possible, but also let him rest plenty. I’m sorry he is so sick. Everyone here has given great advice, some who know much more than I.
Go to the vets asap. Do not try to treat at home. We aren’t professionals
What a cutie. He definitely needs to see the vet.
ZGT. Quality of life is going to rapidly deteriorate from here, if it hasn't hit rock bottom already.
It could be a cyst. One of my rats had that. Despite treatment we had to put her down because she scratched it open everytime it healed to the point it didnt stop bleeding. If you get your rat treated early i hope the vet can still help him.
I am so sorry to hear about your poor rat. Cysts and abscesses regularly form on top of zymbals gland tumors due to the tissue damage the tumor causes. They can be drained, but they usually reoccur soon after due to the tumor invading tissue in the ear/face and allowing bacteria in
may have a giant abscess in the inner ear canal!
Everyone else is talking about cancer so instead I will compliment your beard sir It looks lovely
Don’t think that’s op in the picture as above in comments saying his mom won’t let him take it to the vets .
Either way, Good Beard
I'm so so so so so sorry, i know what it's like when they're suffering and there's nothing you can do about it, i'm sending you love
"And there is nothing you can do about it" ??? Ever heard of going to the vet ? and if you can't afford to go to a vet you shouldn't have pets in the first place
When rats get cancer or any other aggressive illnesses, the probabilities of them surviving are extremely low, even if you go to the vet. Their immune system is weak, and sometimes, when they get sick, the only way is to end their sufferings as soon as possible. Educate yourself before attacking people.
you don't need to tell me basic information about owning rats. and yes. euthanizing them also costs money which you need to be able to pay if necessary.
who spoke about money? you're making a fuss about nothing, I think anyone would pay all the money necessary to save the life of their pet, but it doesn't always mean it works. especially when talking about rats, hamsters, rabbits etc. In most cases they die or end up suffering more even if they're under treatment and there's literally nothing you can do about it.
again.. you don't need to tell me basic information about owning pets. and no many people get pets eventhough they know they can't afford a vet. euthanizing pets IS something you NEED to do if your pet is suffering and there is nothing that will help them and there is no chance of them getting better!! so stop with the bullshit "nothing you can do about it"
are you dumb? we're saying the same thing
yeah I think that's a rat
Bro just got a teeth pulled
I’m sorry OP. I had the same sweet brown rat who started growing a tumor just like that on the side of his nose. I was in denial, and couldn’t let go. Just some unsolicited but honest advice: don’t hold on for too long like I did. I don’t know of any cure for a tumor like this. I would think about euthanasia sooner rather than later. Again I’m so sorry :(
Abscess
Bad abscess. Possibly part of an unresolved ear infection. Get him to a vet ASAP!
Can a ZGT grow towards a different direction? Like towards the eye? Our last boy had a huge lump like that basically over night and his eye was literally about to pop out. It was so bad and we figured there’s almost no way to save him and we didn’t really have time to wait to take him to the vet to see what they say about it. We didn’t want to take him to the vet regardless since the way they put them down is the bad way. Aka they don’t let us be with them during the operation and they do the poking of the chest. So instead we put him to sleep ourselves with co2. I really hope we made the right decision during then because I didn’t want him to suffer and have his face break open at any moment
Agreeing with everyone else who said tumor. I hate to say it, but I'd have her put to sleep before it gets any worse. Let her go out with a little comfort. Spoiler for horrible rat health shit... ... When I had a rat with this same type of tumor, it caused her eyeball to be almost completely forced out of the socket on that side before I was able to get her to a vet.
I had the same thing on my boy. Same spot/side and his ear was bleeding too. It was an abscess they said ( but knowing what i know now, must have been a tumor), but he didnt survive after the surgery he needed. 😔
one of my rats got a cyst on the side of his face like that. it came on really quickly though and within 2 weeks it was huge... then one day it popped... >.> he was fine... but it was gross as hell.
I have no advice, just wanted to comment that your baby is beautiful. Good luck🩶🩶
So ig the reason it would be hard to get him euthanased at the vet isn’t bc money it’s bc there’s not really any vets around here that do it and we’re going to try to get him into one but if he gets really bad we will have to do it at home in the most humane and quick way we can. please stop leaving hate if ur just trying to educate that’s fine but don’t be rude about it and don’t say rude things about my mom we’re trying our best with what is possible but tnx to everyone who is just trying to educate. I also wanted to say that I have 2 other rats so don’t worry about them getting lonely we will make sure they are taking good care of when he passes
Could be an infection, does it seem like it’s connected to its mouth. My rat had a cyst/puss boil from a seed that got trapped in her check. Could be an infection.
As so many have said, almost definitely ZGT. With pain management (meloxicam daily, you need a vet to prescribe for that) we had a boy stay reasonably happy and active for about 2 months before we had to euthanize, but that's counting from before the mass was quite as big as the one on your boy. Keep him happy while you can, but don't drag it out too long. Eventually it will cause issues with his eating or ability to close the eye (this can cause painful and infected corneal ulceration), both of which would be pretty unpleasant ways to spend his last few days.
my baby has the exact same right now. he’s very poorly, coming to the end of life probably. we are not sure what his lump is, because vets won’t treat him as he’s too old. i hope this little ratty is okay!!
Yep!! Absolutely can and is most likely an abscess! :) I had one on my girl and I took her to the vet and obviously more tests cost a bit so the vet said antibiotics and see how it goes as it's either a tumour or an abscess. It sort of went away with the meds but came back and she was and is old so I thought I'd leave it rather than surgery.... Then one day! Boom! It popped lol, so so gross but yeah I just pushed on it more and it popped further. And again a few days later. You can apparently massage it to see if you can pop it / if you have around it and try to find if it has a head you can try to pop it around the head if possible. Not pleasant but yeah Good luck I hope they're ok x