# my rat hurt his tail



## petratts (Feb 14, 2012)

my rat hurt his tail. he scraped a little piece of skin off. what can i do make sure it wont get infected?


----------



## jadeelizabeth (Jul 26, 2012)

Just keep it clean and keep an eye on it. Long as its not huge and deep it should be okay


----------



## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Hi...

Is the bone visible? Degloving (removal of the skin) of the tail is a potentially serious condition. The skin on a rat's tail easily sloughs off as a defense mechanism against predators. It does not grow back. You may need to take your rat to the vet to have the remainder of his tail amputated past the degloving. Keep it clean and keep an eye on it.


----------



## petratts (Feb 14, 2012)

thanks for the replys, no it did not deglove. i have read many things about that. i was very scared. the best way to describe it would be that a scale came off. i don't know if rats tails have scales, say that 5 times fast, but it was just a small thin layer of skin like a fish scale. i was really freaking out. this is the first time my rat has been hurt and i was overwhelmed. but i think he will be ok. i put a little bit of neosporin on it. and now 24 hours later he seems good as new. just a little red spot on the tail.


----------



## Nauseum (Mar 3, 2012)

When my rats get little cuts that don't heal up right away I usually put a bit of polysporin eye drops on the cut or scrape, works like a charm and is less messy for them


----------



## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

The scales on a rats tail nautrally moult out much like there fur, moulting is probably not the best word for it though. Essentially they grow old and renew themselves regularly like any other skin cell. When they get like this you can normally see that the rats tail looks scaleier than normal and can feel rough, the scales are quite old then (with new scales forming underneath) and loose and often can get flicked off very easily. When it's like this they can loose scales fairly regularly and sometimes they might catch them and pull more off than are ready, this will leave a little sore patch or possibly a bit of blood around the scale. It's kind of like a human graze and isn't a big deal unless it's a large area.

However if your rats tail is very scaley looking and rough i would try adding a bit more oil to their diet (a bit of nice olive oil soaked into bread or with a wet meal works wonders), this will help their tails stay smooth and in a good state. Occasionally cleaning older rats tails gentley with an old soft bristled toothbrush can also get rid of any old scales that are stubbornly refusing to drop off on there own too, meaning there tails are in nicer condition and less likley to catch.


----------

