# Torn Ear-- Please Help



## Riksor (Jul 30, 2016)

Hello!
So I came home from school and I realized that my smaller boy Spectre had blood all around his left ear. I, as you can expect, freaked out.
Upon closer examination he seems to have a torn ear... His brother, Nevsky, is bigger and more dominant. He has pretty sharp claws--i've only managed to cut his toe claws, his front ones are too difficult for me. They roughouse a lot, but they also seem to like eachother. After discovering Spectre's ear i cleaned the cage and separated the two. I also tried (and failed) to wash off Spectre's blood with lukewarm water and q-tips. Since cleaning there cage, they've only (thankfully) quarreled once but I ended it before it could become too violent.
I'm still terrified for Spectre... I've heard rat ears are very sensitive. What should I do to help him? I can't keep them separated all night because I only have one cage, and I can't stay up all night to watch them because I have school tomorrow. Please help.
Thank you!


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## rlstine (Mar 2, 2016)

Hey Riksor, an injured rat can be a very scary thing but don't worry! We are here to help! I found some info on your problem originally posted on theratfanclub.org:

"The feet, ears, tail and mouth all have a considerable blood supply, and injuries to these areas can cause profuse bleeding. The first step to stop the bleeding is to apply direct pressure for two minutes. If the bleeding continues, put some flour in a small container and press the bleeding area into the flour, or press some flour onto the wound. The flour will help the blood to clot. Cornstarch can also be used, as well as a commercial product to stop bleeding. Another thing to try is holding ice against the injury. The cold will reduce the blood flow.
Ibuprofen interferes with blood clotting, so if your rat has a severe injury with profuse bleeding, you do not want to use ibuprofen that day. For pain you can use acetaminophen (Tylenol) at 90-140 mg/lb every 4-12 hours. Choose the dose according to the severity of the pain and possible length of use, with lower doses for repeated use. Overdoses can damage the liver"

Is your bigger boy usually aggressive towards Spectre? If not, I wouldn't worry too much about keeping the boys together after the blood begins to clot. If so, or for your peace of mind you could make Spectre a makeshift cage using a large storage container with holes in the lid, or a dog kennel/carrier with food and water just for while you're at school. If you live with other people you might ask them to just check on him for you once or twice during the day. Hope this helps!


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

I happened to my rat too. It wasn't torn completely apart but it healed really well and fast. Keep it clean and disinfect it twice a day for 5 days for 1 part Betadine and 5 parts sterile water. You can see it here: http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?326234-Rat-hurt-his-ear-skin-damaged Good luck and keep us posted


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## Riksor (Jul 30, 2016)

Thank you both so much for the advice and resources! I've just disinfected and dotted flour on the ear. To rlstine--thank you especially for the last piece of advice! I'm going to go a night without separation but if things escalate I'll get a storage container for nighttime. Thank you!

Gribouilli, I'm sorry to hear about your rat--I hope they healed okay! I'll follow your advice, thank you!


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Oh yea his ear was totally healed in less than two weeks. It was 50% better within days. Rats heal super fast due to their high metabolism


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Are your rats' nails long and sharp? My guess is a torn ear might be the result of long sharp nails and plain boy wrestling around. I have no idea how my rats did that triangle wound but hey it healed fine even though he still have that little bump you can see on the last pic, lol.


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## TheBoys (Jul 20, 2016)

I am not experienced with the torn ear, but we have found a (relatively) easy way of trimming our boys' nails. We simply take them into the garage and gently pull them across the concrete. They will naturally cling to the ground and file their own nails. Their pinky toes/nails usually trim faster than their other nails, so you have to be careful and keep an eye on that toe and make sure you don't trim it too far. It's pretty painless and this way we don't have to worry about using the clipper. Our boys are pretty squirmy and I always worry I'm going to cut a toe off!


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