Rat with poor feet.cant work out why..

[Rou]

Im caring for ten Norway rats (4 females together, 4 young males together and two older males seperate).

Two of them being the older males that are kept on their own have been struggling with some sort of foot condition that causes the bottoms of their feet to almost blister, scab over than kinda stay bulbous.

One of the four young males is suffering with a similar problem but on the top of his right foot. He has a bump occur on the top of his foot, it then burst/split open and scabbed over, now there are two bumps (the original and another on the other side of his foot). The second one has not split open yet but it is looking like it will do rather soon.

At first it was thought to be a fornm of bumble foot but the lumps once burst and scabbed over reduce a fair bit.

thoughts?

[Rhona]

it definetly sounds like bumble foot to me, poor wee guys must be awfy sore

one of my fancy rats had it and i found purple spray to help loads

[Rou]

well we had them on baytril but stopped that as it wasnt helping them in anyway. we then opted for a human remedy known as jungle juice which acts kinda like a sealant for the wound and also helps with the healing.

What can cause bumble foot?

we currently keep all of our rats on cardboard chippings which are ike 1cm square pieces of cardboard supplied by a pet supplies place. could this be the cause?

[Amalthea]

Bumble foot can be caused from having to stand on dirty substrate or mesh (like the blasted critter cages... HATE them with a passion). What cages are they currently in?

[Rou]

The substrate is fairly clean all of the time as they are used for educational purposes. They are working rats.

They are kept in several homemade type enclosures, it basically is similar to like an old kitchen cupboard but much bigger with ventilation areas and a mesh front. I have noticed the base of the enclosure and the shelves they stand on blister with urine (due to the typoe of material) but they are cleaned regularly with spot checks and disinfected regularly too.

[Amalthea]

I'm not ure what could be causing it then... *scratches chin* Maybe ask the vet for a different type of anti bs...

[ParrotAnnie]

Bumblefoot can be notoriously hard to treat. Ive only dealt with it in birds, and it can be quite a journey curing it. Antibiotics, combined with a topical treatment, and unscrupulously clean housing is really the only way forward I think. Baytril is a very good broad spectrum antibiotic, but your rats may need a different one if this is having no effect. Ensure there is NO abrasive linings or beddings in their cage, and at all costs avoid using kitchen towelling, as this can be surprisingly rough and abrasive. (Try using kitchen towelling on your nose when you have a cold, you will soon have the reddest tender hooter ever! Could it possibly be that the rats are suffering an allergic reaction to the substrate that you are using? This can happen, but the only way you would know is by completely removing it all and trying a new substrate for a week or so, and see if there's any improvement.
My 76 year old parrot used to get sore on her malformed leg, and my vet told me to gently apply the teeniest bit of Preparation-H to the area daily! Yup, bum cream! It did the job too! Apparently it works by encouraging good blood circulation in the affected area, which in itself can assist with healing, is very anti-inflamitory so it can quickly ease the imflamation, and helps heal the broken skin. Only use the tiniest amount, and rub well in gently, so the rat dosent have enough surplus left on its feet to lick off, as it shouldnt be ingested. I would strongly recommend that you double check this with your vet though, as he masy not agree with the use of Prep-H sore bum treatment. Mine does, and it really did help my old parrot, but all vets are different, so please double check!
Hope this is of some help, poor babies
Annie

[Rou]

Originally Posted by Amalthea

I'm not ure what could be causing it then... *scratches chin* Maybe ask the vet for a different type of anti bs...

well baytril is a pretty good alrounder but yeah i think they will be going back to clinic this thursday.

[Ratatouille]

Here are a couple of links you might find helpful. Poor ratties

Bumblefoot in Pet Rats

Rat & Mouse Gazette: Q & A

[Rou]

thanks for those links and all of the info from the others.

I will see if my boss will allow me to change the bedding material for a short while and see if that makes any difference.