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View Full Version : Injured rat, please help

ErikBush97
10-23-13, 03:16 AM
Hi, everyone. I bought two small rats for duma to eat, she bit one, let it go, and that was it... Now the poor little guy is walking around with a hole in his back, lost a good amount of blood and he can't move one of his hind legs... At first I thought he would die but it's been about 8 hours and he's still active, and seems fine in every other way... How can I help the poor little guy? :( He isn't bleeding out anymore or anything like that. I have him and his healthy uninjured brother in a 20 gal with newspaper bedding plus shredded newspapers for security. Should I clean the injury daily and hope for the best? He seemed to be in pain at first but he seems like a normal rat now. He's fine with me examining him and everything... He ate and drank with no issue. Moving around the tank... I don't want him to be in pain but I don't want him to die either... What can I do to help him make a full recovery? He's very curious and nosey as a normally functioning rat would be.
Starbuck
10-23-13, 03:50 AM
Kill him via blunt forxe trauma or cervical dislocation, then feed him to onenof your other snakes... it's not really fair to keep him alive with no pain medications etc, if the wound is as bad as it sounds... and I wouldn't want to treat him with anythimg and then feed him to one of your snakes. (Alternatively offer him live to your dum again amd see if she takes him).

Is the dumerils that's not eating the same one that is potentially pregnant, and has the nose rub?
ErikBush97
10-23-13, 03:58 AM
Kill him via blunt forxe trauma or cervical dislocation, then feed him to onenof your other snakes... it's not really fair to keep him alive with no pain medications etc, if the wound is as bad as it sounds... and I wouldn't want to treat him with anythimg and then feed him to one of your snakes. (Alternatively offer him live to your dum again amd see if she takes him).

Is the dumerils that's not eating the same one that is potentially pregnant, and has the nose rub?

Yes. She's the only Dumeril's I have. After getting a better look at the rat, there's a lot of exposed bone and tissue... It's going to be hard but I'm going to shoot him in the face later tonight when my little brother goes to sleep. He really wanted to keep him as a pet, but I told him that he's hurt so we may not be able to. The injury is worse than I thought so.. I don't want him to suffer :(
Starbuck
10-23-13, 04:03 AM
I don't keep or breed dums, but I know lots of other peoples gravid females will go off feed sometimes during gestation. That is likely why she's not eating... read some of the other threads r.e. gestation amd not eating (I think mark taylor has one r.e. bcc?).

You can just use a hammer, no need for a gun. Or grasp firmly behi nd the neck and swiftly pull in opposite directions (again there are threads explaining this further).
ErikBush97
10-23-13, 04:06 AM
Her going off of food was the first sign that lead me to believe that shes gravid.

A hammer will be too gorey and breaking it's neck is just too hands on... I don't want to think about it. Just want it to be over with as quick as possible for the rats and my own sake :/
formica
10-23-13, 04:41 AM
dont wait until tonight, thats far too long to leave him in pain, you've just got to bite the bullet and get it over with asap, if that means doing something other than shooting, then you have to do it - by not doing it, you are only helping your own suffering, not his...and his is far worse
ErikBush97
10-23-13, 04:50 AM
I did it. .
formica
10-23-13, 05:56 AM
RIP little rat :) was a kind thing u did gotsaquestion
SnakeyJay
10-23-13, 02:40 PM
Its hard for some to end a prey items life but good on you for doing the right thing anyway.
ErikBush97
10-23-13, 03:27 PM
Poor little guy. I'm just glad that I didn't wait so he didn't have to suffer
Mikoh4792
10-23-13, 03:29 PM
What were you going to use to shoot him with?(What kind). Wouldn't it be just as gorey by making his head explode?
ErikBush97
10-23-13, 03:33 PM
What were you going to use to shoot him with?(What kind). Wouldn't it be just as gorey by making his head explode?

Probably a 9 mm or something. Yes it'd be gorey but it just isn't the same as smashing its head in (to me, anyways)
Joshchimera
10-26-13, 03:03 AM
I have froze live mice with no issues several times... But these days I feed uneaten mice to my Blue-tongue skink.