My (past) pet RAT had tumors? Normal?

Question

I had pet rat's before, currently i have none cuz they have passed. But I was wondering if anyone knows why rat's get tumors? I had two different rats that had tumors: one had one on the back of its neck, another had one under its chin - and they are large! These tumors usually showed up a few months before they died. Also, two weeks before they would die, the rats would do this clicking thing with their mouth, almost like they are gasping for air - what was that? It was always sad to see them in their final days and die, it looked painful :(

Answer 1

Yes, pet rats have a high incidence of adenocarcinoma and other types of tumors and cancer and here is why: rats that you find in a pet store are typically bred from stock that comes from medical labs. The ones that are not used for medical purposes are filtered into the consumer chain (breeders that supply to pet stores for snake food, etc.) Most medical rats are bred for specific anomalies (tumors) so that they can be used for research for cancer fighting drugs and processes (cruel but true). However, there is such a large poulation of rats being bred that the excess sometimes end up in pet stores. Unfortunately, it ends up causing heartbreak for the person that wants to have the rat as a pet and can cost quite a bit at the vet's office. Our rat Mischa developed a mammary tumor once and we had it removed. Our vet gave us a 50/50 chance of it coming back, which it did in less that 8 months. The second time, it developed much faster and within two months we had to have her put to sleep because it was enveloping her kidneys, bladder and putting pressure on her spinal cord. The gasping you see is called agonal breathing. All creatures do this when they are dying. Usually it is a reflex and the animal (or human) is already beyond the point of being concious (exception is drowning). Believe it or not, it is well worth the $25.00 that it costs to have an animal euthanized than to have to watch it suffer.
Not all rats and mice will develop cancer or tumors, but, there is a high rate of it. My recommendation is to find a reputable breeder online that deals in what is called "fancy" rats (show rats). They cost more, but, are usually healthier and better quality.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, it IS common...not "normal", but definately common. We just lost our best girl "Chicken Midget" in August to a giant, fast growing tumor. She was over 2 1/2 though... so we did get to have her for a nice long time. First off, if you are afraid of it happening again, you might want to try a male rat because it is far less common for them to get these tumors. That is what we did...we now have a boy "S.S. Monster Shrimpboat " because it was just so sad to see our female deal with so much pain before she died. I've been told by the vets & info from the Rat & Mouse Association of America, that they believe it comes from two factors...the toxic oils in the soft wood shavings (Pine and/or cedar bedding) that is what is so commercially available & almost everyone uses. Aspen shavings or chips are also often available and are a much safer choice because it is a much harder wood...make sure you pay attention to what you are buying, because they pretty much all look about the same, and even cost about the same. You have to read the label. Also, another factor is too much protein in almost all of the commercially available food which causes kidney damage...then the weakness causes the body to begin to deteriorate, making it far more susceptible to cancer & tumors. Next time feed mainly Rat/Rodent lab blocks and LOTS of daily fresh fruits, vegetables and occasional...rice, noodles, beans. and treats. NO oranges, or orange juice for boys, though...a chemical in the oil of the peel is toxic to them. They are still great pets, and worth all of the trouble as they will love you like mini dogs if you give them the chance! There is no way to predict the tumors, and unfortunately, really no way to treat them either. Just get a new rat or two & do your best , and take care of them as best as you can for thier entire lifespan, all the way untill they die...whether it's from natural causes, or a tumor. Hopefully, your experience wasn't so bad that you wouldn't ever be able to have another rat...because you would really be missing out on a really great pet & buddy!

Answer 3

Rats are very prone to tumors, mostly because they were bred to have tumors so scientists could do cancer research on them, and most pet rats today are descended from laboratory animals.

Many tumors are benign and can be removed safely if detected early.

The gasping for air could have been a result of lung cancer, or the presence of the tumor pressing on the lungs making it difficult to breathe.

If you get another rat that develops a tumor, please take him to the vet right away, as it can probably be removed before it causes his death. If your rat appears to be suffering, please have it humanely euthanized so it doesn't have to die a horrible death.

Answer 4

You didn't say how old your rats were. I never had one live longer than 4 years, though the majority only lived to 2. I don't ever recall any tumors on the rats, though that was over 20 years ago when I kept them for pets.

Answer 5

For some reason, pet rats are very prone to cancer. I used to work at a Vets office and they were the most common problem with rats. I think it is genetic. I am not sure if there is anything you can do to prevent it, but its worth asking your Vet.

Answer 6

Often animals are just as susceptible to an illness as we can be. That being said I wouldn't say that it was normal for your rats to develop cancer but it is a likely possibility depending on the environment that they are in. For example if they were in an environment that was often subjected to 2nd hand smoke they could get cancer.

You should also consider the fact that they may have been products of inbreeding as well. This alone presents a large group sickness possibilities.

Finally, we often forget that their lives are relativity short and that when they have a few years under their belt they are essentially senior citizens and death comes for us all in one form or another.

Answer 7

Rats are prone to tumours. Nobody is sure why but any vet will tell you the same. I guess it's like humans and cancer.

Answer 8

rats just naturally get tumors. i don't know why exactly, but that's why scientists do expiriments on them for cancer research and stuff.