i have pet rats and my male (the dad) recently died...we only had him for about 10 months...he was a baby when we got him...anyway while he was dying he was licking his private a lot and then i noticed that he had something sticking out of his mouth and i took it out thinking that he was coughing stuff up and then i went and checked on him awhile later and he had more in his mouth and then i turned him over and i had discovered that he had chewed his own penis off....why did he do this...is this something that they do ?...i was quite disturbed by this.....why didnt i hear him squeal? this had to be painful for him
2006-10-13 20:18:10 · 4 answers · asked by Lisa 5 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Are you sure it was his penis? If it was a whitish colour it was most likely a waxy plug that males get and we have to help remove it as they get older. If left in it will cause all kinds of bladder and kidney problems. Was he covered in blood? How did you know he was dying when he was licking his bits?
Rats have a very high tolerance for pain, within a few hours of being spayed my girl was running around and climbing like normal, instead of the weeks it takes a human to recover from a hysterectomy.
2006-10-14 12:54:40 · answer #1 · answered by kiffie 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it is more likely the rat was bitten by another rat in the cage and he was trying to Doctor his own wound so to speak.Especially if the cage is overcrowded due to breeding which is pretty common since they breed so fast. They begin competing for food ,space, and females and will even turn to cannibalism. So when he was bitten he probably finished the job because he was trying to stop the pain. he didn't do it intentionally. sorry about your rat
2006-10-14 04:11:20 · answer #2 · answered by Michelle F 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, that is not something that they do. He might of had mites or some other type of parasite or infection that made him itch so bad that he wouldn't stop chewing at that spot.
I've raised rats for years and I've never heard of that happening.
2006-10-14 04:26:12 · answer #3 · answered by SuperChick42o 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Bit his own penis off?.Two mouthfulls? Sounds like a "big boy" to me! ....Seriously....It sounds to me like a serious cry for help!.......Perhaps he has had enough of the "kids" and doesn't want any more!
2006-10-14 05:29:10 · answer #4 · answered by expatriot1000 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋