what can I do for a rats broken nail?

Question

I went to the petstore today to get another pet rat. The pet store guy just ripped one out of the cage (literally, it was clinging to the bars with its feet and he ripped it off) and said "is this one okay?" I said sure and he put him in a box and I took him home. However, as soon as i took him out of the box I noticed that one of his toenails was bent straight up and bleeding. I pushed it down gently..Is there anything else I can do for him?


thanks in advance for any answers but anyone tempted to reply just to tell me that rats are gross, dont bother.. I think you're gross for thinking theyre gross....have a nice day! :)

away with you, child .

By the way that was directed towards Dr. Nick...Just so no one gets offended ......except Dr. Nick. Thank you..carry on.

unfortunately, the man who did it was the owner of the pet store. the last time I was in there, a younger man helped me and he was really gentle with the rats, played around with them, let me hold them , etc.. The OWNER, acts like im a huge inconvenience and wants to get me out of there as quickly as possible so he just grabs the first one he can get ahold of.

Answer 1

Has the bleeding stopped? You can use flour or corn starch to help stop the bleeding.

Quite honestly there is not much you can do except to get the bleeding stopped. You don't want to do anything that might make the wound sting or else he will bother it and make it bleed again. Best to leave it alone and let it heal. Of course, you'll need to keep the cage extra clean while the toe heals, and it will look much better in 3 days time.

If he looks traumatized/shocky give him a hard-cooked egg and juice. The protein will help build up his blood, thus giving him strength. The juice will encourage him to drink to get fluid back into his body

Just for future reference, I once saved a rat's toe from being lost with the use of "Sprouting Health" http://www.sproutinghealth.com/
This rat's toe had been bit clean through and was just hanging by skin. I sprayed the TA on it and the toe healed good as new. I use this product a lot for my rats, it's been a god send in my first-aid kit.

spazrats
http://spazrats.tripod.com
Specializing/Educating Others in the care of pet rats for 10 years

Answer 2

Probably the best thing to do is snip the nail off with fingernail scissors cleaned with alcohol (unless you think it is firmly enough attached to maybe heal back on), or trim it as short as you can so it won't keep snagging on things. Then put some Neosporin ointment on it, which your rattie will promptly lick off. If you can, put the Neosporin on 2-3 times a day until the wound dries up and doesn't look inflamed.

Make sure the little guy has a good diet and clean cage and I think it will heal and grow back OK. Keep an eye on it and if it gets really ugly (unlikely, I think) then it's veterinarian time.

Rats are great pets and very smart and affectionate. Someone ought to invent a rat variety that lives longer.

Answer 3

Yeah, clip off everything you can but not down enough that itll bleed and hurt the rat. Keep an eye on it and if it is hurting him and not healing right then you may have to do the good pet owner thing and have it put down. Also I would call the pet store and report who did it because that it is horrible and no animal should be treated like that. And I agree, rats are cool pets and people who say they are gross have just never had one.

Answer 4

Actually not sure if this will work. One of my rabbits ripped his nail and he too was bleeding with the nail sticking straight out. It was late at night so I called the emergency animal hospital and the vet told me over the phone to take a pair of dykes (hope that is spelled correctly) and to cut the nail off. Then apply some of the anti-bleeding power to the wound to stop it from bleeding. I couldn't do this, but my husband did so and the rabbit was fine. I can't tell you if this will work for your rat as it will depend on where the nail is broken at. Our rabbit had ripped his nail down into the quick. When my husband cut the nail off he did it quickly to minimize any pain to the animal.

I hope this helps you and that the little rat goes on to have a nice life. Good luck.

Answer 5

i know you should take the broken part of the nail off, and if the vain inside the nail is bleeding, you can take a bar of soap and rub it against the part of the nail that is bleeding to stop it.. do not keep the part of the nail on there that the rat may walk on, and possibly be in pain if he snags the nail every 5 steps. and you can give him a half a tablet of asprin, crushed up, or folded up in some meat or veggie, if he acts like he is in pain. good luck, he should be fine in a couple of days. tell the guy at the store be a little bit nicer with the pets, or tell his boss, that seems to have a great affect on employees.

Answer 6

I think that maybe you could/should take it to a vet. I wonder why he ripped it off from the cage. That sounds mean. You could also give it some rat treats. Here's some sites. I have 2 guinea pigs, 1 rabbit, 4 parakeets, and 5 fish. Good luck!

Answer 7

If you are able to get it off yourself with toenail clippers or just (i hate to say it) rip it off quickly it will help it heal faster.

If you cant do it yourself, take it to your local vet and get them to do it, leaving it there will only cause the rat pain and discomfort and wont allow it to heal and may allow infection to set in.

That pet store owner should not be in business if he treats his animals like that.

Answer 8

dont touch it, mother nature will heal it by its self.