"Mole" on Stubb's Back?

[Scamp]

I was playing with the ratties just now, and I noticed that Stubb has a little dark-colored spot on his back close to his shoulders. It is pretty much perfectly round, only slightly elevated from the surface of his skin, and is very small. I had never noticed it before, but he has very thick, healthy fur, so it is entirely possible that it just escaped my notice. It honestly doesn't remind me of either a tumor or an abcess. More than anything, it reminds me of the moles that humans get.

Is it possible for rats to just have innocent little anamolies on their skin like we have, or should I be worried about this? I intend to monitor it in any case, and I'm sure 90% of people wouldn't think twice about something like this, but I'm a real worry-wort when it comes to my rats.

[kmw]

It could be a mole (which should be checked, just in case.  I don't know what's "normal" for rats).  Or, it could be an encapsulated cyst or abscess - like a little ratty blackhead.  If you squeeze it, it may just POP out!  I've never seen one, but I know others on here have...

[Suebee]

Thanks for pointing me to this thread, kmw... I am pretty sure that my Gordie had an encapsulated abscess at one point, and it did pop right out of his skin... well... like a pearl onion. It was very gross. But this did have a scab, and wasn't really much like a mole.

Is stubbs dark-furred? I have found when dark-furred rats lose a chunk of hair, due to a scab, usually, the skin grows back darker... could it be this?

[Scamp]

Stubb is a Himi, so no dark fur where his little lump is.

I just tried giving it a squeeze and nothing happened, though he squirmed around a bit as if it was uncomfortable. Maybe I'll try putting a warm compress over it and see if that draws anything out...

One of my relatives who is a veterinarian will be coming by later this week to visit, so I'll have him take a peek at it then if the compress is unproductive.

Thanks for replying. =)

[Suebee]

Very odd. Definitely let us know what you find out.

I just hope it's a harmless mole or cyst, and isn't melanoma...

[nancycccslp]

My Teddy specializes in getting these.  For him, they're basically blackheads; POP!  I hope that's what you're dealing with

[Marybelle]

Can you pick up the skin around it at all and see how deep it goes?  I've had a couple get those, they look like moles, and then you start playing with them, and POP!  Out they come!

[menagerie]

Could it be a subcutaneous cyst? Spots got one of those, the vet just popped it right out.

[Sunilata]

I made a thread similiar to this back in August, wondering about my Bishi's little "mole." Hers really did just turn out to be a spot of pigment. I never thought to squeeze it, but now I'm glad I didn't - no use trying to pop spots! 

[RKEM]

I had a girl with a cyst on her back. Over about 6 months it went from the size of a lentill to a chick pea and then she started to mess with it so  when it was opened I squeezed it.

Must have been the grossest thing I've ever seen as black and grey stuff just squirted out of there ... it kind of looked like yesterday's news when its all wet. It was sooo disgusting but there was no infection or smell whatsoever .. and after reaserching a bit I think it was a bunch of dead skin cells ... cysts can contain pretty much anything apparently. After cleaning it I flushed the site with bentadine daily for a week and it healed up just fine and didn't come back.

I'm thinking it could be something like that ... if its darker maybe its just the cells on the inside. 

[Scamp]

Hmm. It is indeed dark-- that's why I'm not sure it is really just a mole, since those are typically more of a brown (at least on my skin). This thing on Stubb is rather greyish-- more like the color you described, RKEM.

It doesn't feel like it is very deep at all when I scrunch up the skin around it-- it feels more like it is a part of the skin rather than anything below the surface. That's why I sort of ruled out a tumor in my mind-- every tumor I've seen before has felt as if it was a unique entity beneath the skin.

I really hope that it isn't a melanoma. That's a scary thought-- is skin cancer something that is seen in rats? I've heard many mentions of other types of cancer, but not that one.

[Scamp]

Well, that was disgusting, but satisfying...

As I was typing my last reply, I had Stubb on my lap with another warm cotton ball over his little lump. When I lifted it up, there was a little head visible, so I took him to the washroom and gave it a squeeze... Pop. You guys were right-- it was a little tiny cyst under there, and it came right out along with a bit of white puss. Quite lovely really. Stubb was a very good boy throughout the popping and the following cleaning up process. I'm very relieved.

Thank you all for the help-- I imagine it would have been uncomfortable for the little guy if I had just left it there thinking it was only a mole.

[menagerie]

Well, that was disgusting, but satisfying...

As I was typing my last reply, I had Stubb on my lap with another warm cotton ball over his little lump. When I lifted it up, there was a little head visible, so I took him to the washroom and gave it a squeeze... Pop. You guys were right-- it was a little tiny cyst under there, and it came right out along with a bit of white puss. Quite lovely really. Stubb was a very good boy throughout the popping and the following cleaning up process. I'm very relieved.

Thank you all for the help-- I imagine it would have been uncomfortable for the little guy if I had just left it there thinking it was only a mole.

Congratulations, I guess. 

[RKEM]

Only rat lovers find such solace in a squirt of pus  and popped lumps I think

I'm glad it went so well ... I'm sure it will heal right up.

As for skin cancer in rats I've heard of it and seen pictures of it and it was more like open sores all over ... really nasty looking 

I'm glad your baby's ok though 

[nancycccslp]

Only rat lovers find such solace in a squirt of pus and popped lumps I think

Beats cancer.
And yup--just like Teddy.  My son calls him "Acne Rat" and offers him Clearasil.  Great.
He should heal up absolutely fine.

[Suebee]

Oh good... I'm glad it was pus. LOL!

I had one rat with Melanoma - Matthias. I thought Gus was beating him up, because he had small scabs all over his body. When he started losing weight, I thought Gus was keeping him from food. By the time the vet and I realized what was -really- going on, it was too late. We diagnosed his melanoma on a Friday, and he died in my arms on the following Monday.