Surgery Preparation &
Hospital Cage Set Up
Before the day of surgery, make sure that your rat is in the best condition possible. If they're underweight, feed them supplementary meals, and diet and exercise them if they're overweight. This ensures that they're as fit as possible for the operation, minimising any potential risks linked to body condition.
On the day of the surgery, I recommend taking them on their own so that they can be monitored properly. Rats do not need to be starved beforehand as they can’t vomit, so give them a small meal before going into the vets and/or scatter food in their carrier. Bring some of their food and some cucumber as an alternative source of moisture, along with fleece/hammock scraps that smell of their friends. I also like to bring a treat like malt paste in case bribery is needed.
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Once they’re out of surgery, set up your hospital cage. Your hospital cage should be relatively small to discourage activity and encourage rest. I use an old "hamster" cage as mine. Line the cage with several layers of newspaper. This allows you to easily see if they have defecated, how much and the consistency of these bowel movements without having to rummage through substrate. It also allows you to see if they have urinated a normal amount at a normal rate. Provide fleece/cloth scraps that smell of their friends at the opposite end to the water bottles for bedding. You can pop the scraps in the main hammock during the day, or if you forget ceremoniously rub each rat on the scraps. Don't provide hammocks or ropes as you want to discourage climbing, especially if there is a wound that needs to heal. Provide food either in a little bowl or in a pile so that you can monitor how much food is being eaten, as well as some cucumber as an alternative moisture source. You can also provide some very basic enrichment such as a toilet roll tube.
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Keep them on their own for at least the first few days so that you can monitor their eating, drinking and bowel movements accurately. Once they're behaving and functioning normally, add in a calm friend and a hammock with a ladder up to it. This provides them with some interest while not being too strenuous. Once they have healed enough, do reintros to the main group.
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If they bother their wound, consult your vet to increase their dose of pain relief, and perhaps add in an additional source of pain relief such as buprenorphine or tramadol. They should be having metacam twice daily at the very least - rats have fast metabolisms so a dose every 12 hours is best. You can try to make a mini coat out of a sock to cover and protect the area in the meantime, depending on where the wound is. Cut the heel and toe off of the sock, and 2 holes for their arms. I find larger arm holes work better so that the sock can be pulled tighter over them. Pop the sock over them, then gauge what the excess is. Remove the "coat", stitch along where you marked and trim the excess. Fit the coat and pray that it stays in place overnight. Surgical wraps can also be obtained and used. Ultimately though, adequate pain relief should be the priority as this will prevent them from bothering the wound.
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