Rats can sometimes lose toes due to injuries from their cage or bites from another rat. Control the bleeding with cornstarch or a styptic powder sprinkled on a piece of gauze or clean towel, putting pressure on the wound until it stops bleeding. If there is a small portion of bone sticking out it may have to be removed by a veterinarian.
Anything larger than a toe that gets amputated should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. Though it is not often that legs or a tail are lost due to accident in the cage, a run-in with a cat or other prey animal may cause amputation of a limb. In this case, put pressure on the wound as mentioned above and take your rat to the vet as soon as possible. The blood vessels will need to be closed surgically, the wound cleaned, and the skin sutured together. You do not need to bring in the severed limb; it cannot be reattached.
Choking
It is very rare for rats to choke on normal food, as their mouths are designed especially for keeping particles of whatever they are gnawing on from going down their throats, but choking can still happen. Rats who are choking will open their mouths wide, looking like a yawn, and may paw at their mouths or move their heads strangely. They will drool and if they are left without air for long enough their hands, feet, mouth, and nose will turn blue from lack of oxygen.
If you suspect your rat is choking, do not stick anything down his throat to try to get it out, as this may force the object down farther and make things worse. Wrap your rat tightly in a towel, stand with your legs set apart, and hold him upright above your head with his stomach facing you. Quickly fling him downwards in an arc, so that he ends up near the floor between your feet with his head down, making sure you don't let him go! This motion uses centrifugal force to try to bring the object out the mouth. You may have to do this several times. Make certain his neck is well-supported; this can hurt him if done improperly. You can also try using a baby nasal aspirator to suck out anything sticky that may be in the throat, but be extremely careful as you may push the object in even more.
Choking can kill your rat very quickly, and if you cannot get him breathing again by himself you should call a veterinarian or bring him into the vet's office as an emergency.
Cuts
If it is a superficial cut that isn't bleeding badly, you can put pressure on it with a clean towel or gauze and the bleeding should stop shortly. If you like you can put some cornstarch or styptic powder on the gauze before you press it to the cut; this will help the bleeding stop faster. A cut that is barely bleeding can be left alone or cleaned with a wet cloth or antibacterial soap and superglued if you like. You can also apply neosporin once or twice daily to help promote healing and keep out germs. Rats heal very quickly on their own, and hardly ever pick at their wounds.
A deeper, larger cut that is bleeding profusely requires veterinary attention as it may need to be stitched or glued. Put cornstarch on a piece of gauze or clean towel and keep pressure on it until you can get him to a vet. If it is very long and the skin is flapping open or the two sides of the wound are far apart, you may want to bring them together before putting pressure on it, as touching the exposed muscle beneath can bring in germs as well as cause pain. If the cut gets stitched or glued, follow your veterinarian's instructions on how to care for it.
Do not bandage any cuts a rat gets, as they will chew the bandage off very shortly and may urinate on it, exposing the cut to germs. It will likely do more harm than good.
Degloved Tail
If a rat's tail is pulled on hard enough, the skin will peel right off like a glove, leaving exposed bone and muscle and causing a lot of bleeding. This type of injury requires a vet's care as soon as possible; all you can do is very gently clean the wound with water or saline and try to stop the bleeding using pressure until you can get him to a vet. The degloved portion of the tail will likely have to be amputated.
Eye Trauma
Rats will often get bits of bedding stuck in their eyes, as their eyes are quite bulbous. Mostly they will groom it out on their own, but if you think it is irritating your rat you can very carefully wash it out with an eyedropper full of water or saline.
If you see a laceration on the eye itself, take him to a vet for the proper ointment; not all over the counter antibiotic ointments should be put into the eye.
Foot Caught in Cage Bars
When your rat's foot becomes stuck somehow in the cage, it can be very frightening for them. They will often pull and twist and can make things worse in their fear. Grab the rat with a thick towel to protect yourself, as rats who are terrified may bite out of instinct, and carefully free the foot. If it is really stuck, or it has swollen so much that it cannot be freed, you may need to use wire cutters to clip the cage bars enough to get the foot out. Using a cold compress on the affected leg will help to reduce swelling. Ibuprofen can be given to reduce pain and swelling, at a dose of 0.03mg of medicine per gram of the rat's weight. If the swelling is bad or persists for more than a few days without coming down, you should take him to the vet.
Heatstroke
Rats can get heatstroke very easily. Signs include laying stretched out with the bottoms of their feet facing up, listlessness, drooling, and a warm tail. Cool your rat immediately by dipping his body (not his head) in slightly cool or room temperature water. Water that is too cold can cause shock. Giving your rat a sports drink like Gatorade can also help alleviate their symptoms. If he doesn't come around in about an hour you should take him to the vet.
Poisoning
Many things are poisonous to rats, including household plants, chemicals, and of course rat poison. Because rats cannot vomit, poisons are very effective at killing them and if you suspect your rat has been poisoned you must take him to a veterinarian right away. Signs of poisoning include lethargy, weakness, drooling, heavy breathing, and a blue tinge to the extremeties.
Puncture Wounds
Bites from another rat or other animal are the most common cause of puncture wounds. These kinds of wounds, and the ones from a bite especially, need to be cleaned with an antibiotic surgical soap and watched carefully, as they can easily turn into abscesses or become otherwise infected. Control bleeding with pressure and a styptic powder or cornstarch, and if bleeding is profuse or does not stop or slow after 5 minutes a major vein or artery may have been hit and your rat should be taken to the veterinarian immediately.
Respiratory Distress
Rats experience respiratory distress for a number of reasons such as advanced cases of mycoplasma, pneumonia, a tumor, or heart disease. Though it is extremely important to treat the underlying cause of the distress, there are a few things you can do to alleviate the symptoms and help your rat breathe easier. Taking a hot shower with his cage in the room can help, as well as a humidifier in the room with his cage. If the condition is chronic, you will have to take him to see a vet and hopefully get some medication to alleviate the symptoms or cure the underlying cause altogether.
If your rat very suddenly stops breathing, you will have to perform CPR. Breathe gently into the rat's nose, being careful not to blow too hard as their lungs are very small. Do this several times, massaging the rat's chest if the heart is not beating. It may take several minutes to have any effect, so keep trying. Contact a veterinarian and take your rat to emergency as soon as possible, they may be able to bring him around with medication and oxygen therapy.
Seizures
If you notice your rat having a convulsion, remove any other rats from the cage and anything else that may be in his way or hurt him. Do not attempt to hold him down or touch him, as there is nothing you can do except wait it out. He also may bite you during the fit if you try to touch him. When he stops convulsing he will become very relaxed and almost limp, this is normal. If you want to hold him at this point you can, but be very gentle and careful. Keep an eye on his breathing and heartrate; he should eventually start acting normal again. If he doesn't, or if he has another seizure later on, you should take him to the vet for an exam.
