Climbing, running and spastic rattie play often leads to a ripped or torn
toe nail and one point or another. As experienced rat folks know, a ripped
toenail will bleed to the point where it looks like a mass murder took place.
Fear not! Though there appears to be a lot of blood the treatment is fairly
simple and non-threatening to the rat.
Once you get your heart out of your throat and back where it belongs, remove
the injured rat and assess the situation. If the toe is still bleeding you
will need to take care of that first. It is always best to keep some styptic
powder on hand for such occasions. Styptic powder contains benzocaine, which
helps to stop the bleeding. If you do not have styptic powder on hand corn
starch or flour will also work, though styptic powder is recommended. Coat
the offending toe with the styptic powder and check periodically to see if
the bleeding has stopped. You may need to apply slight pressure to the toe.
If it is a fresh wound you can expect it to take a good five minutes to stop
bleeding and clot.
Once the bleeding has stopped apply some Neosporin to the toe. Try to keep
the rat from licking the Neosporin from the toe until it dries a bit. If the
nail was removed from the toe it will grow back in time, just as human nails
do. If it is still attached you may wish to trim the nail. Continue to apply
Neosporin to the toe several times daily until any redness goes away. If they
toe becomes otherwise discolored or greatly swollen after 24 hours, vet assistance
may be necessary to treat for infection.
To prevent toe nails from being ripped, keep your rat's nails trimmed on a
monthly basis.
