urgent help wanted!

I have alot to say so here goes.

A few days after i got Blue (my little 3 legged one) I noticed she was bleeding a bit from where she is missing her leg. I decided to bring her to the vet and he said she is stressing the bone a little bit (she has alot of bone left on that leg, i think it may have been an accident when she was small, over cleaned by her mother maybe?) Anyway the vet put her on anti-biotics...i could tell he didn't really know anymore then i did he wanted to operate on her. I know enough about small animals to know thats the worst case scenario. So anyway i realised that she got over excited when i took her home with her big new cage and may have over done it a bit, now every 2-3 days she bleeds very very little but any kind of blood is worrying. I had a good look at the area and there is a small scab, i recon she is trying to clean it and picks it off? I don't really know i've been watching her non stop and can't seem to figure it out.

None of the others are bothering her at all, if anything they help, alot! one of them helps her eat (brings food to her and sometimes holds it for her) and all of them groom her (maybe one of them is taking the scab by accident?) I really don't know what to do. I really want to look after her and i feel i have the resources to do so but resources are nothing without knowledge.

I'm basically asking if anyone has any info that can help me? Tips ? Maybe i take her out of the big cage for a few days see if it heals? But if shes doing it to herself thats pointless, i'd also be afraid she'd be lonely, thought i have alot of time on my hands i could just get a carry pouch and keep her with me all day and maybe set up a recover cage or something for her to sleep at night. I don't really know. Any info would be greatly appreciated, i've scoured the web and can't find a thing and the vet wants to cut her open and mess around. I don't think shes stressing the bone at all seening as she doesnt walk on it much at all she hops around like any other 3 legged animal can, she just can't climb like a normal rat, shes too weak. She is very lively and runs around too like a normal rat, only when someone walks by the cage she freezes (shy) Anyway I'm losing a bit of sleep over this and would appreciate any tips.

Apologies of i repeated myself, I'm quite stressed

Can you maybe get a picture of her leg so we can picture it a bit better?

It sounds rather odd to me. I've never heard of a three legged rat before but I know that animals with 3 legs normally cope extremely well and have no further problems from it. I wonder if the vet is thinking that there is not enough skin over the bone (if it wasn't surgically removed in the first place) in which case in a cat or dog I wouldn't hesitate to say have it operated on but with small animals, you're right, the anaesthetic is a worry.

I'd just advise for now keep any wounds clean by bathing them in saline solution every day and maybe if it gets worse cover the area up with that sticky bandage stuff?

Hmm... I'm not sure either... I could possibly ask a few people - but I would be inclined to leave it alone too, and try using some sort of topical ointment (maybe an antibiotic cream)

xx

Well i was really worried today so i decided to keep her with me ^^ I sat her on my lap and she fell asleep, its kinda worried me cause i thought she was dead i have never seen a rat do this, but it did give a good view of her leg cause while she was passed out i was able to turn her on her side x3 have a look!



This is the best i got i was worried about her being asleep like that cause i wasn't sure if she was dead xD she was so limp, i was playing with her foot lol anyway yeah i can try tomorrow again and pull back the fur a bit so you can see if this is a bad one



This was earlier then when she was asleep x3 she was peeking out at me. I had her on my lap and covered my lap with a towel so she could hide (i'm still making friends with her) so yeah



and this was just another one from when she wouldnt let me take the towel off but allowed me to stroke and scritch her ^^

Really hard to tell - she's a lovely little thing though <3 I really don't know what to advise, it's not something we've come across before.

xx

She seems to be healing up rather nice ^^ I think our little bonding day yesterday really chilled her out she got massages all day x3 shes all relaxed and happy atm no blood (since i'd taken out the ladder) si i'd say she was exerting herself climbing the ladder i may see if i can get a safer option for her to get to the second floor ^^ but first things first! recovery I have her in a little pouch atm i feel like a kangaroo xD