Cysts


Cysts are abnormal swellings containing fluid. There are several kinds. Some are tumors with cells that form mucus or other fluids which cannot escape that will need to be drained. Some cysts are composed of normal fluid forming (glandular) cells that may have become displaced in the course of early development; some are ordinary glands eg grease glands in the skin which the outlets have become blocked.


Some cysts disappear as quickly as they appear - others will need to be surgically removed. Any type of lump that appears should be investigated by a veterinary surgeon. Time is of the essence where lumps are concerned. Male rats tend to get cysts on their skin, it may be due to the high hormone levels that produce too much grease in the skin. The skin pores may then get blocked and a cyst will form.


The appearance of a cyst is a small hard lump, which can appear anywhere on the body. If it is a large cyst it may need to be removed by a vet. Sometimes antibiotics are all that is needed. We have had a couple of males who this has happened to: Both recovered well.


We also had a female who had surgery to remove a benign tumor on her mammary gland. She refused to thrive and we discovered that an abscess had appeared. She had it drained and recovered well but unfortunately she went downhill fast after that. However, there were no visual signs of a lump, so we decided to go ahead with an exploratory operation. The surgeon found a cyst near to the site of the original tumor - it had grown to the size of an egg.


It was successfully removed but without the operation it would never have been detected. It was a cyst with cells filled up with fluid.