1 year old albino female has a tumor?

[ShadowDialga]

When I was petting my 1 year old albino female Snow White yesterday I found a lump about the size and shape of a watch battery on her groin above and a bit left of her nipple. It feels firm and kind of attached, but she's in no obvious discomfort or pain other than being slightly less energetic in the evenings for a few days. I scheduled a vet appointment for tomorrow but

1. What are the odds it's a tumor?
2. That it's malignant?
3. What's a rough estimate on how much it would cost to get removed?

 

[Joanne]

The most likely things it can be are a tumor or abscess.
It is very common for female rats to get mammary tumors. The good news is that removal of these tumors when they are small is fairly straightforward. If she is only a year old, I would definitely remove it.
Cost? Too variable to estimate.
Spaying a female rat when she is young will help prevent mammary tumors.

 

[jorats]

It depends on how much your vet charges. My vet is super expensive but I've seen some people list a surgical procedure for under $150. With my vet, it's more along the lines of $300.
But in that area, I would really get it removed if it's a benign mammary tumour which is extremely common in unspayed rats.

 

[lilspaz68]

ask for a quote to have her spayed at the same time (costs less to combine the surgeries) as she's only a year old and showing she's prone to developing tumours. Young girls who develop mammary tumours should be spayed if at all possibly to prevent any more growing.