How much are vet bills?

[creative animal lover]

Hello I am new and trying to learn more about rats, one of the main things that concerns me is health especially when the rats have bad genetics. I was wondering how much vet bills cost in general I guess. Like per rat on average over their entire life how much would you have to pay for vet stuff. Also, it would help if someone could tell me how much tumors cost to remove and how much spaying and neutering costs, or any other prices of common procedures and check-ups and things. As it would be helpful to know so I can budget as much as possible and know how much to save and what to expect so I don't get into a situation. Again thanks so so much for any information or personal experience as I have none.

 

[SQ]

Rats like all pets, including hamsters, require vet care and medicine from the vet when they are ill.
Rats are not inexpensive pets because of vet and medicine expenses, so it is great that you are taking that into consideration. When they are ill, rats need proper medication from a vet, not from a pet store etc as pet store meds can make them worse or even kill.

The first thing you need to do is find a good vet that is knowledgeable and experienced in treating rats, in safely operating on them, in humanely putting rats to sleep (most vets do not know how), and is willing to learn and consult other vets. Most vets do not have the interest or knowledge to treat rats. If a good vet has an interest in treating rats and is willing to learn, then they can be a great vet for rats. Vet and med expenses vary from place to place and from vet to vet so you will need to phone around.
For example I am taking a 3 day trip next week to get some rats spayed and neutered because the vet charges $85 for a spay, while my vet here charges over $200 for a spay. In some places vets charge $300 or $400 for a spay. I have also heard of good vets in some places charging less then $85. Btw, not all rats need to be neutered and neuters cost less then spays.
The most important thing about having rats is having a good rat vet.

All rats have myco, and can develop many types of health issues. By the time you notice that your rat is ill, you are well into a medical emergency so immediate medical care is essential.
A rat owner needs to have a credit card or a bank account reserved for vet and medicine expenses. I would suggest having at least $300 for the first rat and at least $200 for each additional rat available at all times for medical expenses. As money is spent it needs to be quickly replaced.

I hope this info helps

 

[creative animal lover]

Rats like all pets, including hamsters, require vet care and medicine from the vet when they are ill.
Rats are not inexpensive pets because of vet and medicine expenses, so it is great that you are taking that into consideration. When they are ill, rats need proper medication from a vet, not from a pet store etc as pet store meds can make them worse or even kill.

The first thing you need to do is find a good vet that is knowledgeable and experienced in treating rats, in safely operating on them, in humanely putting rats to sleep (most vets do not know how), and is willing to learn and consult other vets. Most vets do not have the interest or knowledge to treat rats. If a good vet has an interest in treating rats and is willing to learn, then they can be a great vet for rats. Vet and med expenses vary from place to place and from vet to vet so you will need to phone around.
For example I am taking a 3 day trip next week to get some rats spayed and neutered because the vet charges $85 for a spay, while my vet here charges over $200 for a spay. In some places vets charge $300 or $400 for a spay. I have also heard of good vets in some places charging less then $85. Btw, not all rats need to be neutered and neuters cost less then spays.
The most important thing about having rats is having a good rat vet.

All rats have myco, and can develop many types of health issues. By the time you notice that your rat is ill, you are well into a medical emergency so immediate medical care is essential.
A rat owner needs to have a credit card or a bank account reserved for vet and medicine expenses. I would suggest having at least $300 for the first rat and at least $200 for each additional rat available at all times for medical expenses. As money is spent it needs to be quickly replaced.

I hope this info helps

Yea this helps a lot. I am going to email my vet to see about whether they treat rats and the cost and what they specifically treat. I have heard of rats dying from the anesthesia so I am going to look further than my regular area to make sure that it is as cheap as possible while still having quality vets.

And thanks SQ especially because you have helped on all my posts a lot lol.


I think the main reason why I am on the fence about rats is the health problems because I don't have a lot of money myself ( I do have some money in case some emergency happened) and my parents could help pay, but since rats would mainly be my pet I don't think they would like the idea of any health risks that mean like 300 per rat.

It scares me how prone to tumors they are and respiratory issues because of poor genetics. The problem is is that I feel as though I have to get rats with bad genes because I know some breeders rats live up to 4-5 years and I hate to say it, but I am going to college in about 4 years so I kind of plan for the rats not to live long because it would be hard to sell them especially because I know they bond very strongly.
And I kind of have my heart set on 4 females, but I know male neuters cost less and having that many rats can increase the price of potential medical expenses. ( of course which gender to pick is a whole new topic)

I know my posts are all over everything and I write a whole lot of questions and I apologize just as I am a bit new to rats I am trying to learn as much as I can.
I am just so overwhelmed with the care of rats and I am trying to understand it all.
Another question is: do most of your pet rats get tumors? I want as much experience as I can. I mainly asked this question because since I want multiple rats I want to know if all of peoples rat have gotten tumors.

I have heard from tones of people that tumors are so so common in rats and I have been searching up respiratory issues and all about tumors for like an hour now and I saw an article on how it can be caused by gmos. An I also saw the post on the diet area about a cure for tumors. Is there anything else that can help? I am just so conflicted because I know tumors can shorten their life and I really don't like the idea of that, but like mentioned a short lifespan appeals to me, but not that much if there are a lot of health risks like tumors. It is most helpful if everyone can just give me their experiences and any helpful tips.

Also, would anyone recommend if I did get 4 females to spay all of them? I guess that's a hard thing to answer because of so many things like cost and quality of the vet, but I was wondering if it would be worth it/ if it would help stop potential tumors. I don't even know if I could afford it or if my family would let me/ pay for some of it. But if it did make a difference then I could try to do it. Just if it costs more than tumor removal or if it could have the potential to kill the rats I don't know if it would be worth it. And I would hate to add extra stress to me as their owner or any problems with the rats and I would for sure not want to make things super complicated. But I am open to anyone opinions and experiences that could help.

Again sorry for the long post I just can't stop thinking of questions! and thanks for any help anyone can provide!

 

[SQ]

Surgery is always a risk, but with a good. experienced vet who knows how to safely operate on rats the risk is minimal. https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/things-to-discuss-before-surgery.7691/

Mammary tumours are very common in unsprayed girls - over 85% chance and if they get one they will get more, however spaying will reduce the chances of further mammary tumours and may make any further mammary tumours grow slower. I have never heard of a female rat who was spayed by 4 months of age developing mammary tumours, but spaying will help prevent health issues no matter how old the rat is.
So yes, if you get girls and have access to a vet that can spay rats safely, then I would strongly suggest that you get all girls spayed as long as they are healthy.

If you are unable to spay, you might want to consider getting boys, or if you want to get 4 rats, getting 2 boys and 2 girls and getting the girls spayed so they can live together

Rats can develop other types of tumours and are prone to respitory issues. It is unlikely that you would have a bill for $300 but it depends on what your vet charges for visits, surgeries, xrays and medications.

My rats have rarely developed tumours, and the tumours they developed were often inoperable. But until recently I always had girls spayed soon after rescuing and they were usually spayed young. More recently I have had large numbers of rats so have not been able to get them spayed right away.

My understanding is that GMOs cause inflammation and inflammation causes diseases. Feeding a healthy, low protein diet with protein coming from plant sources helps the immune system, helps fight disease, etc in rats etc.

Rats used to live a long time but now it is unusual for a rat to live to 3 years or beyond - and that includes rats from breeders. Average life span is 2 to 2.5 years.

I hope this info helps
A good site for medical info is the vet approved site, ratguide.com

 

[jorats]

Unfortunately, I have found rats to be the most expensive pets for vet costs. Rats age fast and so issues arise within 18 months most of the time. Sometimes you are lucky and there are no health issues there whole lives but that's very rare in my experience. I've spent as little as $0 on vet care and as much as $1500 on one rat.

 

[Fidget]

SQ has summed it up well.
Vet costs vary widely, it's all contingent on what the vets who are available to you charge. $85 spay is incredible! Here, even with a Rescue discount, my local Rescue pays $300.
If you're checking prices for spay/neuter/tumor removal, remember to add the cost of the initial exam. And if a girl gets a tumor and you have it removed, you should spay at same time or she's likely to soon get another..
And I echo that it's important to not just have a vet, but a Rat-Experienced vet. I learned that painfully..

I understand the vet cost concern, as I'm on handicapped assistance so money is tight, and that's always been my Con to having them too. I keep a Vet Fund envelope I add anything I can to, and Never touch except for them. I crittersit cage-type animals, jobs aren't frequent but it all that goes to their Vet Fund, you may be able to do something strictly for their Vet Fund envelope so it builds up over time?

Over 20 yrs I frequently wrestled with the agony of being financially unable to remove tumors, and felt it was unfair to keep having them. But I gradually came to decision that ratties might have a 1-2% chance of getting a home that will provide any surgery, most will end up in homes that keep them in a small cage with minimal outings, poor food & and no vet care at all. Mine are always treated for problems that don't require exploratory tests or surgery, I live alone, don't work, nor do I socialize much, so they get plenty of time, space & enrichment. I researched to give them the best diet, and I'm available 24/7 when they are incapacitated or at end-of-life. I figure very few lives are shortened due to lack of surgery they'd have had if I didn't adopt them, while every single one is happy & gets the best in every other way (that's not bragging, that's weighing my right to put their lives in my hands). I'm trying to say that just because you can't provide Everything doesn't mean you can't give a kid a fantastic life they wouldn't have had if you passed them up and they went elsewhere.
By the care & concern I hear from you I think they'd be lucky to have you.
- and if you find they're the perfect pet for you, then once you're Well-Experienced with respiratory problems (the most common issue) you'll know when they need meds and can buy them online for cheaper, avoiding a vet exam cost, which will help you to keep having them.