rat germs

[Ewa]

Yesterday my cousin went to my brothers house and she reached in the rat cage to get a baby and momma rat but her , hard. She went home saying she was fine then this morning I get a call that she is in the ER because it swelled and she needed a tetanus shot. Now she wants to go to the pet store that he got the rat from and get papers proving the rat got her shots. Do rats get shots? The babies aren't getting shots. What germs (harmful) do rats carry? I thought they were clean? I hope she doesn't sue my mom!

 

[lilspaz68]

Rats do not get vaccinations, there is very very little a rat can give a human being or vice versa.

Rat bites are usually to hands, with a small fleshy layer and then bone. Hands don't like to be bitten, they like to bleed then swell up unless you take ibuprofen ASAP and possibly ice it if its a really bad bite.
People often swell up and are convinced they are dying, but only occasionally do people have a bad reaction to a bite and need abs. I have been bitten umpteen times and they have all healed on their own. I let mine bleed a bit (flushes the wound), then stop the bleeding with pressure, rinse it off, take Ibuprofen ASAP, then bandage or no, depending on the wound.

 

[jorats]

Tetanus shots won't do anything for rat bites. But always good to have every 10 years.
Almost all rat bites are nothing to be worried about but if they do get infected or the rat does carry something then it can get more severe. I can't stress how rare that is with pet rats.
Swelling with a bite is normal. But if it gets too bad, then yes, you need to see a doctor and be put on strong antibiotics, in case the wound got dirty or the rat carries something.
What your brother could do is watch the rats closely and see if they appear sick at all. If not, then chances are they don't have anything to pass along.

 

[Ewa]

I know they don't have anything , she overreacted. She went to the hospital got the shot and antibiotics . :roll: Everyone in my family practically has been bitten by jackie and no one had gotten an infection.

 

[Catibrie]

My first rat bite was from a rat that was rescued from off the street. We had no idea what she had eaten (or gotten into) ... I bled a little bit, washed it out and put on a band aid. Now I can't even remember what finger it was :giggle: . As far as I have ever heard, bites do happen, but I've never heard of one causing any serious health problems.

 

[SQ]

As previous said ... there shouldn't be a problem.
As for suing ... she stuck her hand in there and a mother defended her baby ... she was definately in the wrong :doh:

 

[Ewa]

:nod: agreed