Degloved Tail This is a defense mechanism that causes the skin on the tail to separate from the bones, leaving the skinned tail very vulnerable to infection. This is the main reason why you should never pick up a rat by their tail.  Recommended treatment: There are only two possible courses of action. 1. Take the rat to a vet to have the injured portion surgically removed. 2. Allow the injured portion to dry up naturally and slough off on its own. If a large portion of the tail has been degloved, you should take your rat to a vet to have the injured portion amputated. Otherwise, the healing process will be very painful for your rat and the chance for infection is very high. If only the tip of the tail or a very small portion has been degloved, it's possible to allow it to slough off on its own. Be sure to keep the injured area very clean during the healing process and watch for any signs of infection.  You will also want to treat with ibuprofen until the damaged portion sloughs off.   • Children's Advil - 10mg/kg - 20mg/kg every 4 to 6 hours for pain To link to this page: http://www.raisinrats.com/medical/degloved.html [back to top]