Lump on bottom

[xolindy]

Hi, my Degu Olive has a lump forming on her bottom just above her tail. She is eating and acting normally but I think the lump has gotten bigger. It’s not bleeding or anything it’s just there under her fur, possibly under her skin. She is around 7 and half so she’s an elderly girl but she’s still active and her regular silly or sleepy self. The lump is rather large it’s probably the size of a green grape. I poked at it and she didn’t make any unhappy noises at me so I don’t know if it’s bothering her. I don’t think she’s hurt herself at all either. Thanks in advance for any help!

(Idk why it says newborn Degu when I post this?)

[savvy]

Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear about the lump your degu has.

I would recommend a trip to the vet to see if you can find out what the lump is, but sometimes its not possible to tell. If she's behaving normally you could just monitor it and watch for signs of it worrying her such as biting at it etc.

I have little experience of lumps in degus, but others have so I'm sure they can offer more help and advice.

You have the status of newborn degu as its your first post, it will change as you post more, its just an indication that you are new to the forum, not necessarily new to degus.

[bouncy]

Yeah, you'll remain a newborn degu until you reach 50 posts.

I would suggest a vet trip, too. A lump could be any number of things, and only a biopsy will make it clear. A simple boil or ulcer can be cleaned, and antibiotics given as appropriate.

The other thing is that it could be a tumour. Domestic degus seem to be getting more prone to them. They tend to grow very rapidly, so I wouldn't wait. A benign tumour is something annoying. It won't be lethal, but can grow to a significant size and Hinder your degu's mobility, do your vet may suggest removal in the future. Malignant tumours (think cancerous) spread extremely quickly, and are very aggressive. Vets can operate and, if they manage to get all of it, that may be the end of it. The growths may still come back, though, either in the same or a different place.

I've had a few degus with lumps. All have been tumours. Each were removed successfully. Spidergoo had a malignant one on his chest removed. It came back again, but part of it grew inside his ribcage and had to be left. He carried on without any problems, but couldn't have more surgery because of the complication of the tumour near his heart. When a benign tumour started to grow on his neck, we had to leave it, but he at carried on at least another six months, despite the lump being the size of his head at the end.