My rat is having a hard time breathing?

Question

Today my rat (6-7 weeks old) is acting like she is having a hard time breathing. Its like she is gasping for air. It reminds me of a person with something stuck in their throat needing to cough. What do I do for her? I have rubbed her throat and tried to get her to drink water but she is gasping now. Help please!!!

Answer 1

She could be choking so don't rub her throat!  You need to take her to the emergency vet asap.  I'm so sorry!  One of my girls choked and it was the worst thing in the world.  You can't do anything to help them besides getting them to the vet quickly.

If you can't get to a vet you will just have to leave her alone.  If she can't breathe at all you can do what is called the rat fling.  You hold the rat with both hands around it's waist and then raise her above your head.  Holding her tightly, drop your hands down to your waist with a little force.  This is supposed to get whatever is in her throat out.  But ONLY do this as your absolutely last resort.  It can make choking worse if the rat is able to get air by itself.  But if she can't breathe at all you can try it.  I hope she is OK.

Answer 2

Choking rat - The symptoms of a rat choking are drooling and pulling the head back in gagging motion, flattening the ears. In most cases the blockage does not stop the rat from breathing and the best thing you can do is stay calm to try to help the rat to remove the blockage. Normally the blockage will work its way out given time and veterinary assistance is rarely necessary. If choking persists for more than about 6 hours then you must take your rat to a vet. The object lodged in the throat may be too big to pass down, or the cause may be a tumour or some other problem, rather than something the rat has tried to eat. Sometimes respiratory illness can cause gagging and choking symptoms.

If the rat cannot breathe, then it is imperative you assist quickly. You can try the Heimlich manoeuvre pressing sharply up and in underneath the ribcage in an attempt to dislodge whatever is stuck in the rats throat. Another method is described in Deb Ducommun's Rat Health Care book as "the fling".

    "Hold your rat firmly around the neck with one hand, and by the base of the tail with the other to hold her securely. Make sure there are no objects within an arm's length. Lift the rat overhead and bring her down in a rapid arc, so that at the end of the path she's tail up and head down. This can be repeated 3-4 times, then give the rat a rest, check her breathing, and see if anything is visible in the mouth. This is extremely effective in dislodging objects in the throat. However, don't use this procedure if your rat can breathe, or you might make it worse."

Answer 3

Take it to the doctor now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

take her to the vet ASAP!! she needs a doctors attention for this. if she has something stuck in her throat, dont rub her throat. it might get the thing that is stuck in her throat more stuck.

Answer 5

Bring her to a Vet immediately! try rubbing her stomach for a little bit and stroke your finger up and down on her throat, Hope it helps!

Answer 6

You need a vet- she could have a respiratory infection or heat exhaustion, perhaps a blockage of some sort.