Please help my pet rat?

Question

I just got my pet rat two days ago. Her name is Calla. She is anywhere from probably 5-7 weeks old. She is an agouti hooded. Except for sneezing the first two days, she was absolutely fine and healthy. I checked on her this morning and she had diarrhea and was walking kind of crooked. I gave her a bath and she seems very sick and tired.

I am feeding her Regal Rat, and she has had maybe one or two Cheerios.

Her bedding is paper towels and unscented regular toilet paper.

She is normally hyper but is now wrapped up in a towel hardly moving. She seems very light and limp. There is no porophyn coming from her eyes, but her nose seemed a tad bit wet on the sides... Could someone please, please help my rat and me?

Answer 1

Oh I'm so sorry, I was practically crying when I read your question...she was so young! :( I'm guessing she had serious breathing problems to be opening her mouth all the time, the poor thing was probably gasping for air. I'm so sorry for your loss, maybe you should go the pet shop and ask them what happened, were the other rats at the store like that? You have a right to know, because your poor ratty obviously wasn't healthy

Answer 2

The same thing happened to my rat accept i had, had her for about 1 year and a half and she was 2. She was really, really hyper and then one morning i woke up and she was just sitting there. It was really odd for her so i knew that second she was sick. My parents were on vacation and i was at my grandparents house so i couldn't do anything. She was sneezing and she looked like she was dizzy all the time. She couldn't walk properly and could hardly move. It killed me to see my rat in pain and you could tell she wanted to move but couldn't. I have 2 new girls now and one got sick and i took her to the vet. While i was there i asked the vet about my past vet but she didn't know what it was. She said it could have been a stroke, so maybe that's what your rat had.

I'm sorry about your little rattie !   :(

Answer 3

Ok, look, first, you should have 2 rats. Second, paper towls are NOT the correct kind of bedding. third, when you noticed the sneezing you should of taken her to the vet, espessially after you noticed the other syptoms. And if you can't get to the vet, then you shoulden't have gotten the pet. I'm sorry of this seems harsh, but you should have planned your new rat's requirements better.

Answer 4

I had a similar experience. I bought two little ratties who were sneezing occasionally so I took them to the vet and put them on antibiotics, but a few weeks later, they'd be fine, and then really week and a few hours later they died.

I chalk it up to the absolutely c**p husbandry of the pet shops. Your rattie was probably born to the rattie equivalent of a teenage mother, who was likely sick herself, and then weaned way too young. Plus there's a ot of genetic weakness in pet shop rats.

My advice would be to contact a PET rat breeder, and get your rat from them. It'll be a lot more hassle and expense than just the local pet shop, but in the end you'll save time and money, and get a happier rat.

Answer 5

oh... I'm so sorry. and so young too.

Answer 6

I am very sorry about your rat but there are some things you are doing wrong. First, you never should have gotten 1 rat. ALWAYS get 2 because they are very social animals and NEED a companion. She was probably depressed. It's fantastic that you are feeding her regal rat but you need to feed her fresh fruits and veggies as well. Your bedding is NOT a good choice. You need to buy something like carefresh or yesterdays news because she was sneezing because of the papertowel. Papertowel is very dusty and it doesnt control the urine so it causes respitory illness in rats so thats another reason why she was sneezing. Finally..... YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN HER TO THE VET as soon as you thought something was wrong. If you cant afford the vet then you shouldnt have gotten ANY type of animal because sometime or other they are gonna need vet assistance. If you have taken her to the vet...she might still be alive. Oh! and NEVER get a rat from a pet store. She might have been sick when you got her but you didnt know. Get rats from BREEDERS!

Answer 7

I am so sorry about your rat!

you can go back to the pet shop and ask them what has happened. check their other rats to see if they also have these problems. if so, they should be able to give your money back since you purchased the rat very recently.

im not too sure what your rat had, but since you mentioned the sneezing, did she have laboured breathing? if she was panting or wheezing she could have had respiratory problems.

i cant help you much on this, just wait for more experienced people to answer.

i just did a bit of research, your rat might have had even a simple cold. rats are different from their wild ancestors, they dont tolerate the heat or cold very well.

when you gave your rat a bath, did you dry her straight afterwards or just leave her damp? it is winter here, and if its the same for you she would have gotten even colder.

i may be wrong though.. so dont put all your trust in me.

Answer 8

Awwww, i'm so terribly sorry about your loss. I couldn't even imagine the wrenching pain my heart would go through if i lost one of my rats :(

My condolences, and I almost cried reading your story.

I know it sounds foolish, but my heart is out for animals. Good luck!