skinny rat

[Seb84]

tried to find the answer but had no luck.
well all my rats are big and healthy except 1 female rat,
shes starting to look skinny and eyes not open as normal
so i put her in a seperate cage today to see how she goes by herself?
i put her on the scales today and is around 130-140 grams
will be weighing her every day i can to see if she drops more weight.
what i would like to know could she be sick or stressed out?
shes not sneezing or weezing, no snot can be seen

 

[Em1986]

How old is she, how many litters has she had (if any), can you feel any lumps in her stomach etc?
I'm not terribly sure about what is going on but i know that i used to own a rat many years ago and she wasn't terribly old and started to show the same signs then started to develop a lump in her neck
Mum took her to the vet (she was a pet, not food or a breeder etc) and they found more lumps in her stomach and said it was cancer so we had her put down.
I don't know if this is what could be wrong with your rat but if she's oldish and seems 'worn out' and doesn't pick up condition over the next week then i would say that she may not be worth keeping
It is a really good idea to weigh her and see how she goes, also have you checked her teeth to make sure there isn't any overgrowth that could be making it hard or painful for her to eat?

Oh and good luck, i hope she picks up condition for you!

 

[Seb84]

shes still small only 3months old, no litters
shes noticeably skinny
i will give her a check 2moro,
was thinking that, maybe i should let her sleep for a long time

 

[Em1986]

maybe take her to the vet if you think it will be worth it as in if you feel she is worth keeping to breed with later on or something (i don't have snakes yet or rodents so i don't know how people on here treat their rodents etc sorry).
If she has been kept with other rats then maybe they have a pecking order amongst them and she has been missing out on food and being picked on. If she has been picked on etc then it is also likely that she could have caught a chill because the others may have stopped her from snuggling in at night.
As i said i'm no expert on this but just trying to give you some ideas and help.

 

[Seb84]

thank you for you help, i'll see how she goes in the next couple of days and i'll take it from there
thanks Em1986

 

[Em1986]

No problem
Keep me/us updated and i hope it goes well!

ps i will be getting 4 bearded dragons as my first reptiles very soon

 

[Wild~Touch]

Have a look at her teeth

 

[solar 17]

Mycoplasma pulmonis, the organism that almost all rats in the general pet population carry is the cause of the majority of respiratory and genital infections in rats. The organism is carried in the upper respiratory system and is transmitted by direct contact between mother and babies, by sexual transfer, through the air over short distances, and can even be passed to the babies while going through the birth canal if the mother is infected......solar 17(Baden)....ps my guess

 

[-Katana-]

Have a look at her teeth

This^^.

I've started culling youngsters now not only for the sniffles but for malformed teeth as well.
When I looked I was hugely surprised how many of my pet shop brought breeders have appalling teeth.
It's a wonder they managed to eat at all.

 

[Fuscus]

Whenever have a sick rat, I turn to the racehorse section of my vet book

 

[Em1986]

Hey, just wondering what ended up happening with her and if you found out what was wrong?

 

[Seb84]

checked her teeth and they were alright.
well shes lost another couple grams in weight and snot has appeared on her nose, she's very thin now so i will have to put her down, which sux.....
thanks for all the advice everyone

seb

 

[Em1986]

Awww so sorry to hear but sometimes there is nothing you can do to help and at least this way she won't be suffering.
RIP ratty.

 

[-Katana-]

Sorry to hear that Seb but at least she isn't suffering and she isn't spreading the condition to the rest of your colony.

 

[FAY]

Seb, we have the odd rat that this happens too. It is just something that happens. We also gas these and put them in the rubbish, no way would I feed one of these.
People forget, all humans aren't always healthy or can start to have health problems as adults. Animals are no different.