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OryanGWBaker

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Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
6
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I just got a new little family member, Rat Fink the hairless dumbo rat, about 2 weeks ago. We all love him an incredibly, & play with him constantly. I went to pull him out of his cage/aquarium today & he feels like a ball of lava. His nose isn't wet, nothing discharging from his eyes or nose. His skin is unusually red & purplish, & his stomach seems bloated. We've been feeding him small amounts of ferret food mixed with seeds & grains with an occasional sweet treat once a day. He's got plenty of water, clean aspen bedding, & light air circulation. What could be wrong? My wife & I are highly concerned. Attached are pictures of his home & Fink.
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Most people don't recommend tanks for cages, as they don't provide enough air circulation for a rats respiratory system and they like to climb. Also ferret food probably has way too much protein in it to be good for rats, Oxbow is recommended by a lot of people. I don't know much about whats wrong with your rattie though, hope he feels better soon. Rats do a lot better in pairs also, they are social animals.
 
I agree, we're planning on getting him a friend, but my wife & I wanted to get our kids adjusted to the idea first. The ferret food was recommended, & provided by the seller, but we agreed it seemed to high in protein, which is why we greatly limit how much is added. The aquarium I'd read on a few site were a safe option for hairless rats, due to the risk of quick chilling, but in retrospect I don't like it. We're going to be getting little Fink a friend and new, bigger cage shortly, but we're limited by a tight budget this past month.
 
He may be overheating in that tank if you're in North America, the weather is brutal right now. If you're in NA or anywhere warm, I suggest you get him out of the tank and try to help him cool off right away. Rats shouldn't be kept in tanks because they are so prone to respiratory disease but I think your boy may have hyperthermia, which is more urgent. Dab him with a bit of water (not ice cold), focusing on his tail and feet and keep him somewhere cool.

Ferret food isn't suitable for rats at all. Ferrets are obligate carnivores, rats are omnivores that consume only small amounts of animal protein in the wild and do best on low protein diets when they are companion animals. Even if you're giving small amounts, you could be setting him up for kidney disease as he ages. There are some people that claim hairless rats need more protein to stay warm but there is no evidence to back that up. They do consume more calories than rats with fur in order to stay warm but that's the only real distinction in terms of dietary requirements. Similarly, seed mixes are too high in fat (not the good fats either) and deficient in many vitamins and minerals rats need a lot of.

A low protein block (Oxbow Regal Rat, Native Earth, Harlan Teklad 2014/2016/2018) plus veggies are probably the best diet available for your rat. Rats with nutritional deficiencies are more prone to illness and rats don't need any more help getting ill.

As far as getting a friend goes, I highly recommend it as well. It's not more work or space if you have an adequate rat cage already and the rats will be so much happier for it.
 
Your baby looks very young, possibly too young to be away from mom.

I cannot see the bloat and funny darkish colouring you are mentioning, is it in these pics?
 
I have two nakies and they change colors - I too was concerned when I first got them. They cannot live in tanks, the ammonia built up from the urine is harmful to their respiratory systems. Mine live in a Critter Nation. They also should not be on aspen chips - nakies are prone to eye problems so they should be kept on fleece or bedding that is relatively dust free - we use fleece and kaytee clean and kozy. The aspen chips can get into their eyes and cause damage. You also need to freeze any liter you use for 48 hours before use to kill any mites/flees/lice that might have hitched a ride. Getting a friend sooner rather than later is always easier for intros since you CANNOT just put rats together. No more ferret food!! Oxbow, veggies, fruits ... nakies have a higher metabolism so they eat more than fuzzies... That being said you have a very adorable Nakie!! ♥
 
Hey there I don't own nakies I own furry ones :p but I do agree with what the other people are posting, it's hard when you are new at it cause you only know what you know and sometimes what info you are told is not the best solution, but yes oxbow, veggies, a friend and air ventilation will be good for him as for the bloating and mushy feeling I know my ratties in the heat get really mushy and limp, you might want to try what the one member suggested with dabs of water , is your cutie still eating? Does he want to play? Or is he just laying around? I'm not to sure about the skin discolouration as mine have furry stuff all over them lol can you get a better pic of the discolouration and a video for the other nakie owners to better see what's going on. Your other option is a vet that is knowledgable in rats specifically where do you live ?
 
Just picked up some fleece blankets to replace the aspen bedding, should I strip them up so Fink can nest with it too? Or place it in whole as a liner? Cage is coming sometime next week to replace the aquarium. Thankfully his temperature has gone down, as has the discoloration & bloating. We picked up fresh organic fruits & vegetables today, looking for a reputable pet store for the Oxbow. And Friday we'll be picking up a friend for him, from the same litter so it'll be his brother. He has zero issue eating, & is still very active & playful.
 
Awesome! Sounds like your on the right path if you're in the states you can also order oxbow from I believe it's dr.fosters and smith? Pretty cheap I hear I'm in canada so too expensive for me to order from there I lay my bedding flat and then give my guys smaller squares to nest with but again not sure if nakies need more once you get a friend he'll get body heat :) glad to hear he's doing better!
 
I'm so glad you are getting rid of the wood chips. I rescued 9 nakies in December, and some of their eyes were actually infected! Once they were treated and on fleece, things have been fine. One of the girls is blind from that, and her brother only lost one eye. (!)
My nakies are in a cage and they have no trouble producing lots of heat on their own. They feel quite warm compared to their furry counterparts.
Your baby will be so happy to have company! Make sure you confirm their sexes before putting them in the same cage. Pet stores are notorious for messing that up. It's pretty easy to tell the boys from the girls when you're looking at testicles. ;)
 
No joke, my wife pit a strawberry in his cage without telling me, so I immediately thought it was blood & freaked out. She asked if I'm sure Fink is a boy, kinda hard to miss gender him when his winky is staring at me, lmao. Never thought I'd type that out XD
 
Hahah yeah my boys are light coloured I gave them cherries and strawberries same thing lol :p
 
No joke, my wife pit a strawberry in his cage without telling me, so I immediately thought it was blood & freaked out. She asked if I'm sure Fink is a boy, kinda hard to miss gender him when his winky is staring at me, lmao. Never thought I'd type that out XD

Umm Fink would have lovely pink testicles now, unless he's too young for them to have dropped (3 weeks or younger)...you might just have a girl :D

You might want to get a sister instead ;)

Little Norbert...see what I mean?

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Your baby.

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Here are diagrams I made up of 5 week old babies for sexing them. These are furred.

Boy
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Girl
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Here are 20 day old babies, but you can still see the difference in the spaces, and also where the baby boys testes are just starting to drop

Boy
Boy-20daysold.jpg~original


Girl
Girl-20daysold.jpg~original
 
She asked if I'm sure Fink is a boy, kinda hard to miss gender him when his winky is staring at me, lmao. Never thought I'd type that out XD
Interesting fact - my naked girls have quite protruding parts which could be mistaken for a penis. It looks quite different from my furry rats. So, go by testicles, not their winky. Boy rats are usually VERY well endowed when it comes to balls. :giggle:
 
Seems like you are making the appropriate changes for the little guy. A friend, new cage, and different bedding for sure! I use fleece dish cloths and I clip them to my rats floor boards, like carpeting, also I have mini dog beds in their cages, I don't really use bedding.. I will rip up old shirts and socks, i also use toilet paper sometimes, and change that everyday. With all the fleece its going to need to be washed at least once every two weeks, sometimes even more often. Or it will stink and will be dirty from the urine. Rats love clean cages, mine get very excited when they are clean. Mine don't really love the water, so I give them cloth bathes, esp my boys bc they will pee on each other, gross! I use ox bow and my ratties love it, pet supplies plus has it. They also love digging boxes and I have ox bow hay that i put in there and they go crazy for it, they love to chew on it and dig in there. Good luck!
 
These are some pictures of my nakies for comparison's sake: (they were taken several months ago)

This is Jade, a female:

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This is her brother before his neuter:

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They both look like they have a winky, but only one has testicles.
;)
 
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