Lethargic & Unsteady

I have a 6 month old rat who appeared very ill when I woke up this morning. He had been eating and playing when I went to bed last night so the change was very sudden.

His eyes keep closing and he's barely moving. He keeps attempting to eat (seems to have an appetite) but looks like he gets tired after a couple bites and closes his eyes with the pellet in his hands. He's also a bit unsteady and falls when he tries to climb.

This is my first time with rats so I have no idea what's going on. Made a vet appt for later on but don't know what else to do to help him :-(

Can you post a video of how he is doing? Is he able to hold food, such as a cheerio, in his front paws? Is he weaker on one side then the other? How is he now?

Please keep him hydrated and try to get him to eat.
When you gently pull up the skin on the back of his neck, does it snap back into place? If not he may be dehydrated.

Try feeding him soft foods such as blocks soaked in mush, baby food, ensure or organic soy infant formula thickened with baby cereal etc .... these foods will help to give him fluids and also nutrition

Homemade mix for dehydration : http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8730

If he is unable to eat soft foods from a dish, he may be able to lick it off your finger. You can also give him tiny amounts (a drop or two at a time) by syringe (without a needle) depositing the food/fluid into the side of his mouth as if it goes straight in it may accidently go into his lungs

You may want to post on facebook group Real Rat Lovers Want to Know

I was really panicked and took Ollie to the vet. She seemed to think it's Lymphoma. They gave him some fluid (he was dehydrated) and I have some meds to give him every 12 hours.
He ate a bit when I got him home but I just started noticing blood in his stool. I'm absolutely distraught and don't know what to do from here :-(
He's able to hold his food - it just seems like it takes a lot of effort to eat it.
I just can't believe it got this bad so quickly.

Why does the vet think that? http://ratguide.com/health/neoplasia/lymphomas.php

what meds? how much, strength mg/ml, what does he weight?
Yeah, rats become ill and die fast, hang in there
feed him soft foods as previously mentioned as they will be easier for him to eat and will help him to stay hydrated

I messaged a more knowledgeable member so hopefully she post some ideas soon
Provide as much info as you can

She was feeling his abdomen and I believe she said his intestines felt hard?
I was given Enrofloxacin - 0.05ml every 12 hours.
He is a VERY small rat (I've had trouble getting him to gain enough weight since I got him) and he lost a bit of weight over the last few days. I thought he was a dwarf, though the breeder says definitely not. I believe his weight was just over 90g. I feed them Oxbow Mouse & Young Rat food (along with Oxbow Simple Rewards and seedless grapes for treats).

The only thing he ate with any vigor today was a bit of yogurt mixed with water I finally gave up and gave him. Not sure if that's ok for him but was getting a bit desperate. He spent a lot of time with his pellets but like I said... doesn't get too far.

I'll see if I can grab some of the stuff you suggested in the AM. Will see about a video or at least pics too.

I appreciate your input - thank you.

Can you post some pictures of him.
Does he have bowl movements ok?

http://ratguide.com/health/digestive/megacolon.php
You might want to check out the links re Woody and Woody's diet

The normal recommended diet for rats is a good quality block (Oxbow Regal Rat or Halan Teklad 2014) and daily vegs and occasional healthy treats such as a piece of fruit, cooked grains or cereal, organic pumpkin seeds etc. It sounds like he is the size of a baby rat

Does your rat have white markings like blazes etc? Is his poop normal? Or was it small, oddly shaped or dry? Does his belly.seem bloated?

He is about the size of a baby rat (little bigger). Once I noticed he wasn't gaining a lot of weight I realized his brother was taking his food, running off with it and not letting Ollie near the bowl. I started feeding Ollie separately and he gained a little weight but not nearly enough. He's always been a little slow eating though he's very interested (it's almost like he gets full but when he tries to go back to the dish later, his brother goes after him).

I am giving them Oxbow but was told to switch from Young Rat to Regal Rat at 6 months (pretty much now - there's only a cup or two left in the bag).

For treats I give Oxbow Rewards and grapes mostly... but also carrots and broccoli.

No white blazes that I've noticed. The vet said his bowl movements were fine (though when I got him home he passed a bloody stool shortly after). A couple were a little more round shaped than tic-tac, but otherwise pretty typical.

Will get the vid when he wakes up (he seemed distressed yesterday and he seems content and sleeping well right now so I don't want to wake him).

Here are a couple pictures I took a few weeks ago... size comparison between him and his brother (also small) and a good idea of his size from the day he was trying to get into the food bag.
Will post current ones when he's up.

Won't let me take video as my phone is apparently short on memory. Will try to clear some space. Managed to upload pics though. Here's him eating today. A lot better but walking is still "off" and his face looks sick still.

Poor little guy, hopefully the enrofloxacin will kick in. Something is definitely going on. I don't know why your vet thought lymphoma... are the lymph nodes enlarged?

He still looks very ill in the last pictures
Is he pooping normally?

What is the strength of the baytril he is on (mg/ml)? His weight is 90 g? and the amount he is getting is 0.05 ml?

I would suggest you start putting 2 dishes of food in different parts of the cage so they both can eat separately and that you provide soft foods with lots of fluid it help him stay hydrated. Also fruits like the skinless grapes you are giving as treats as well as fruits like watermelon.

You might want to try feeding Woody's diet (in two dishes so his brother is unable to prevent him from eating, rats need to eat frequently at least every 6 hrs) http://ratguide.com/health/figures/megacolon_figure_5.php because it sounds like both of your rats are genetically very small or may have digestive problems

If not Woodys diet then other soft foods such as organic soy infant formula thickened with baby cereal twice a day for nutrition, cooked and mashed vegs such as sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, etc
(forbidden foods list http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=590 )

I would also suggest 1 or 2 water dishes in the cage that he can access and that can not be spilled or tipped (heavy dishes or dishes attached to the side of the cage.

Did you read the link I previously posted on megacolon?
Did you look at the pictures of Woody - late onset?
Does any of it sound like Ollie?
Can you post pic of holding him up and showing his tummy from a couple of different angles?

Can you get any info from the breeder regarding their siblings, parents or other family members? - their size/weight? have any had any health issues? If any of them died even as tiny babies, their symptoms, illnesses, and reason for deaths? Did their parents or any siblings have white markings such as blazes?

I got him some watermelon today and he was able to eat a little piece. Put him in his carrier for 20 minutes so I could check his poop without his brother making any contributions lol
The breeder was highly recommended and was shocked to hear about the problems. She also asked to see a few pictures. Just wanted to post the new pics and will answer the other questions on my laptop when it's charged (am on my phone).
I did try 2 dishes but Merlyn empties his bowl, hoards it... then empties Oliver's bowl, adds it to his pile and then guards it aggressively. It's so bizarre.
I've been feeding them totally separately the last couple days to make sure he's getting enough.

Meds, and a pic from him reaching for a bit of grape.
Excuse the awkward handling/photos. He has a couple sore spots from Merlyn biting him so I did the best I could.

littleladyinblack said:

I did try 2 dishes but Merlyn empties his bowl, hoards it... then empties Oliver's bowl, adds it to his pile and then guards it aggressively. It's so bizarre.

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Even with soft foods?
Try 2 dishes in different parts of the cage, of organic soy infant formula thickened a bit with baby cereal ....... (Not a replacement for other foods but in addition to them). he shouldn't be able to carry away the formula because even thickened a bit, it is still a liquid

Hopefully Lilspaz68 will get back to you as she has much more experience with this.


Woody's diet is here http://ratguide.com/health/figures/megacolon_figure_5.php

But fortunately his tummy doesn't seem to look bloated

How is your little lad doing? From his appearance, weight it really looks like failure to.thrive. I had a little lad who would eat constantly and would blow up like he was pregnant, but if he ran out of food, even for a few hours, he got really skinny. He wasn't as small as your boys but his body looked similar.

lilspaz68 said:

How is your little lad doing? From his appearance, weight it really looks like failure to.thrive. I had a little lad who would eat constantly and would blow up like he was pregnant, but if he ran out of food, even for a few hours, he got really skinny. He wasn't as small as your boys but his body looked similar.

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What caused it? What did you do?