Advice after Rat Armageddon

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ruby72

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2021
Messages
18
Location
New Jersey
Yesterday was absolutely chaos for me and my rat babies. I’ve had both for a week. On Sunday morning I came in and the one, Daphne, had her foot absolutely mangled in a pineapple hut that I had hanging from the top of their cage. It was trapped in some string, and her whole leg was swollen and red. We packed up both her and her sister, Roz, and ran to the vet.

After one emergency vet trip, it was determined that nothing was broken but she needed to stay off of it, so no climbing. Welp, their entire cage is metal bars, and the moment I put her in, she started freaking climbing. So, I decided to leave her in the kitten carrier we had brought her to the vet in.

While trying to get them sorted, Roz gets out of the cage and runs around. I got her back in, but ten minutes later when trying to get my injured girl her pain meds, SHE ESCAPES. She ran off the platform their cage is on and into the dusty back of my desk.

Que 15 minutes of me sobbing and trying to get her back in and were good to go.

Heres where I need advice:

  1. Daphne seems so depressed now that I have her separated from her sister. She’s going to be in the carrier for at least another two days. Is there any long term affects to a bonded pair being separated? I tried this morning to get the not injured one, Roz, into the carrier this morning but she bit me & HARD.
  2. Roz absolutely would not let me pick her up. How can i grab her god forbid there's another emergency? she constantly squirms out of my hands.
Thank yall!
 
So did your vet give you Metacam (meloxicam) for the swelling? Or has the swelling gone down?

If they did not and;
1). The swelling is still bad, you can give her infant liquid ibuprofen.
2) if the swelling has gone down, put her back with her sister.
 
So did your vet give you Metacam (meloxicam) for the swelling? Or has the swelling gone down?

If they did not and;
1). The swelling is still bad, you can give her infant liquid ibuprofen.
2) if the swelling has gone down, put her back with her sister.
Unfortunately, the vet only gave us a pain medication for her, which she had trouble taking (had to force her, hence her escape). So far swelling seems to be about the same last i checked. I will look into the infant ibuprofen. Ty!
 
Let's get you through the medical emergency and deal with the socialization issues after.

Most times I leave rats in their normal cage even if they have had surgery etc. They will be happier and will relax and settle down and heal faster. It's VERY hard to stop a rat from moving around and because it's not broken just deal with the pain/inflammation in her regular cage.
 
What is the pain medicine? Metacam is for pain and swelling.

Do you want to take a quick pic of her foot so I can see the swelling?
It does look like it is Metacam. I gave her some mixed with some apple sauce today, about an hour ago. Too early to see if it does anything Here is a pic, it’s the one closest on the right.
I’ve now put her back in her cage with her sister. As stated, she did crawl around in some dust yesterday, and now she’s sneezing. (Note: she was only sneezing while play fighting with her sister? Is that a good thing or should I be worried about a URI)
 

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Hopefully the stress of the injury and the temporary escape didn't kick up a respiratory infection. Just keep an eye on the sneezing.
What concentration is your Metacam? 0.5 mg/ml or 1.5 mg/ml? How much were you told to give her?
 
I do apologize, it is meloxicam. She was given 3mg total, liquid. She is to have 0.05ml every 12 hours.

her sneeze is now getting more frequent as well. Edit: at first I just thought it was an excited sneeze. But I just gave them more treats and while she was sniffing around she sneezed a lot more. She does not sneeze when she is resting in her hut.
She is still limping but it’s a bit better from yesterday.
 
Yes label says verbatim “meloxicam 3mg/ml Oral Susp. / #3 ml- give 0.05ml by mouth every 12 hours for 14 days”

will this help a respiratory infection?
 
No. This will help with pain and inflammation. The dose looks good for a young girly.

Watch the sneezing to make sure it doesn't get congested. Really wet and thick.
 
No. This will help with pain and inflammation. The dose looks good for a young girly.

Watch the sneezing to make sure it doesn't get congested. Really wet and thick.
Absolutely will do. I appreciate your help. I do have another question.
At what point should I go back to the vet? When the sneezing gets worse or if it continues? As stated, I’ve only had them a week. I took them to an ER vet to get it addressed. Should I call back that same vet? I’m just very unsure since these are my first rats.
Thank you so incredibly much for your assistance.
 
If you aren't sure if the sneezing is congested upload a video to somewhere like YouTube and copy/paste the link here.

Work on being the Bringer of Good Things to your new girls. Treats, yummy foods, soft words etc.
 
Yesterday was absolutely chaos for me and my rat babies. I’ve had both for a week. On Sunday morning I came in and the one, Daphne, had her foot absolutely mangled in a pineapple hut that I had hanging from the top of their cage. It was trapped in some string, and her whole leg was swollen and red. We packed up both her and her sister, Roz, and ran to the vet.

After one emergency vet trip, it was determined that nothing was broken but she needed to stay off of it, so no climbing. Welp, their entire cage is metal bars, and the moment I put her in, she started freaking climbing. So, I decided to leave her in the kitten carrier we had brought her to the vet in.

While trying to get them sorted, Roz gets out of the cage and runs around. I got her back in, but ten minutes later when trying to get my injured girl her pain meds, SHE ESCAPES. She ran off the platform their cage is on and into the dusty back of my desk.

Que 15 minutes of me sobbing and trying to get her back in and were good to go.

Heres where I need advice:

  1. Daphne seems so depressed now that I have her separated from her sister. She’s going to be in the carrier for at least another two days. Is there any long term affects to a bonded pair being separated? I tried this morning to get the not injured one, Roz, into the carrier this morning but she bit me & HARD.
  2. Roz absolutely would not let me pick her up. How can i grab her god forbid there's another emergency? she constantly squirms out of my hands.
Thank yall!
Have you thought about trying an aquarium with a wire lid for recovery? And is it possible to keep them together during the recovery period? In terms of Roz... start from square one... hand feeding her food (Oxbow kibble is awesome for this) so she re-learns the positive association with you. Don't try to pick her up for some time... let her build trust in you. Gradually lure her onto your hand or body. You can create a corral from cardboard boxes (remember they can jump 3 feet, so it needs to be tall) or just work with her from her cage. If they're frenetic, I'd recommend having the corral up around their cage whenver you open it just so you don't have to do a dash and grab.
 
Have you thought about trying an aquarium with a wire lid for recovery? And is it possible to keep them together during the recovery period? In terms of Roz... start from square one... hand feeding her food (Oxbow kibble is awesome for this) so she re-learns the positive association with you. Don't try to pick her up for some time... let her build trust in you. Gradually lure her onto your hand or body. You can create a corral from cardboard boxes (remember they can jump 3 feet, so it needs to be tall) or just work with her from her cage. If they're frenetic, I'd recommend having the corral up around their cage whenver you open it just so you don't have to do a dash and grab.
thank you! i have considered an aquarium tank, however i was under the assumption it wouldnt create enough air flow, and could cause a URI or such. For now ive put Daphne back in with Roz but created a cardboard roof so they cannot climb too high.

Prior to rat Armageddon i really thought i was making progress with Roz, but we are back to square one. So far she has only bit me HARD when i was trying to pick her up for emergencies. She does nibble at me but i really think she doesn't know im NOT food lol

I will def be creating more cardboard fortresses to prevent escapes lol

I know it will be a project to get to a level where i can handle them, but i am excited for the process. I love these little fuzz balls so much lol
 
when she tries to nip or bite, or even open her mouth to threaten these actions try a shrill but not necessarily loud "eeeep" which is rat language to "stop, you are hurting me...too hard"
She may stop confused and look at you, try again, then you eep again. It might take time but see if that helps her learn proper ratiquette.
 
when she tries to nip or bite, or even open her mouth to threaten these actions try a shrill but not necessarily loud "eeeep" which is rat language to "stop, you are hurting me...too hard"
She may stop confused and look at you, try again, then you eep again. It might take time but see if that helps her learn proper ratiquette.
Thank you! Quick q: when my old cat would bite, we would boop him on the nose. Not a slap, not a hit, just a boop “nope no bite”. Would this be affective, or would she see it more as aggression? I will def try the “eep” more often than a boop tho

thank you so much for your help. This forum has been so amazing and supportive
 
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