Sudden erratic behaviour

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Agy

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2018
Messages
5
Location
West Sussex
One of my rats has suddenly gone a bit mad. He always had a lot of energy but last couple of days he's gone very erratic. He runs around the cage like a madman (not all the time) and this morning I noticed he had a case of cage rage: he tipped over the potty, food bowl onto another floor, food all over the place, just basically ran riot. I think his cage mate seems a little scared of him as once I saw him jump up onto a platform away from him. I haven't seen any actual serious aggression between them though. I've had them less than a month so I don't know if it's his "time of the month" or something. He's not aggressive towards me and doesn't bite.
 
It is possible that something frightened him.0

It is also possible that he is panicking because of breathing issues. He may have a respiratory0 infection, in which case he would need to see a vet asap and be started on antibiotics. Is he making sounds when he breaths? What do you hear when you hold him up to your ear and listen to both sides of his chest? Is he mouth breathing? Holding his head up or down to try to breath easier?

He may also need to run and get more exercise.
How big is his cage? Does he get out for at least 1 or 2 hours/day to run and climb and explore and play in a rat safe area?

Can you post a video of his breathing? (post the video to youtube and post the link on here)
and a picture of the cage?
 
OK. I’ll try when I get a chance but his breathing is fine. I can’t hear anything. I can’t imagine what could have scared him. I live alone. Nothing here that’s noisy or scary. They have one of those massive ferret cages with four floors for the two of them. I do get them out daily with a variety of toys I made. The other chap isn’t as keen to go out. Maybe it’s since I stopped him running around the entire room and made the playpen
 
One year. He calmed down a bit. Definitely can't hear anything when he's breathing. Maybe he just hates being in a cage. He jumps like a kangaroo as soon as he comes out
 
I will try to catch a vid of him. I think he does the most at night. He's not erratic 100% of the time. It's difficult to describe. Last night he ripped his hammock to shreds. That's very odd
 
Any luck, Agy? We had a boy do that when he was getting an ear infection. That was the first sign he gave us that anything was wrong.
 
That doesn't truly show how he can be. But maybe he's just naturally energetic and can't stand the cage? As soon as I get home, he cannot wait to get out. If i open the cage door to say hello, I cannot keep him inside.
 
The hammock is almost non existent. I don't know which one of them has done it. It's strange. It was a nice, cosy place for them. They ripped all the foam from it and ripped it into a hundred pieces.
 
This is on average how much energy he has. This is why I'm so stunned when I see people with their rats chilling. Mine will absolutely not sit still for one second. Not even the shy one. This is why I can't them them on the sofa or anywhere.
 
OK I was able to watch your video. He doesn't look sick, he looks incredibly healthy and very happy and active. All that bouncing and running is him playing with you :)
 
Aw thats's good to hear :D but he can be like this on his own in the cage. is he playing with invisible friends ? LOL:rolleyes:
 
Yep. I have an old fat boy, who can be a lazy spud, but when he's playful...the energy builds up in them and they kinda "pop" and bounce. In little babies its called popcorning and this is when its most impressive in a rats life.
Really old rats attempting to popcorn when they cannot use their hind legs well are the best IMO. the front half pops up only and it looks like a low rider car LOL
 
Look at the hammock :eek:
 

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Hahaha sadly you have a hammock chewer. Obviously you are going to have to cheap down on your hammock substitutes. Try fabric placemats from the dollar store or even buy fleece and cut squares and hang up with shower hooks. Plastic solid bottom shallow baskets can also be used as a "hammock".
 
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